Tyleik Williams, IDL Ohio State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Williams was a four-star recruit from Unity Reed High School in Manassas, Va. in the class of 2021
Ohio State defensive lineman Tyleik Williams has received plenty of hype as a top 100-caliber prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft. Williams is a key member of a talented Buckeyes front that also features Michael Hall Jr., Jack Sawyer, and JT Tuimoloau.
Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more opinions on prospects, clips, and the latest football content.
Tyleik Williams, IDL Ohio State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Junior defensive tackle from Manassas, Va.
Background: Williams was a four-star recruit from Unity Reed High School in Manassas, Va. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 166 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 156 for On3.com. Williams was an unranked four-star recruit for Rivals. ESPN ranked him 193rd in the nation with an 83 grade out of 100. He led his team to eight wins and a Virginia Class 6 playoff appearance as a junior. Williams earned First Team All-State honors for totaling 47 tackles and 3.5 sacks. He was selected to the Army All-America Bowl.
Injuries & Off-Field: Suffered a knee injury in preseason camp in 2023
Awards: 2021 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten, 2021 Freshman All-American (ESPN, PFF), 2022 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten, 2023 Third Team All-Big Ten (Coaches), 2023 Second Team All-Big Ten (Media)
Pros: Rarely penalized, ability to add or shed weight, times the snap well, drives power through his hands, competitive pad level at initial contact, well-placed hands in the lineman’s chest, builds momentum on stunts, high motor pass rusher, uses angles to soften the center’s or guard’s shoulder, snatch-pull, two-handed swipe, rip move, swipe-rip, developmental swim move, forklift move to trap lineman’s hands, bull rush creates vertical displacement, examples of mid-rush hand counters, gets hands in passing lanes, thick frame and adequate base help hold the point of attack, instances of holding ground vs. down blocks, heavy hands and upper body strength help discard blockers, sure tackle who raps up and finishes violently
Cons: Bit of an odd frame that limits him as a pass rusher, arm length should meet but not significantly exceed NFL thresholds, out-reached at times, lacks high-level agility, lacks build and traits to be a base end, likely not heavy enough to keep 0-tech snaps in the NFL, inconsistent twitch and burst to blow past linemen, pad level rises quickly, consistently loses when he doesn’t have the leverage advantage, needs to refine hand counter precision and speed, bull rush can die out, lacks bend to turn the edge, more of a pocket pusher than penetrator, base needs to be wider when anchoring against the run, inconsistent base leads to him being displaced, washed away by double teams when he fails to get low and anchor
Overview: Williams lined up everywhere from 0-tech to 5-tech during his time at Ohio State, but the Buckeyes prioritized him as a 3-tech in 2023. That’s a role he can carry into the NFL, but he doesn’t generate enough consistent pass rush production to play 3-tech in every scheme. Instead, he could be asked to kick further inside where his build and power profile will be more useful. Williams has the ability to carry more weight than his unofficial listed weight of 290 lbs. Supposedly, he was closer to 350 lbs. as a freshman before slimming down in recent years. Williams appeared on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List for The Athletic in 2022. According to Feldman, the junior runs a 1.62 ten-yard split, which would’ve beaten Calijah Kancey’s 1.64 at the 2023 NFL Combine. That speed shows up in how well Williams times the snap. He makes first contact with a competitive pad level and drives power through his heavy hands and with his leg drive. His hand placement is good and allows him to generate vertical displacement on bull rushes and some knockbacks. Williams is a high motor pass rusher who uses angles to soften the lineman’s shoulder. His pass rush arsenal includes snatch-pulls, two-handed swipes, rips, swipe-rips, forklift moves, and a developmental swim move. There are examples of the Virginia native using hand counters mid-play to extend his rush. Williams builds momentum well on stunts. He gets his hands in passing lanes when he fails to reach the quarterback. However, his frame and arm length limit his upside as a pass rusher. Offensive linemen out-reach him at times, causing his rush to fail before it begins. Williams lacks high-level agility, and his pad level rises far too quickly to the point that he spends most of the play standing vertically. Despite his previous athletic testing, his burst and twitch are very inconsistent, limiting his ability to shoot gaps. Williams needs to refine his hand counter precision and speed. His bull rush is powerful but often dies out because of his poor pad level. He is a pocket pusher at this stage and will likely never be a high-volume pressure or sack artist. As a run defender, the former four-star recruit uses his thick frame and play strength to hold the point of attack. There are instances of him holding his ground against down blocks and driving blockers into the backfield. His heavy hands and upper body strength help discard blockers. Once free, Williams is a reliable tackler who raps up and finishes with violence. At his current weight, he likely won’t see many reps at 0-tech in the NFL. His base is extremely inconsistent and often gets too thin, leading to issues anchoring at the point of attack. Williams’ pad level also contributes to him being displaced in the run game.
Overall, Williams offers a unique blend of power and positional versatility along the interior, but he isn’t a superstar as a pass rusher or run stopper. While he is well-rounded and can play all three downs, Williams lacks the elite traits needed to be a plug-and-play starter. He needs to go to a team with a well-thought-out role and playing weight for him.
Role & Scheme Fit: Versatile interior man between the tackles in 4 and 5-man fronts
Round Projection: Fourth Round
Size: 6'2", 290 lbs. (Unofficial)
Submitted: 12-05-23