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Position
3-4 Defensive End/4-3 Defensive Tackle
School
USC
Size
6'5, 300 pounds
Strengths
Williams' most impressive traits are his active, heavy hands and his brute strength. Williams can get penetration with ease and disrupt play after play. He anchors extremely well -- taking on blocks and shedding them with his violent hands. Perhaps most importantly Williams can disengage with the best of them. He's very aware of where the ball is headed in the run game and is able to disengage towards the football. Williams always seems to have the upper hand when it comes to leverage, which is a key component to any matchup in the trenches.
Weaknesses
It's tough to find any holes in Leonard Williams, but the issue that continues to pop up is his initial jump off of the ball. Williams isn't a "quick-twitch" player by any means, but few are at his size. He tends to routinely be the last one off of the line of scrimmage. This isn't a huge issue being that he won't likely be asked to do much rushing off of the edge, but it is still a legitimate concern. It puts him a step behind everyone else from the start of the play. Williams also played banged up for seemingly the entire season in 2014. He didn't miss significant time, but it's still something to keep in the back of your mind.
Summary
Leonard Williams is my number one overall player. He will be an impact defender in the NFL from the day he gets drafted. His size, athletic ability and strength give him one of the highest floors of anyone in this class. His best fit is probably in a 3-4 defensive front at the five-tech defensive end position, but his ability to play in multiple fronts just makes him that much more valuable. I would be very surprised if Williams made it past the Titans or Jaguars come draft day.
Draft Projection
Top Three
