Welcome back! While I’m sure this post will get a LOT more traffic than my first “Buckeye’s Breakdown”, this is actually the second breakdown I’ve done on a Buckeye we’ve gotten since I’ve been posting here. Here’s the first one that you didn’t read…
My goal by the end of this post is to convert each and every one of you into a believer like I am. I absolutely love love love this pick, and I actually would’ve brough his name up a lot more if I had realized that Brad is the same guy that drafted Gibbs and Jack way above their big board eval.
So, without further adieu, let’s get started.
The Player: Tyleik Williams
Position: DT
Breakdown:
Tyleik Williams came into Ohio State as the #166 ranked player in the class of 2021. Somehow listed at 6-3 330, the four star quickly worked his way into the rotation as a true freshman. Notably, his performances against Tulsa and Akron early in the season made him made him garner a lot of attention among the Buckeye fans. He quickly showed way more pass rush potential than Jerron Cage, Taron Vincent, Ty Hamilton, and others who we had at DT, and became an impact player along the defensive line.
https://247sports.com/player/tyleik-williams-46059223/high-school-226184/
From 0:00-1:06 are his highlights from the Tulsa and Akron games in 2021. Take note of how skinny he looks at “330 lbs”. (I call that weight complete BS)
However, as can happen with IDL, he became more quiet as a sack producer. Nonetheless, he remained solid against the run and showed flashes as a pass rusher, demonstrating the bend, quickness, and some hand usage that I’m sure several of you have heard by now that he has. His freshman highlights continue through 2:10 of the video that I just posted…feel free to watch.
As a sophomore in 2022, Williams did not see as much success. This was, in my opinion, in large part due to the new, exotic defense that was being implemented by our new DC Jim Knowles that season. As you’ll read throughout this breakdown, Knowles’ defense changed DRAMATICALLY throughout his three year tenure at Ohio State. Williams, like many other players on the defense, seemed to have a tough time adapting to the new, exotic, blitz heavy Big 12 defense that Knowles was accustomed to running at Oklahoma State (his previous job before Ohio State).
The 2022 version of Knowles’ defense was primarily a 4-2-5 system that could morph into a 3-3-5 at a moment’s notice. He was very set on using his DL as “pick” guys to free up blitzing LBs to get the pass rush. He was heavy into Cover 0, and ran probably every blitz you could ever think of. That system did not allow for Tyleik, and guys like J.T.T. and Jack Sawyer, to actually rush the passer. Therefore, his pressure production dropped dramatically over his freshman season.
You can also start to see as a sophomore how he starts to put on weight. The key thing with his weight gain is that it really never did take away any of his pure athleticism, but, it did take him a while to learn how to play at that heavier weight. If I had to guess, I’d say Tyleik actually came into OSU between 290-300 lbs, and obviously he weighed in at the combine at 334 a month or so ago. He did not put all that weight on at once, and I’d say he played his sophomore year at what looks around 315. His only “highlight” in that clip above from his sophomore season was the play @ Penn State at 2:10. He also had a really good pash rush play against Georgia in the Peach Bowl that season, but that was pretty much all we saw as a pass rusher that season from him.
He kinda looks ~320 or so in that clip. And…yeah…that was essentially what he was asked to do as a pass rusher that season.
2023 was a rebound year for Tyleik, and he continued his great play through 2024. He was really the same player both of those seasons so I’m going to break them down together. This seems to be a really good video to link to show you everything I’m about to describe, as all of the clips in here are from the 2023 and 2024 seasons:
By this point, I think he’s playing at the 330 or so that he weighed in at. This is the player we drafted last night. Great pad level, good footwork, and is just a freaking anchor in the run game. His tape against Tennessee as a run defender has got to be one of his better games. He basically shut down their entire offense by himself…because that type of offense only works if you can run the ball with even numbers in the box. Tyleik makes “even numbers” an advantage for the defense as a run defender.
The defense Knowles ran in 2023 largely resembled a traditional 4-2-5. All of the pass rushing was straight and designed to contain. He hardly ever blitzed. He ran a ton of safe coverages on the back end, and the DL’s only job was to keep the QB in the pocket. Tyleik got very good at that. There’s some great clips where he does that extremely well, because he’s athletic enough to get to the end of the line faster than the OL who’s blocking him. In 2024, he was finally allowed to rush the passer normally again, and he started to look like the version of him that we saw rushing the passer as a true freshman.
Here’s Joel Klatt explaining that same thing about the evolution of the Jim Knowles defense at Ohio State:
I think that breakdown from Joel also explains the sudden increase in production from Jack Sawyer and J.T.T. as pass rushers.
I’ll largely let the tape speak for itself, but to me, Tyleik should have been a top 20 player on everyone’s big board. He’s shown consistent athleticism his entire career at Ohio State, including when he put all the weight on. He’s an anchor in the run game with a ton of upside rushing the passer. You can’t teach that kind of bend on a 334 lb DT.
If I had to compare him to a current NFL DT, it would literally be a mix of Alim McNeill and DJ Reader. I think he can combine the best parts of both of their games. I think he should have been in the same tier as a prospect with Kenneth Grant who went 13th to Miami, and I think he probably would have if he had a cool highlight play like the one Grant had chasing down Nick Singleton in that Penn State game last year.
I mention his weight as a freshman because freshman Tyleik Williams can potentially remind you of year 3 and year 4 Alim McNeill right here in Detroit. Alim came here as a bigger NT type guy who was really athletic, cut some of that weight, and now he’s one of the better 3T’s in football. Tyleik has that same potential and the same positional versatility that Alim does.
Overall, I’m super happy with this pick. Not only did I think that Tyleik was actually the best of the three (technically four) Ohio State DL in this draft class, but I also think he has the most upside. I think he flashed the most athleticism during his time at Ohio State. He was the quickest to break out when they all got on campus together, and now he was the only one of them to be a first round draft pick.
Let me know what you think, and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.
(Again that is instinct, effort and IQ… He’s engaged on the block but knows that he can effect outcomes with his hands on passing downs vs just dicking around and being a “run clogger”. I love seeing details like this. It separates versatile players from one trick ponies).
