Breaking down Lions’ first round pick Tyleik Williams’ tape from his 2024 season at Ohio State University.
First up in our film review of the Detroit Lions ’ 2025 draft class is first-round pick and defensive tackle out of Ohio State , Tyleik Williams. If you are looking for a video to go along with this written film study, be sure to check out our work over on the Pride of Detroit YouTube channel .
After spending the last several days watching Williams’ All-22 tape from 2024, I am really excited to see what he can do in Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard’s defense. Despite pushing 330 pounds, Williams is very much an athlete on the defensive line. He played football and basketball throughout his childhood, and set his Virginia high school’s record in the shot put. If this sounds familiar, Lions’ star defensive tackle Alim McNeill was also a multi-sport star back in his home state of North Carolina.
Having started 25 games for the Buckeyes over the last two seasons, Williams faced a strong level of competition during his college career, making it easier to see what should translate to the professional level. Let’s jump into the All-22 and take a look at how Williams was impacting games in 2024.
Smart and dominant run-defender
When you turn on Williams’ 2024 tape, you see a player who has seen the game slow down for him in terms of how he processes things mentally, and typically that isn’t something often said about interior defensive lineman.
On top of what he picks up pre-snap, his ability to stack blockers, extend his arms, and find the ball-carrier is elite. You rarely catch him staring at a blocker while working, and instead his eyes are consistently where they need to be, allowing him to make more impact plays at or behind the line of scrimmage.
Below we have a clip from his game against Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal round. Third-and-4 on their own side of the 50 and he helps make a big stop for his defense.
Up next is a rep where Williams stacks and sheds the right guard, before working down the line of scrimmage to help make the stop.
Another theme you quickly pickup from Williams’ tape is his ability to violently defeat blocks while simultaneously keeping his eyes on the ball-carrier. Watch below as he discards Texas’ center before making the play on the running back.
Next up we have another example of Williams having strong play recognition. Watch as he takes a few steps down towards the center out of his stance in an effort to squeeze that gap. While doing so, he is able to peek around the right shoulder of the guard (#76) blocking him.
In an instant, Williams uses his strength to turn the guard’s hips, and in doing so, is able to spill the run towards the right for a 1-yard gain. The rookie should be one of many Lions defensive linemen that the linebackers will enjoy playing behind.
In our last clip of this section, Williams throws Kelvin Banks Jr (who just went ninth overall to the New Orleans Saints ) out the club before taking a good angle to help string out the ball-carrier towards the boundary.
Pass-rushing juice and potential
In our first clip of this section, Williams begins lined up on the outside shoulder of the guard in the three-technique. Ohio State runs a game where the end loops back around both Williams and defensive end Jack Sawyer (#33), allowing Williams to work one-on-one against the center (#65).
Williams is able to instantly reset the center’s initial punch, allowing him to open up the right shoulder of the blocker. In doing so, he opens up a straight-line straight to the quarterback, Quinn Ewers. Ewers is able to hit the bottom of his dropback, but at that point, Williams had already collapsed the pocket, forcing the ball out in a hurry.
Next up we have another example of Williams being efficient with his hands while also understanding his opponent’s tendencies. And while it isn’t a pass-rush rep, I wanted to include it here because of how quickly he won in this particular instance.
This is the kind of rep that can change a series, or sometimes—the entire game. If the Lions are able to generate more interior pressure in 2025 on top of getting star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson back, it could lead to some really big things for the defense as a whole.
Lastly, we have another quick win for Williams, this time with a powerful bull-rush on third down. Once again his power quickly overwhelms the center for Texas. Watch as Williams is able to extend his left arm after knocking him backwards out of his stance, which in turn opens up the left shoulder of the offensive lineman. Ewers is still able to get this pass off, but it appears to be a tick early in terms of timing, and ends up falling incomplete.