Leonard Williams NFL Draft 2015: Scouting Report, Grade for Jets' Rookie

STRENGTHS

Leonard Williams is a rare athlete for a 6’5”, 302-pounder, and he brings a true positional and scheme versatility to the defensive line. He played left and right defensive end in USC’s 3-4 defense but is quick and agile enough to be best used as a 3-technique pass-rusher in a 4-3 defense. Williams does a great job getting small to knife through gaps and has the first-step burst to eat up space and get leverage on blockers. Williams has good hand use and doesn’t let blockers occupy his chest. He’ll knife and rip away, showing a hard swim move and the power to push through traffic. As a pass-rusher, he’s refined, showing speed and power moves with a good spin move and bull rush mixed in.

WEAKNESSES

The biggest question with Williams would be the number of small injuries he suffered at USC. He never seemed to be completely healthy, and that’s an issue coming into the bigger, stronger, tougher NFL. There are times when Williams’ first step is slow or labored, so he’ll have to prove he can go 100 percent and not throttle down on the interior. From a production standpoint, Williams never dominated, but you can argue he wasn’t given as many opportunities in the 3-4 defense.

2014 STATISTICS
Tackles 80
Sacks 7.0
Tackles for Loss 9.5

PRO PLAYER COMPARISON: Sheldon Richardson, New York Jets
Some want to compare Williams to Richard Seymour or J.J. Watt, but in terms of athleticism and style, Sheldon Richardson is more like it. Both are agile, nimble movers who have a lean, athletic build and can beat blockers with speed or power.

FINAL GRADE: 7.50/9.00 (Pro Bowl Potential)