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I’m not a big sports list guy. I will leave that to the talking head shows.
But I’m going to focus on a list today, just to make a bigger point.
Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams fell 50 spots in the annual NFL Top 100 done by NFL Network this time of year.
They are ranking the top 100 players in the NFL.
Williams was ranked #37 in 2024 and was #87 in 2025.
While these lists mean very little to me, I’d have to say, nobody should take exception to the drop, based on the film.
Williams’ overall play against the run last year was substandard.
And honestly, even before last year, his run defense was sometimes far from ideal.
The problem is, and it’s not his fault, is he’s not a huge defensive tackle. While he’s been listed at 6-3, 303, not sure how accurate that 303 is.
Before the 2019 draft, Lance Zierlein expressed concern about his lack of girth.
“He lacks desired mass to withstand pressure from double teams,” Zierlein wrote. “Has an overall lack of thickness in chest and broadness through shoulders. Must win with leverage as play strength is average by NFL standards. Not as effective against downhill running attacks.”
And that issue that Lance brought up about effectiveness against downhill running has been a problem at times.
But because he’s made 3 Pro Bowls and got a big second contract, this issue has essentially been ignored by the public.
In this era of Fantasy Football, not a lot of people are paying much attention to interior defensive line play, especially with how much tweeting is going on during games.
Aside from penalties and sacks, not a lot of attention these days on interior defensive line play, on either side of the ball.
It is what it is.
In the Jets’ humiliating 40-14 loss at Buffalo in January, the Bills’ offensive line dominated.
After one 15-yard gain, announcer Joe Buck said, “Just running it right down their throats.”
There were a lot of examples of bad run defense by a lot of Jets players, but here is one that is illustrative of the issue with Williams at times.
On a 14-yard run by tailback Ray Davis right up the middle, the Bills center Connor McGovern (not the same Connor McGovern who was on the Jets) locked up Williams, helping to open a big hole.
Look, it’s never one guy on a bad defense play. Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw also got manhandled on this play by right tackle Spencer Brown. Kinlaw was somewhat inconsistent during his one year with the Jets, with a constant issue being the 6-6 defensive tackle’s pad level. When you are a tall defensive lineman, and you let your pad level rise too much, you make yourself easy to block. Also on this play, linebacker Quincy Williams took a bad angle to the ball carrier, taking himself out of the play. Quincy Williams sometimes runs around blocks instead of taking them on, and if he runs around the block the wrong way, this can open up big holes.
Just one more example I randomly pulled from my notes.
In the Jets’ loss to Seattle, Seahawks left guard Laken Tomlinson locked up Quinnen Williams, and Zach Charbonnet went for 11 yards.
Look, Quinnen Williams is a heck of an interior pass rusher, but the run defense needs to improve.
And he’d be the first to admit it.
So the drop of 50 spots in one of these bread and circus rankings isn’t necessarily an affront.
July 10, 2025
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