Upfront, I'll just mention that Tim Williams has great talent. He's clearly an explosive football player who can be a difference maker. That said, I have a few serious concerns. First, he's going to be a 25 year old as a rookie. That may not seem like a big deal, but consider that Myles Garrett is 20 years old, and potentially has a much longer career ahead of him. By the time Williams is done with his rookie contract, he'll be almost 30 years old, which is often the point of decline among football players. It's not the be-all, end-all of the matter, but it is worth considering, particularly since he's 4 - 5 years older than many of the players that he's going against, which means he may be more physically and mentally developed. Second, he's had several off field issues and brushes with the law. These are contextual, just like for any prospect, but they raise a red flag.
As for his actual play, there are some positives and negatives to consider. He's got a good first step, and he definitely knows how to threaten tackles to the outside with his speed. This is largely due to his ability to anticipate the snap and then fly off the line. He usually sells out for the rush; while he's capable of taking on blockers in the run game, it's not his forte (to be fair, he's improved tremendously from last year). He is a designated pass rusher for Alabama, and I assume he'd play the same role for an NFL team. His hand usage has improved this year, and he does a good job of engaging the tackle and then shedding the block to make a play. He's surprisingly sudden, and has a nice dip and rip inside move after getting the tackle on his heels.
The Alabama front 7 is extremely talented. As a result, guys get a lot more one on one looks; I rarely see a back or TE chip the Bama outside rushers, because the inside guys are so dangerous that an offense can't leave them one on one, too. There's a reason they have one of the most stifling defenses in history, and so many projected 1st round players at nearly every position on that defense.
I don't see a ton of variation in William's pass rushing. He doesn't have a huge arsenal to choose from based on the plays I've seen; he has an outside speed rush, or an inside move. Now, he's a very, very good one trick pony, but he still needs to develop more moves. Too easy to shut him down at a pro level, in my opinion, but he does have an excellent success rate. PFF, love em or hate em, gives him the top pass rush success rates by pressures/hits/sacks per snap, so he's no slouch in the department.
I'm conflicted on Williams. He is a speed player, but I don't see the blur-on-the-screen first step that Von Miller displayed. He's still a plus athlete, but I worry that he won't be able to succeed the same way once he is in the NFL. My guess is that with the holes in his game and the off field issues, he will be graded lower for the Patriots than his actual draft value. A team will probably grab him in the 1st or early 2nd, and I'm not sure he brings enough to the table to justify the Pats takinjog him at 32. But what do I know? I didn't expect Easley.
