Player Profile: Sylvester Williams

Sylvester Williams

Height:  6'3
Weight:  313
School:  North Carolina
Position:  Defensive Tackle
Ranking:  #4 Defensive Tackle
Projection:  Top 25

Strengths
-Good size and bulk for the DT position
-Long arms (33") that allow him to keep blockers off his body
-Good strength (27 reps) that he uses to shed blockers
-Great quickness he uses to fire off the ball
-Uses speed and quickness to penetrate into the backfield
-Doesn't give up against double teams
-Good anchor.  Hard to move off spot
-Uses his big hands (10") to win hand fights and keep himself clean
-Great motor.  Always going hard.  Never gives up on plays.
-Position flexibility.  Can play both DT spots in the 4-3 and the DE in the 3-4
-Has a knack for blocking kicks

Weaknesses
-Can struggle to disengage from double teams
-No pass rushing moves.  Needs to develop something
-Inconsistent pad level.  Gets too high at times
-Raw.  Only played 5 years of football
-Can overpersue or bite on fakes
-Can disappear in games

Summary
Sylvester Williams has all the tools to be an All Pro defensive tackle.  Williams has the size and bulk that teams like and is a good athlete.  He has good quickness and explosion that allows him to fire off the ball that can disrupt the backfield.  Williams uses his strength to be a stout run defenders.  He uses his long arms to take on blockers and then shed them when he needs to make a play.  His strong anchor makes it very difficult to move him off his spot and really can clog up the middle.  The problem with Williams is that he is still raw.  He's only played five years of football and it shows up at time.  Despite his size and athletic ability, he isn't a dominant pass rusher.  A big part of that is he hasn't developed any strong moves.  But with his lack of experience he should be able to develop something with a little more coaching.  Williams projects as a 3 technique DT who can use that speed and quickness to penetrate and disrupt.  However with his strength and run stopping ability he could also play the NT spot in the 4-3 and the 5 technique in the 3-4.  That versitility will make him attractive to a lot of different teams.  Williams could go as high as Dallas at 18 but shouldn't fall past the Broncos at the end of the first round.  Teams will fall in love with his skill set and potential.