The Detroit Lions added a pair of big bodies in the trenches with their top two selections in the 2025 NFL Draft, and both could be making their respective preseason debuts this weekend.
It remains to be seen whether that will ultimately be the case, both first-round pick Tyleik Williams and second-round pick Tate Ratledge sat out the Hall of Fame Game this past week. While both have been impressive in training camp thus far, one was singled out by head coach Dan Campbell on Wednesday. His conditioning, in particular, was a topic that Campbell made sure to touch on.
One of the best ways to get into football shape, though, is to play the game. If all goes to plan, and these rookies take the field this weekend, the lineman will have the opportunity to do that in a setting that lends itself more to an actual game situation than anything in training camp would.
#Lions coach Dan Campbell says rookie DT Tyleik Williams is "trending the right way," just needs to continue getting in shape.
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) August 6, 2025
"What we saw on his college tape is really showing up here."
Dan Campbell Challenges Lions DT Tyleik Williams to Get in Better Shape
Standing 6'3" and weighing in at 328 pounds, Tyleik Williams is a beast of a human being. This is part of the reason why he was so effective on the defensive line for Ohio State during his collegiate days. You must be carrying the right kind of weight, though, when you are in the position Williams is walking into with the Lions.
With the way that Campbell likes his defensive linemen to disrupt plays in the offensive backfield, Williams and his peers up front must be ready to attack with every snap. Going through those live situations on the field, even in a preseason matchup, will only help Williams increase his conditioning and make him more comfortable going against NFL-caliber offensive linemen.
Given that Alim McNeill is expected to miss the first few months of the regular season, getting Williams up to speed as soon as possible will only help Detroit's defense be as dominant as the unit that finished 7th in the league in points allowed per game during the 2024 campaign.
As long as Williams continues to follow along with the plans Campbell and the coaching staff have in place for him, he should be set up for a successful start to his NFL career. There is plenty of talent alongside Williams on the Lions' defensive line for him to learn from and compete against to become the best version of himself.