At times, said Brad Holmes, his "breathing got a little irregular." With the way the board was falling, his anxiety was rising that Tyleik Williams would be gone before the Lions were on the clock. Among the handful of players they were eyeing at No. 28, "he was our top target," said Holmes.
Holmes watched Williams play a lot of football the last four years at Ohio State. More and more, he saw a player who would fit Detroit's defense. Williams' combination of strength and quickness in the trenches reminded Holmes of Alim McNeill. Williams and McNeill were both running backs in their younger days, and their feet still move like it. Campbell calls McNeill "twinkle toes." He and Willams just happen to be built like tanks.
"He's got the physical skillset, he's got the power," said Holmes. "He’s got the bend and the agility. He’s a very nimble athlete. But the thing about it is, he’s incredibly instinctive, too. In my opinion, he and one other DT were the top-two instinctive defensive tackles in this whole class. I think his versatility is really going to help. He has a lot of similar traits to Alim."
As their pick drew closer Thursday night, the Lions got a few calls about moving back. The idea might have been appealing with so many edge rushers still on the board. Holmes said they received one especially "enticing" offer that would have kept them in the first round, and the Lions gave it some thought. They decided it wasn't worth the risk of missing out on their guy, potentially to the reward of one of their direct competitors for the Super Bowl.
The Commanders, Bills, Chiefs and Eagles were the teams picking behind them.
"Didn’t feel great with how it was thinning out for us specifically. ... We just felt that with the depth of that group right there and how the board was falling, it was the most responsible thing to stay put," said Holmes.
Williams, 22, is an intriguing piece for the Lions, a dancing bear with tons of "untapped potential," said Dan Campbell, "that I know (defensive line coach) Kacy Rodgers is going to get out of him." That's especially true when it comes to pushing the pocket and hunting the quarterback, in a league where interior pass-rushers are growing more and more valuable. But this is about more than a projection. Williams is a necessary piece, too.
You might have heard Holmes doesn't draft for need. And if he did, he might have swung on one of the edge rushers available at 28 like Mike Green, who led the country in sacks last season, or Donovan Ezeiruaku, who finished second. Both of them remain on the board entering Day 2. But even Holmes admitted that with McNeill recovering from a torn ACL and unlikely to be back for the start of the season, "we thought Tyleik was a great fit for the now and immediate," in addition to the future.
"That’s why we picked him," Dan Campbell told Fox 2 Detroit, "because we feel like he can get up to speed pretty quick and give us a hand, and then the thought of this kid continuing to grow, we get Mac back, you got (DJ) Reader, (Roy) Lopez, you get (Aidan Hutchinson) back, Marcus Davenport, it excites you."
Campbell was smiling by the end of his answer, the vision in his mind coming to life. The Lions are "fired up," he said. (When are they not?) Williams, like McNeill, is a highly-athletic space-eater who can play from multiple spots on the D-line and either take on blocks to free up his teammates or wreak havoc himself. His hands are violent. As Campbell put it, "He plays on their side of the line of scrimmage, and that’s our style, man. We hit blocks."
"I feel like this guy fits a need," said Campbell. "There’s just so much about the fact that when you get a big man that has the feet this guy has -- and that’s why I bring up Mac -- they can do a lot of jobs in the run and pass."
The Lions zeroed in on Williams pretty early in the draft process, Campbell said. Pretty early in his college career, in the case of Holmes. Then Williams closed his career with 24 tackles and five tackles for loss against Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame to help the Buckeyes reach the top of the mountain. It only added to his appeal, for a team with the summit in its sights.
"You see him against top-tier talent and you see him produce time in and time out," Campbell said. "He’s played big football against good opponents, and we think he’s going to fit right in here."
"Like a glove," said Holmes.
He could breathe easier by the end of the night.
"We’re thrilled with how it panned out," said Holmes.