After a slow start to his rookie season that saw him record just two tackles in his first five contests, Detroit Lions first-round pick Tyleik Williams settled into his role along the interior of Detroit's defensive line as the season went on. Williams was playing some of his best football toward the end of the year, recording a tackle for loss and knocking down a pass in Detroit's win over Chicago Sunday.
Williams played in all 17 games for Detroit as a rookie with 10 starts and recorded 18 tackles (8 solo), two tackles for loss, 1.0 sack and three quarterback hits. He showed a real knack for getting his hands on the ball at the line of scrimmage with four passes defended.
"Over the year, the guys around me just gave me advice on certain things. How to play certain things and how to carry yourself and I think I've just been taking it all in and I've been playing better," Williams said of his progression throughout the course of his first season in Detroit.
Typically, young players like Williams take their biggest leaps in development and production from Year 1 to Year 2, and Williams is expecting a big boost in production in 2026 having a year under his belt.
Speaking during locker clean out this week, Williams said the one immediate area he expects to have a bigger impact next season is affecting the quarterback more in the pass rush.
"For me, just more pressure on the quarterback," he said. "I won some rushes, but I'm not winning them at the rate I want to win them at."
Williams had one sack, three quarterback hits and 17 total quarterback pressures this season playing 40 percent (446) of the defensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus statistics, so there's room for growth.
"He's a special talent," veteran defensive lineman Roy Lopez said of Williams. "You don't see somebody that size that athletic, that's for sure. He's going to be very, very, very, very fun to watch. He knows he's good and that's something that's special. Confidence in a young player goes a long way and seriously, I can't wait to see him grow. I'll be a fan of his for sure."
With Lopez, DJ Reader and Levi Onwuzurike all headed toward unrestricted free agency this spring, the Lions are going to count on Williams taking a big leap in Year 2 and hold down the center of the defensive front alongside Alim McNeill next season.
