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New Jersey – The New York Jets are going to play a 3-4 defense under Todd Bowles, and USC defensive end Leonard Williams, their 2015 first round pick, is a quintessential 3-4 end prospect.
Williams is 6-5, 302 pounds, with arms almost 35 inches (long arms are huge in the trenches). This is what you are looking for in terms of template for the position. And by the way, Williams played in a 3-4 this past season for the Trojans, so it’s not new to him.
Remember the other day, the reference here to the Bill Walsh/Jimmy Johnson blueprint for building championship teams – franchise quarterback and dominating defensive line.
Mo Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams, has the potential to be the best defensive line in football.
The New York Giants proved the best way to beat Tom Brady is with a dominating defensive front which consistently gets him off his spot.
Williams is an amazing prospect, considered the best player in the draft by a number of teams.
The Jets really lucked out on this one, with a little help from the Washington Redskins, making a flaky pick right in front of them. I like Brandon Scherff, but fifth overall?
There are a lot of people shocked that Williams slipped to six. This could turn out to be one of the all-time steals.
The late Giants GM George Young, used to call prospects like Williams, “planet players.” What he meant was there are few players on the planet like this guy – big guys who move this way. They just don’t come around very often.
Williams is a freak.
And his upside is huge. He’s only 20, and has the ability to get bigger and stronger. He was dominating people in college with natural power. He’s a little underdeveloped right now from a strength standpoint. Can you imagine how much he can dominate after some time in an NFL strength program?
Teams spend millions of dollars every year on scouting.
And after all that sweat equity, why not stick to your draft board? That is why you spent all that money, and you spend endless hours stacking the board.
The Jets adding Williams, with the sixth pick of the 2015 NFL draft, is a perfect example of sticking to your value board.
“Williams is the best prospect in the draft – for five teams to pass on him, I’m surprised,” said former NFL scout Bucky Brooks of NFL.com.
Brooks isn’t alone. There were teams in the NFL who had Williams as the top player in the draft.
A defensive line of Mo Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams has the potential to be the best in football – three huge men with the athletic skills of linebackers.
Kudos to the Jets for no panicking, sticking to their board, and having a heck of a player fall in their laps.
The only concern with Williams are his shoulders. He’s had a few shoulder problems, including one that required surgery in 2014. Clearly Dr. Ken Montgomery, the Jets team physician, checked off on this.
And Williams is hungry.
He’s been through a lot on is life, including time in a homeless shelter.
Life hasn’t been easy for Williams and his mother Aviva. His father is in jail, and the family struggled quite a bit over the years.
The kid is very driven after what he’s been through. He has a great motor.
It’s hard to find much wrong with what the Jets did on Thursday night.
April 30, 2015
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