When the New York Giants traded for Jets’ interior defensive lineman Leonard Williams in 2019, most were perplexed at the deal orchestrated by general manager Dave Gettleman. His obsession with interior lineman on both sides of the ball sparked this consumption, despite Williams under-performing the past few seasons.
Since his 2016 campaign, where he racked up 7.0 sacks, 68 combined tackles, and 19 quarterback hits, his play has consistently declined.
However, the potential with Williams is where the Giants were looking. In eight games with Big Blue, he tallied 0.5 sacks, 26 combined tackles, and 11 quarterback hits. He immediately became their best defender and interior pass rusher. With elite strength and the ability to draw double teams, hidden production is where most look to extract value from the 6-foot-5 defensive tackle.
Gettleman gave up a third and fifth-round pick for services, while the Jacksonville Jaguars traded star defensive end Yannick Ngakoue for a second and fifth-round pick on Sunday morning.
Comparing the New York Giants’ Leonard Williams deal with Yannick Ngakoue trade:
Leonard Williams:
-3rd round pick
-5th round pick
As stated above, hidden production is usually where you can find Williams’ value to a team. His ability to draw double teams and open up opportunities for others is how he contributes. Nonetheless, the Giants are working on giving him the fundamentals and tools to turn his pressures into sacks. That has been his primary weakness, and recording a sack on Daniel Jones in Friday’s scrimmage should promote his elevation in 2020.
In addition, his chemistry with Dalvin Tomlinson and Dexter Lawrence should prove to be exponential. Theoretically, it will be impossible for offensive lines to contain three dominant New York Giants interior pass rushers. Hopefully, this will help Williams increase his value in the sack category, which has been his kryptonite in recent years.
Was he worth a third and fifth-round pick? That is yet to be seen. If he contributes in a significant way this upcoming season, the trade will have been worth it. Of course, the common argument is that he was bound for free agency anyway, so sending draft capital to the Jets might have been poor managing.
Yannick Ngakoue:
-2nd round pick
-5th round pick
The Minnesota Vikings traded with the Jacksonville Jaguars for Yannick Ngakoue on Sunday morning. They now have a duo of elite players at almost every defense of unit, and Ngakoue only adds to that. In 15 games last year, he posted 8.0 sacks with 15 quarterback hits and 13 tackles for loss. Interestingly, he missed 10 tackles for a 19.6% missed tackle rate. From a numbers standpoint, Yannick doesn’t seem to be an elite player, but he has the potential to be.
His displeasure might have played a part in his performance last year, but he has forced 14 fumbles in three seasons for the Jags. He will make the Vikings a better team, at not much more cost than Williams.
For the Giants, missing out on him isn’t necessarily a bad thing. They are in the middle of a rebuild, and spending valuable draft capital on a win-now move doesn’t make logical sense. For comparison’s sake, Yannick might have been the better trade last year, but seeing what Williams has to justify a long term deal isn’t a bad thing either.
The difference between a second and third-round pick is significant, so that factor shouldn’t be disregarded.