Detroit Lions rookie defensive tackle Tyleik Williams was limited in his first action, as part of the team’s plan for the first-round pick.
Detroit Lions first-round pick Tyleik Williams was limited in his first NFL action on the opening day of rookie minicamp. When the team opened up with 11-on-11 walkthroughs, Williams was given limited reps at nose tackle. Then, when the team moved to individual drills, Williams worked one-on-one with a trainer on the hill at the back of the practice field. Eventually, he would leave practice a little early.
After practice, Williams downplayed his limited involvement, noting that he’s coming off a championship season that ran into January.
“Just a plan they’ve got me going on right now,” Williams said. “It’s a long season. I just came off a long season. So we’re just being smart.”
According to his Instagram, Williams has been going through some rehab on his hamstring—as recent as earlier this week—after taking a fall at Ohio State ’s Pro Day.
However, Williams said that the injury is all healed by now.
“I had a little fall, but I’m all healed from that. It’s just being smart so I can—I’ve got a season to play; I just came off a long season, so being smart with it,” Williams said.
Despite the slow start to minicamp, this doesn’t appear to be anything of major concern. This approach is very similar to how the Lions treated last year’s second-round pick, Ennis Rakestraw , who went through offseason core surgery before his rookie season.
“I was trying to go (more), but they was like, ‘No, you’re trying to exceed your reps that we already had for you,’” Rakestraw said last year. “But what I’ve got to do a great job of is sticking to the plan. They’ve been here, they’ve got a ton of experience. So just keep it like that.”
With defensive tackle Alim McNeill expected to be sidelined for at least the first month of the season, Williams is likely to get playing time early and often in the Lions’ defense. That may seem like a lot of pressure for a rookie joining a team with Super Bowl aspirations, but coming from a program that just won a national title, Williams isn’t fazed by the stakes.
“Yeah, I’m ready for it,” Williams said. “At Ohio State, it’s kind of the same way. We’re built around a great team, and I think I can help in a big way. So whatever they need me to do, I’m here. I’m giving my best.”
Lions’ rookie minicamp will continue on Saturday and Sunday before the rookies break for a couple of weeks. On May 28, the rookies will join the veterans for voluntary Offseason Team Activities (OTAs). Detroit will hold two weeks of OTAs, consisting of three practices each. They have recently canceled the mandatory minicamp after being chosen to play in this year’s preseason Hall of Fame Game .