Brandon Williams to Ravens: How Does Nose Tackle Fit with Baltimore?

With pick No. 94 in the draft, the Ravens selected Brandon Williams of Missouri Southern State.  Brandon Williams displayed his incredible power at the Senior Bowl, and followed it up by putting up 38 reps on the bench press at the Combine.

Role and Roster Fit: 

Brandon Williams will likely play behind Haloti Ngata and compete for playing time with Terrence Cody.  Cody is also in a contract year, recently had surgery and has so far been a disappointment for Baltimore. This pick will likely push Cody to step up his game, and allow the Ravens to give Ngata some much needed snaps off. 

Ngata has worn down in recent years because he was the only dominant defensive lineman the team had, and was forced to play more often than most big men should.  Cody has a mean bull rush and is a good run-stuffer.  However, he still needs to work on his technique and conditioning.

Early Projections: 

Williams will be added to the defensive line rotation and will help to shore up the Ravens run defense and keep offensive linemen off newly acquired Arthur Brown.  He is still very raw and has a lot of potential, but needs time, coaching and to work on his conditioning before he regularly contributes to the Raven's defense.  

Another reason the Ravens might have drafted him is his versatility. Williams displayed the ability to play the five-technique at the Senior Bowl, in addition to the nose and defensive tackle positions.  Williams does offer intriguing potential and the Ravens have the coaching staff that could bring it out in him.

Rob Engle is the co-founder of DraftBreakdown.com.  Check out DraftBreakdown for mock drafts, analysis, and video footage of hundreds of draft prospects.