According to a list recently published by Bleacher Report, defensive lineman Leonard Williams is the eighth-best NFL free agent out of 25 players under the age of 25.
Five years ago, many considered getting Leonard Williams with the sixth overall pick a steal for the New York Jets, but his career hasn’t gone exactly as expected.
At the time, a legitimate argument could be made that Williams was the top non-quarterback prospect in his class, and certainly the best defender. Yet three position players, including another defender, heard their names called first.
The Jets even traded the player once viewed as a franchise building block to the New York Giants prior to the 2019 deadline.
The Giants valued Williams differently than the Jets and moved him all along their defensive front to capitalize on his skill set as something more than a run defender.
“It means a lot when they want you to be one of those guys to make the plays,” Williams said, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.
Despite the renewed confidence, Williams didn’t produce to the level of his 2016 and ’18 campaigns. He may never develop into the player he was once projected to be, but that potential keeps him among the most intriguing options in this year’s free-agent class.
One of Dave Gettleman’s more puzzling moves was trading a third- and fifth-round pick to the New York Jets at last year’s trade deadline in exchange for Williams, who was a pending free agent.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas is looked at as the clear-cut winner of the trade given the assets he acquired, although the anticipation was that the organization would let Williams walk in free agency. If the Giants were to re-sign Williams prior to March 18th, the fifth rounder would turn into a fourth.
Following the deal, Williams was moved all around the Giants’ line and was solid with 26 tackles, 11 quarterback hits, two tackles for a loss, but only half a sack in eight games. Despite reports emerging that Williams is seeking an annual salary of $15 million, it is clear he is not a game-changing player, which the Giants defense so desperately needs.
While the Giants are projected to have upwards of $60 million in cap space to spend this offseason, they will likely look to allocate these funds elsewhere. If this is Williams’ final asking price, Gettleman should consider the risk that comes with signing Williams long-term as the Giants have various other glaring positional needs specifically on the defensive side of the ball.
Williams was selected by the Jets with the 6th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. The best season of his career came in 2016 when he recorded 68 tackles, seven sacks, 20 quarterback hits, and 11 tackles for a loss. Unfortunately, he has not lived up to his potential and these numbers have steadily decreased since his career season.
As Bleacher Report noted, it is possible that Williams will never become the player he was expected to be, but his ceiling is what keeps him as an intriguing option on the market earning him a spot on their list.
Although Williams has potential, the Giants already have a trio of young defensive linemen in Dalvin Tomlinson, Dexter Lawrence and B.J. Hill in their rotation, who are all fighting for snaps.
If the team plans on going after an expensive defensive end in free agency, it would be wise to get their money’s worth by spending a little extra to obtain an already elite player of Matt Judon, Jadeveon Clowney or Yannick Ngakoue’s caliber.
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