As the importance of having a stout interior defensive line seems go grow in importance every year, there’s good news on the horizon. The 2025 draft class boasts several potential difference-makers up front along the interior. The class is led by Michigan’s Mason Graham, Deone Walker of Kentucky and next on the list, in our estimation, is Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams.
Here’s what you need to know about the likely future first-round pick.
Name: Tyleik Williams
School: Ohio State University
Ht/Wt: 6′ 3” 327
Class: Senior
247 Sports rating: 4-star prospect out of Unity Reed H.S.
Draft Projection: Middle/Late Round 1
Pro Comp: NYG DT Dalvin Tomlinson
Strengths:
– Williams shows a fantastic anchor against the run with a thick lower half allowing him to take on double teams with relative ease.
– Once dug in, Williams does a good job of keeping his eyes in the backfield and shedding blockers to make plays against opposing back.
– Explosive out of his stance, Williams doesn’t boast elite sack numbers but has the skill set to have an impact against the pass.
– The combination of the aforementioned traits can all come together to make Williams an effective bull rusher who can put blockers on skates. His 7.8% pass rush win rate was 8th among Big 10 tackles.
– Quick and active hands allow him to win one on one battles and will often use a swipe to free himself up in pursuit. This helped aid him in his career-best 10 tackles for loss last season.
– Shows impressive agility/footwork for a player of his size. He credits his time spent as a running back in his early years for contributing to that.
Weaknesses:
– Will disappear at times but this isn’t all that rare for a player his size. Should a team choose to use him as part of a heavy rotation it could help keep him fresh.
– Sometimes plays a little bit higher than you’d like to see but something that can be fixed with repetition and coaching.
– As mentioned earlier, his bull rush is strong. However, he doesn’t always maintain intensity if he’s slowed on initial contact.
