Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams was the NFL’s fastest player with the football in his hands during the league’s 16 games during Week 14.
In the Lions’ 34-31 victory over Green Bay on Dec. 5, Williams caught a short pass over the middle from quarterback Jared Goff on Detroit’s opening possession and motored 28 yards to the Packers’ 10-yard line to set up a touchdown.
Along the way, the former Alabama All-American reached a top speed of 20.45 mph, and according to NFL Next Gen Stats, that was faster than any other ball-carrier in the league in last week’s games
Williams edged Green Bay wide receiver Christian Watson, who ran 20.41 mph on a 59-yard reception in the same game.
Another former Alabama wide receiver made the top 10 for fastest ball-carriers in Week 14, and Calvin Ridley did it on an unusual play. Ridley reached 19.78 mph, good for ninth-fastest in Week 14, in a 10-3 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday with a reception that went for no gain.
Also appearing among the top 20 fastest ball-carriers for Week 14 were Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs (Alabama) at No. 16 with 19.51 mph on a 20-yard run and Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (Gadsden City) at No. 19 at 19.37 mph on a 49-yard reception in a 42-21 loss to the Minnesota on Sunday.
While Williams reached the fastest speed of any Week 14 ball-carrier, he did not record the fastest speed of any NFL ball-carrier this season or the fastest speed of his career. Williams hit 21.48 mph during a 20-19 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 30, 2023.
Topping the speed chart for the NFL’s 2024 season is the 22.36 mph of Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae Turpin.
Players from Alabama high schools and colleges have six of the top 18 speeds for ball-carriers for the 2024 season. Gibbs holds third at 22.03 mph and eighth at 21.80 mph, Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (Clay-Chalkville) is sixth at 21.89 mph and 18th at 21.44 and Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (Alabama) ranks 10th at 21.72 mph and 16th at 21.46 mph.
