Brad Holmes could’ve been a hero today.
All he had to do last night was turn in the name Mike Green or Donovan Ezeiruaku, or perhaps even better, trade up for James Pearce Jr. Then social media would have lit up like a pinball machine with adoration, and the phone lines at 97.1 The Ticket would be ringing like a church bell. Edge, edge, edge.
Instead, with the 28th overall pick, the Lions selected Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams. See that one coming? Didn’t think so.
But the Lions’ general manager has, time after time, shown he is more interested in building a championship football team than appeasing the fans. And that is a good thing.
Williams mostly had a second-round projection from the draft gurus. It’s hardly a reach where the Lions selected him. He is a massive man, and surprisingly nimble for a 335-pounder. He is built like a nose tackle, but can play the 3-technique.
Williams made a notable amount of tackles for an interior lineman at Ohio State. The knock on him is his short arm length. It’s 32 inches, which is less than ideal for an NFL lineman. Then again, they said the same thing about Aidan Hutchinson.
Williams is not quite as athletic as Alim McNeill, who the Lions stole in the third round a couple years ago, but he is close, and may be stronger at the point of attack. Pass rush from the middle is just important as the outside, and the Lions got very little of it last season from D.J. Reader, who clearly has slowed down.
It will be interesting to observe the domino effect the selection of Williams will have on other inside tackles. Reader has a nearly $13 million cap hit, which would be reduced to just under $5 million if he is cut. Will the Lions actually play Brodric Martin? McNeill likely will not be ready to start the season after ACL surgery.
This figures to be a better draft pick than a lot of fans and pundits think if Holmes is right in his evaluation. He has an exceptionally good track record, as you know.
And make no mistake: Interior defensive line is a position of need for the Lions, every bit as much, actually, as edge rusher.