With Alim McNeill out until at least October, the Detroit Lions will be relying on Tyleik Williams to be an impactful player immediately in his rookie campaign.
The 2025 No.28 overall pick is starting on Detroit's defensive line along with D.J. Reader on the interior, and the rookie turned in his best day of practice on Monday.
According to Tim Twentyman of Lions.com, Williams tallied two sacks during team periods on Monday and also showcased his power in the pass rushing department and run game.
"Tyleik Williams had his best practice of training camp Monday night," Twentyman wrote. "Williams recorded two sacks on quarterback Jared Goff in team periods and made a number of other nice plays in the run game. His sacks were on bull rushes, pushing veteran center Graham Glasgow and left guard Christian Mahogany right back into Goff."
"Williams' power was on full display on the sacks, but he's also showed off nimble feet for a 330-pound man. He's got great initial quickness to cross the face of defenders and knock them off balance and then let his power and push take over. He plays a lot on the other side of the line of scrimmage."
During his four-year college career at Ohio State, Williams wasn't known for posting prolific sack numbers. The 22-year-old posted just 11.5 sacks in his career with the Buckeyes and was more known for his stout run defense.
However, it looks like Williams is improving as a pass rusher at Lions' camp, and is showcasing why he will likely be a Day 1 starter on Detroit's defensive line.
Williams didn't play in the Hall of Fame game versus the Los Angeles Chargers last Thursday. However, we should see him in action for the first time on Friday as the Lions travel to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to square off against the Atlanta Falcons.
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