Three Ohio State beat writers reflect on Tyliek Williams’ collegiate career
When our favorite NFL team drafts a player, we immediately have questions of: “Who is this guy? What kind of player is he? What kind of person is he?” Tyleik Williams, who the Detroit Lions selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, may be a bit of an unknown to the casual Lions fan (especially as most people in Michigan aren’t exactly tuning into Ohio State games).
I was fortunate enough to connect with Ohio State beat writers Tim May, Tony Gerdeman and Dan Hope to get a clearer picture of who Tyleik Williams is on and off the field. These three took the time to answer my questions and share their insights, offering a closer look at the newest Detroit Lion.
“Tyleik is one of my favorite Buckeyes” – Tim May
Many analysts did not project Williams as a first-round pick. What qualities or attributes do you believe made him a strong choice for the Lions at No. 28 overall?
May: He’s big and quick and strong and aggressive. And he’s productive. Guys the size of him coupled with his quickness are the rare finds in the game of football.
Gerdeman: Williams is the size of a nose tackle with the agility of a three-tech. He is extremely quick for 327 pounds. He was a four-year contributor at Ohio State and comes from a winning program. He is the first Buckeye defensive tackle selected in the first round since 2001, which also provides some context on his ability relative to past Buckeye defensive tackles.
Hope: He’s an excellent run-stopping 3-technique DT with unusual athleticism for his massive size. With defensive tackle increasingly becoming a premium position in the NFL, I’m not surprised he was selected in Round 1. The Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles also showed interest in him, so I don’t think he would have stayed on the board much longer if the Lions didn’t draft him.
What specific strengths did Williams bring to Ohio State’s defensive line unit?
May: His get-off is outstanding, and he fit the bill of what Larry Johnson wanted from his 3 technique, which was someone who could get upfield and disrupt the flow. He was tenacious to the whistle. Just turn on the video and watch him, especially through the 4 game grind of the College Football Playoff.
Gerdeman: Williams is quick and strong. Offensive linemen have to really set themselves for his power, but when they do, he can catch them flat-footed with his quickness. If they prepare for the quickness, they’re not ready for the power. Talking with an NFL scout recently, he put it this way: “When he goes, he goes.”
Hope: His combination of size, strength and quickness allows him to be highly disruptive at the line of scrimmage, particularly against the run. He’s good at shedding blocks, is a good tackler for a DT and showed impressive stamina for his size as he played more than 1,200 snaps across his final two seasons at Ohio State.
From your perspective, what areas of Williams’ game will require development in order for him to thrive at the professional level?
May: Early in his college career endurance was a challenge, but that’s also because he got banged up a little. It was no question his final season.
Gerdeman: Williams was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection as a freshman and sophomore, and that was when he wasn’t necessarily conditioned well enough to play more snaps.
Even at 330-odd pounds throughout his career, his wind improved. Detroit may want him to lose some weight depending on what they want him to do. As a three-tech, he could penetrate, but getting all the way to the quarterback wasn’t necessarily a strength. If they want him to rush the passer, dropping about 20 pounds would probably help.
Hope: I think that depends on what role he plays in the Lions’ defense. If the Lions keep him in the one-gap 3-technique role he played at Ohio State, he’ll need to continue developing as a pass-rusher as he had only 11.5 sacks in four seasons at Ohio State.
If they move him to nose tackle, he’ll need to work on consistently handling double-teams, as that’s something he didn’t have to do a ton at Ohio State since he primarily played 3-tech and had a ton of talent around him.
The Lions organization places a high premium on character and resilience. In what ways do you see Williams embodying the ‘gritty’ culture the team is known for?
May: He seems to enjoy being in the midst of the battle of the big men which is, after all, the essence of real football. Ohio State’s defense in 2024 was known for ‘Give us a yard and we’ll defend that yard,’ something that came to bear in at least four goal line stands of note. Williams was in the crunch zone in all of them.
Gerdeman: For one, he’s strong as hell. He holds up at the line of scrimmage and doesn’t just settle for occupying space. He wants to be a problem for the offense. For two, he loves the game. He’s always got a smile on his face and he has always added to the locker room. He is an energy giver, not an energy taker.
Hope: I’d go back to the fact that he played a high snap count and rarely left the field for Ohio State in big games, which isn’t something you always see from a 330-pound defensive tackle. He also battled through a shoulder injury for most of last season and only missed three games, so he demonstrated plenty of toughness and competitive drive as a Buckeye.
Are there any standout moments, stories, or behind-the-scenes insights from Williams’ time at Ohio State that you think Lions fans would appreciate or find meaningful?
May: He hated losing to TTUN… [“The Team UP North” aka Michigan] He and DT Ty Hamilton referred to their partnership as TNT, referring to what Williams said was their ability to be explosive and blow up plays. “Around the world defensive tackles are usually guys who just eat up space. But here we are playmakers. We’re not just here to fit the gap. We’re here to fit the gap and make the play” – Williams last season.
Gerdeman: As a sophomore, he wasn’t playing as much as he thought he should have been and created his own hashtag of #Free91.
This caused a lot of panic among fans that he might be looking to transfer, but it was always just a statement on his desire to be on the field. As a junior, he acknowledged that he wasn’t in the condition he needed to be to be “freed” as much as he’d have liked, so he made sure that it wouldn’t ever happen again.
Hope: I’ll remember Tyleik’s time at Ohio State not only for being an excellent defensive tackle who played a major role in the Buckeyes having one of the nation’s best defenses for the last two years, but also for the fun personality he brought to the team and the field.
I can’t recall many times I’ve seen Tyleik that he didn’t have a smile on his face, and he plays the game with that same joy. You’ll always see him celebrating when he or his teammates make a big play, and he wasn’t afraid to troll opponents on social media from time to time either.
Needless to say, the insights given here by these two beat writers who watched Williams throughout his career helped paint a bigger picture of who he truly is as both a football player and human being. Williams will go into training camp with an opportunity to take on a hefty role on defense while Alim McNeill is sidelined with his injury.
A big thank you once again to Tim May, Tony Gerdeman, and Dan Hope for taking time out of their schedules to answer these questions and give Lions fans more reasons to root for the team’s newest player.
Tim May covered Ohio State for the Columbus Dispatch for 42 years before his retirement. The award-winning journalist is still a prominent member of the Buckeye’s media circles. You can follow him and his work .
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