Detroit Lions select Tyleik Williams in 1st round of 2025 NFL Draft

Another national champion has come off the board in Green Bay. Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams has been selected in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. Williams is officially the No. 28 overall pick in the first round.

Williams was a consistent player during his four seasons with Ohio State. He wound up playing in 51 games and steadily improving throughout his college career. During the 2024 run, Williams recorded 46 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, and 2.5 sacks.

There was a scary moment for Williams during the draft process. While running the 40-yard Dash at Ohio State’s Pro Day, the defensive tackle fell down while running at full speed. Trainers came over to help him before walking off to the side.

Nothing serious came of the moment, thankfully. Williams even put out a tweet saying he was okay and estimated his time would have broken five seconds if completed. A good way to make light of what could have been a horrible moment for his NFL Draft stock.

Williams played high school football at Manassas (VA) Unity Reed, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 142 overall recruit in the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Another example of recruiting rankings translating to where a player is picked in the NFL Draft. Williams is now primed to begin his professional career.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Tyleik Williams

Ahead of the draft, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein provided a scouting report on Williams. He gave the Ohio State product a score of 6.35, meaning he will “eventually be a plus starter” in the NFL. A second-round projection was given out by Zierlein, adding a comparison to Alim McNeill.

“Drain-clogging run defender with violent first contact and nimble feet for impressive tackle production. Williams flashes an ability to play through or around the block. He physically dominates man-on-man matchups but inconsistent pad level and shorter arms hinder his double-team take-ons.

“He needs to focus on developing his hands to keep longer NFL guards from getting into him and neutralizing his power. Williams should pressure the pocket from time to time but might not win on his own enough to see many third-down reps. The knock-back pop and ability to eat up runners in his general vicinity could help him become an impactful, run-stuffing three-technique.”