New York Giants defensive tackle Leonard Williams wasn’t ranked among the top-10 players at his position by ESPN, but they did give him recognition as an honorable mention.
Williams, who enters his fourth season with Big Blue, is highly regarded among evaluators given his skill set even if the Giants will need more from him in 2022.
Here’s what ESPN had to say:
Williams had a solid 2021 season with 6.5 sacks and 81 tackles on a bad Giants defense. Many evaluators agree he’d be in the top five based on talent. “He’s got more athleticism than most,” an AFC executive said. “He’s underachieved somewhat, but he’s on a bad football team. Talented dude.” Williams’ 6.2% pass rush win rate (111th in the NFL) last season was unimpressive.
After racking up 11.5 sacks and 30 quarterback hits in 2020, Williams received a three-year, $63 million deal. However, those numbers plummeted to 6.5 sacks and 14 quarterback hits in 2021.
With two years left on his deal, Williams will need to step up in the middle of the Giants defense. The arrival of new defensive coordinator Wink Martindale should benefit Williams given the former’s defenses always rank among the best in pressure rate.
But getting paid $21 million per year means Williams has to step up and be the leader of the defensive front and produce more than he did in 2021.
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