When the Detroit Lions selected Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams 28th overall in the 2025 NFL draft, they knew they were getting a player who could make an immediate impact against the run. Despite the high upside, Williams only has three passes defended and four tackles in the seven games, leaving plenty of room for improvement.
Williams is coming off a dud in the Week 7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he failed to record a tackle and played a season-low 31.9% of the defensive snaps as veteran Alim McNeill made his season debut. While the first half of the season has been a disappointment for the rookie, it is important to have some patience with a talented first-round defender and realize they may not have it all together right away, which is totally fine, especially when you consider the drastic improvement that linebacker Jack Campbell has made since his rookie season.
Don't Give Up on Tyleik Williams Yet Despite Slow Start
Campbell's ascension to one of the best linebackers in the league is why it is important to let some of these players develop early in their careers. Campbell finished his rookie year with a below-average 57.3 grade from Pro Football Focus, not much higher than Williams' 53.6. After Week 7 of Campbell's rookie year, he was coming off of what proved to be the worst stretch of his career so far with two of his worst three grades of the season in a three-game span, so there is still plenty of time for Williams to turn it around this season.
Williams may have not had as many snaps in Week 7, but his 68.9 PFF grade was actually his highest of the season, while his worst grade up to this point has only been 48.7 in the Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers — far ahead of where Campbell was at. Campbell, now in his third season, has made some major improvements since his slow start, increasing his grade to 77.4 in 2024 and a personal-best 89 this season, which is fifth among 77 qualified LBs.
PFF grades aren't always perfect, but it's clear that one season is too quick to write a player off.
Week 7 of Campbell's rookie year was arguably his lowest point and he has only continued to get better since then. Williams has not played lights-out by no means, but he has also not had a poor performance like Campbell did during his rookie campaign. His overall grade of 53.6 only puts him 91st among 124 qualified interior defenders.
As Campbell has proven since his first NFL season, it is important to take a deep breath and let these players have time to develop, especially on a Lions team that already has a lot of experience on both sides of the ball. Campbell overcame the early doubts surrounding his start and there is no reason that Williams cannot do the same with all the hype surrounding him when he was drafted.