The Detroit Lions are currently sitting outside of the NFC’s playoff picture and it may be adjustments that are the difference between making the playoffs or sitting on their couch in January. One of those adjustments may be coming on the defensive line as Lions rookie Tyleik Williams has begun to emerge.
After a slow start to the season, the Lions seemed torn on Williams’s role entering the second half of the season. Other developments such as Roy Lopez’s breakout have also had Dan Campbell wondering if his best development could occur behind the veterans. But Williams’s play is starting to force his way onto the field and it may give the Lions no choice but to give him more opportunities.
Lions Must Take Advantage of Tyleik Williams’s Breakout
The interior of the Lions defensive line has been a shaky topic since the end of last season. Alim McNeill’s torn ACL last December thrust Detroit into an offseason of uncertainty, and the Lions were likely glad they used their first-round pick on Williams after Levi Onwuzurike tore his ACL in July. While it didn’t pay immediate dividends, Williams has started to pay off with his play as of late.
Pride of Detroit’s Al Karsten noted that Williams has posted a 66.9 defensive grade since Week 5, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranks 34th among 119 qualifying tackles with 100 snaps. That grade also ranks second among rookie defensive tackles and fifth among defensive tackles in their first two seasons in the NFL.
Week | PFF Grade | Pressures | Tackles |
|---|---|---|---|
Week 1 (at GB) | 48.7 | 1 | 2 |
Week 2 (vs CHI) | 62.2 | 0 | 0 |
Week 3 (at BAL) | 52.6 | 3 | 0 |
Week 4 (vs CLE) | 49.0 | 1 | 0 |
Week 5 (at CIN) | 68.6 | 2 | 0 |
Week 6 (at KC) | 54.1 | 0 | 2 |
Week 7 (vs TB) | 69.2 | 2 | 0 |
Week 9 (vs MIN) | 69.6 | 1 | 2 |
Week 10 (at WAS) | 52.1 | 0 | 0 |
Week 11 (at PHI) | 69.0 | 2 | 4 |
Williams has also shown growth as a pass rusher during that time. Karsten noted that Williams has posted a 10.1% pass-rush win rate, which ranks ahead of Mason Graham, who was the No. 5 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in April’s draft. Williams also has multiple quarterback pressures in three games, including last Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
If the Lions make a change, getting Williams more involved is a good choice. For the season, Williams’s 57.4 PFF grade is beginning to close in on DJ Reader for the second-highest among Detroit interior defenders. In addition, McNeill has been slow to return to form after his injury, posting a 47.4 overall grade and a 47.5 run defense grade.
While Williams hasn’t been the run defender he was at Ohio State, his progress as a pass-rusher is something that could get him on the field more in the coming weeks. If the Lions accept this, a defense that has been solid under first-year defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard could get even better in the coming weeks and help Detroit get back into the playoff picture and set up for a deep run into January.