Tyleik Williams isn't exactly a guy who flashes with blinding speed or flashy backflips. If you’ve watched any Big Ten football over the last few seasons, you know he’s basically a human brick wall that somehow learned how to dance. At 6-foot-3 and tipping the scales at over 330 pounds, the former Ohio State standout spent years making life a nightmare for interior offensive linemen.
Most people see a guy that size and think "run stuffer." Boring, right? Wrong.
Williams was a fundamental reason the 2024 Buckeyes defense looked like a video game on easy mode. He didn't just take up space; he dictated where the ball went. Honestly, if he wasn't in the middle of that line, Ohio State doesn't win the 2025 National Championship.
The Numbers Behind the Force
When you look at his final year in Columbus, the stats tell a specific story. Williams recorded 46 tackles and 8 tackles for loss in that championship run. For a defensive tackle, those are "involved" numbers. He wasn't just getting blocked and waiting for a linebacker to make the play.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) backed this up with an 88.6 run-defense grade. That ranked him fourth among all FBS interior linemen. Basically, if you tried to run through the "A" gap against the Buckeyes, you were essentially running into a parked semi-truck.
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- Tackles for Loss (2024): 8.0
- Sacks (2024): 2.5
- Run Stops (Career): Tied for 6th in the nation during his peak.
The scouts saw it. The Detroit Lions certainly saw it. They grabbed him with the 28th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, betting that his "drain-clogging" ability would translate to the pros.
Why Everyone Underestimated Him
For a long time, the narrative around Williams was about his weight and conditioning. People wondered if a guy that massive could stay on the field for three downs. In 2023 and 2024, he proved them wrong by playing nearly 600 snaps a season.
He’s got these weirdly nimble feet for a 330-pounder. You’ll see him on film take a lateral step that leaves a guard lunging at air, and then he’s suddenly in the backfield. It’s sort of surreal to watch.
There was a minor scare at his Pro Day in March 2025. He went down during the 40-yard dash with a hamstring tweak. For a few weeks, the "injury prone" labels started flying around the internet. But he bounced back, and the Lions didn't blink. They knew that in the NFC North, you need a guy who can handle the cold and the physical ground games of teams like the Packers and Bears.
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Making the Jump to Detroit
Transitioning to the NFL isn't ever easy, especially for defensive tackles who have to go from bullying 20-year-olds to fighting grown men like Penei Sewell in practice.
Williams' rookie year with the Lions has been a slow-burn success. He started as a rotational piece behind veterans like DJ Reader and Alim McNeill. However, by mid-season, he started carving out a real role. In a December game against the Vikings, he even picked up a crucial sack—something people said he wouldn't do much of at the next level.
By Week 5 of his rookie season, he was rocking a 72.2 PFF grade. That’s top-20 territory for NFL defensive tackles. Not bad for a guy some draft "experts" called a reach at the end of the first round.
What Most Fans Get Wrong
A lot of fans think a defensive tackle is only playing well if they see them on the highlight reel. With Tyleik Williams, his best plays are often the ones where he doesn't get the tackle.
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When he eats a double team from a center and a guard, he frees up the linebackers to run through unblocked. He's the guy who does the dirty work so the edge rushers can get the multi-million dollar contracts.
He’s also incredibly smart. Former Ohio State coaches often raved about his ability to sniff out screen passes or recognize blocking schemes before the ball was even snapped. You can't coach that kind of "football IQ." It's just something you have or you don't.
Actionable Insights for Football Students
If you're a young defensive lineman looking to emulate Williams, focus on these specific areas:
- Hand Placement: Williams wins early because his hands are violent and precise. If you get your hands inside the offensive lineman's chest first, you win.
- Lower Body Anchor: Don't just lift weights; work on flexibility. Williams uses a "one-knee" anchor technique that allows him to hold his ground against double teams without getting pushed back.
- Film Study: Learn to recognize "pulling" guards. Williams often beats plays to the spot because he reads the offensive line's first step.
The career of Tyleik Williams at Ohio State was about more than just a ring; it was about proving that a traditional "big man" can still be a versatile, dominant force in a modern, fast-paced game. Whether he’s wearing scarlet and gray or the Honolulu blue of the Lions, he remains one of the most physically imposing players in the trenches today.