Lions Tyleik Williams Rookie Season Stat Prediction
The Detroit Lions invested in their defensive interior even more with the addition of first-round pick Tyleik Williams in the 2025 NFL draft.
Williams joins an nose tackle rotation headlined by veteran DJ Reader and free agent signing Roy Lopez, with the likes of Levi Onwuzurike, Mekhi Wingo and Pat O'Connor also in the mix as off-the-ball tackles.
Detroit's defensive line will also get a boost at some point with the return of defensive tackle Alim McNeill, whose late-season torn ACL is expected to hold him out of action to begin the regular season.
At Ohio State, Williams was a run-stuffing nose tackle who helped anchor the defense in their run to a national championship. While the consensus is that he'll need to develop to become an effective pass-rusher at the NFL level, he has the intangible athletic skills to be a factor early on.
Williams has been limited throughout the team's offseason program in part due to the length of his season in college, and as a result will need to get up to speed quickly in training camp. Even if he's able to acclimate quickly, he may be best suited for a rotational role behind Reader and Lopez at defensive tackle.
Roster Bubble: Defensive Linemen
One other potential avenue for Williams to see playing time early in his career would be by working as a 3-technique next to either Reader or Lopez. If he's not polished as a pass-rusher, this would likely be in early downs where opponents like to run the ball.
When McNeill returns, he will likely assume the majority of the reps as the 3-technique. Onwuzurike is the favorite to start there right away, but could also see some time as a traditional defensive end if the Lions want to go heavy in run downs.
With all this in mind, I project Williams to play around 33 percent of snaps early in his career with the potential for an added workload if he impresses.
Given the nature of playing the defensive interior, there's always the potential of added responsibility in the event of an injury. As a result, Williams could wind up making a spot start in place of Reader or Lopez if circumstances create the need.
In his rookie season, I predict that Williams will have a total of 23 combined tackles, five tackles for loss and one sack as a rookie in 2025.
Related articles
49ers 2nd Round Pick Projected to Receive $20M Deal in Free Agency
Titans ‘Getting Closer’ To Decision On No. 1 Overall Pick
Aging Buccaneers Leader Reveals Retirement Thinking
Cowboys Insider Reacts to Bills James Cook Trade RumorThe Latest
Lions Tyleik Williams Rookie Season Stat Prediction
The Detroit Lions invested in their defensive interior even more with the addition of first-round pick Tyleik Williams in the 2025 NFL draft. Williams joins an nose tackle rotation headlined by veteran DJ Reader and free agent signing Roy Lopez, with the likes ...
'Hardcore' Chiefs Weapon Travis Kelce Poised For ‘Last Dance’ Minicamp
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is all business as mandatory minicamp approaches. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is all business this offseason as he approaches what might be his final minicamp. After a down season that saw Kelce ...
Cam Ward’s only concerning trend at Titans OTA’s could be blessing or curse that he’ll try to keep getting away with in NFL
Cam Ward hasn’t yet done anything to demonstrate he can be rattled. I went to practice every day of OTA’s looking for something that knocked him off his spot. I couldn’t find one. On the practice field, speaking to the ...
Commanders Coaches Deliver Clear Message About Offseason Break
As many teams near the end of mandatory minicamp, now begins a 40-ish-day stretch that is often a coach's scariest time of the year. When their group of millionaire athletes in their 20s are set free during the peak of summer ...
2 Houston Texans underrated sleepers who could break out in 2025 NFL season
Here we'll try to look at the Houston Texans veteran players whose roles will be pushed by rookies in the 2025 NFL season. The Houston Texans made waves in 2023 by exceeding expectations with CJ Stroud under center and DeMeco Ryans ...
