From the Crimson Tide to the Silver and Black. With the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Raiders selected defensive lineman Quinnen Williams.
Williams turned into a star as a redshirt sophomore at Alabama in 2018, and figures to make an immediate impact on the Raiders' defensive line as a rookie.
Quinnen Williams
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Position: Defensive tackle
College: Alabama
Height: 6-3
Weight: 303
Selection: First round (No. 4 overall)
Scouting report
Williams is a freak athlete for someone so large, with the agility and athleticism of someone far smaller. He’s also lightning quick for someone so big, turning in a 4.83-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. He excelled in the rest of his combine tests and position drills, doing so well he skipped on-field activity at Alabama’s pro day.
He has the hands of an edge rusher and uses them on unsuspecting guards to catch them off guard.Williams has explosiveness off the snap, with great burst to get right by offensive lineman. Williams can do it all inside, proving dominant against the run and pass. It’s hard to find fault in his game, which is somewhat surprising considering his inexperience playing inside.
NFL
“Young, check. Athletic, check. Productive, check,” NBC Sports and Rotoworld draft expert Josh Norris said in his evaluation. “Williams doesn’t always have the motor to chase down plays outside of the tackle box, but that’s not a negative. He will create plays on his own and for others.”
Williams burst on the scene in 2018, following a position switch from end to tackle that required him to gain 40 pounds in one offseason. He had 71 tackles, including eight sacks and 19.5 tackles for a loss.
Projected role
Williams should be an instant three-down starter who can play several techniques inside, but primarily played nose guard during his breakout season. He’s stout against the run at the point of attack and can slip past or overpower double teams to make plays in the backfield. He creates havoc in obvious passing downs, especially if a quarterback remains in the pocket.
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He should take snaps from Justin Ellis and Johnathan Hankins, pairing with three technique Maurice Hurst on passing downs or maybe more. He could also play that spot with some of the bigger tackles to form a run stopping force inside. Paul Guenther can move him around some inside to exploit offensive weaknesses or find favorable matchups.
What they’re saying
“People ask how I got so smart playing football. It’s from getting knocked around. It wasn’t easy being 275 playing nose guard in spring football against the Alabama offensive line, so I had to find something to beat those guys. I started looking more at film, watching tendencies. I would watch our offense’s practice every day, every single day. I just started finding clues I could use against them.
“When I got good at that, I started to see the way I play change. That gave me confidence that I could play well despite being smaller than usual at my position.” – Quinnen Williams, on how he got so good breaking down game tape
“Quinnen was always athletic, and had really good quickness. I think sometimes he was a little undersized, and maybe that limited his role but, as he got bigger and stronger he kept that quickness, and he became a dominant player. He has always played with great attitude, lots of tenacity. He’s a hard worker who tries to do everything right, and he’s a smart player as well. That combination of things helped him rise very quickly.” – Nick Saban, Alabama head coach
“The toughest thing is when you’ve got an almost 300-pound bar of soap that’s pushing past you and you just can’t get a hold of him.” Alabama offensive tackle Jonah Williams on trying to block Quinnen Williams in practice.