A look at the Day 1 NFL Draft grades for the Detroit Lions and the Tyleik Williams pick.
As we all know by now, NFL Draft grades are about as meaningless as analysis gets in the immediacy after a selection. We need not look farther than the Detroit Lions ’ 2023 draft class, which was widely panned at the time for its unconventional picks and poor positional value, among other criticism. That draft class has already netted the Lions four full-time starters—three of which have been named Pro Bowlers—in just two seasons worth of play.
But let’s look at what NFL analysts are saying about the Lions’ 2025 first-round pick Tyleik Williams anyways. Not because what they say or what grades they hand out have any particular merit to them. But because in three years, we can look back on this and laugh—just like we can laugh at the Lions’ first-round grades from 2023 .
Here are the grades for the Williams pick, with the highest grades first:
Another good team and player fit, Williams is a monster run defender who can hold the point of attack. His pass rush is still a little limited, but in Detroit they can run hockey lines up front by being a base down nose tackle.
The Sporting News (Vinnie Iyer): A
The Lions saw their best interior offensive line targets go between Booker, Zabel, and Jackson so they flipped their focus to the middle of the defensive line. Williams is a quick, compact inside pass rusher with solid early-down work vs. the run to give Aidan Hutchinson much-needed extra support.
Well, this pick is certainly on-brand for Dan Campbell. Williams is a big-bodied bruiser with a talent for pushing interior linemen back into their quarterback and creating a brick wall against the run. He’s a savvy player who always seems to know where the ball is going. This is not a flashy pick, but I like it. Williams can be an immediate contributor, giving the Lions a chance to dominate on early downs.
While the Lions could’ve benefited from adding an edge rusher or interior offensive lineman in this spot, Williams should be a solid fit up front for Detroit’s defense. He has impressive movement skills for a 330-plus pounder, with strong hands and consistent effort through the whistle.
He’ll team with D.J. Reader and Alim McNeill to form a formidable interior and could eventually serve as the former’s successor if the veteran departs in free agency next March.
Yahoo Sports (Charles McDonald): B
A quality, big run plugger that has some juice. Williams will likely be their long-term replacement for D.J. Reader, but Williams can play now and help the Lions run defense while Alim McNeill recovers from a torn ACL.
The injuries to Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill made it fairly predictable that the Lions would be focusing on defensive line, especially given the talent of this year’s class. At 6-foot-3, 331 pounds, Williams is physically similar to McNeill and plays with the fire that Dan Campbell requires.
The Athletic (Nick Baumgardner, Scott Dochterman): B
One of the most underrated defensive linemen in the draft, Williams was an absolute rock inside for Ohio State the last two years. He’s a massive nose tackle who also can slide over and play as a three-technique. Many experts had pegged an edge rusher opposite Aidan Hutchinson as Detroit’s biggest need, but defensive tackle (especially with Alim McNeill still rehabbing a knee injury ) was another pretty sizable one.
Williams should be a great fit in the NFC North, a division which loves to hammer the football. The Lions did leave some edge talent on the board here, and Williams is a bit limited in terms of his versatility, but he should be an impact run defender quickly.
They needed depth and more help on their defensive line and Williams is a player who scouts kept raving about throughout the process. He can push the pocket from inside, which they need. I might have gone edge here, but I get it.
USA Today (Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz): C+
Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes certainly have a type along the defensive line. Williams is a powerful presence who will command the line of scrimmage and stuff the run consistently. He might not fit the profile of a typical first-round defensive tackle given he looks unlikely to ever become a prolific pass rusher, but he can afford some flexibility to a group that is waiting on Alim McNeill to come back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in December.
Fox Sports (Geoff Schwartz): C
This is early for Williams, but when you’re picking at the end of the first round, you do not have a first round grade on any players. The Lions need help on the defensive line and find it with Williams.
It was inevitable that the Lions were going defensive line, and they didn’t disappoint with a run-stuffing tackle. Williams’ 88.6 run-defense grade was one of the best of the class, as was his 7.8% run-stop rate. While he doesn’t win as a pass-rusher consistently, he fits the Lions’ need for pocket pushers from the interior to let Aidan Hutchinson clean up on the edge. While he has the frame to play 3-technique, he likely fits better as a nose tackle for the Lions.
The 33rd Team (Ian Valentino): C-
Tyliek (sic) Williams is an excellent player at what he is there to do, but the Detroit Lions took him at a premium cost. Detroit desperately needed an edge-rusher or pass-rusher, and Williams is neither.
He may flourish more in Detroit as a three-down player since Aidan Hutchinson is so disruptive.