The first success of the Green Bay Packers of their wildly successful season opening was not made by the offense or defense. After receiving the opening kickoff from the Detroit Lions, Packers rookie Savion Williams returned the ball to the Packers 40 yard line. Although it was called back by a Packers penalty, this was a success as he advanced the ball past the NFL’s 35 yard touchback position. 

After the Brian Gutekunst selected Matthew Golden in the first round, most Packers fans assumed no other wide receivers would be selected to wear the green and gold. Judging from comments given in his day 2 draft press conference, Gutekunst did not expect it either. However, when the versatile wide receiver from TCU was available at pick 87, Gutekunst pulled the trigger. As he said, Savion Williams “fits Matt’s offense to a T.”

Savion Williams’ was frequently compared to Cordarrelle Patterson or Deebo Samuel in the pre-draft media. Lafleur, a former coach under Kyle Shanahan who made Samuel a star, would probably use him the same way. 

Although struggling with injury throughout training camp, Savion Williams was ready to go against Detroit week 1. As stated above, he made the most of his first play of professional football returning the opening kickoff against the Lions. His impact would be felt much more in the week 2 win against the Washington Commanders.

In his second NFL game, Williams lined up all over the formation. The majority of his snaps were as an outside wide receiver, but he also lined up in the backfield next to Josh Jacobs. In his most successful play of the night, Williams lined up as a Wildcat quarterback and ran the ball for a first down on a scoring drive for the Packers. In the most watched Thursday night game on Prime, Savion Williams flashed his potential.

Few wider receiver rooms in the NFL are as competitive as the Packers’ is this year. Despite injuries to Christian Watson and Jayden Reed, the room is still deep. Jordan Love has options throwing to veterans Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, and the emergent Tucker Kraft, not to mention Williams’ draftmate Matthew Golden. Despite these options, Savion Williams will continue to be eminent in Matt Lafleur’s gameplan due to his versatility.

Fans should expect to see some unique plays from Lafleur for Savion Williams. Running from the Wildcat is likely only the beginning for a player that threw a touchdown from that position in his senior year. He has the skills to be a gadget player running jet sweeps and direct handoffs, a position played in the past by Tyler Ervin or Jayden Reed.

The Packers offense is not short of playmakers. Jordan Love has been making excellent throws to a variety of targets and Josh Jacobs showed he was a top 5 running back last year. Savion Williams will likely not be a feature of the offense, but this does not mean he cannot have an impact. His versatility and athleticism give an already explosive offense one more way to make big plays.

The future is bright for Savion Williams and the Green Bay Packers.