From a practical standpoint, New York Jets’ former first-round pick Quinnen Williams is primed for a breakout season 2020. His rookie campaign in 2019 was littered with average play, as he tallied only 2.5 sacks, 28 combine tackles, four tackles for loss, and a 9.7% missed tackle rate. He only managed to play 46% of defensive snaps over 13 games, which limited his sample size and overall impact on the game.
However, Williams has the tangible traits to develop into one of the best interior defensive tackles in the NFL. The former Alabama star was rated above Nick Bosa in the 2019 draft but failed to live up to his name as a rookie.
Bosa, on the other hand, played in 16 games, tallying 9.0 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and 25 quarterback hits. He helped lead the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl, starting off his career with a bang and showing he was deserving of the number two overall pick last year.
Can the New York Jet get the most out of Williams moving forward?
“This is a forgotten guy, Quinnen Williams. You remember what we were saying about Quinnen Williams coming into that draft? We had Bosa over him but he was in the conversation. He was right there,†Daniel Jeremiah said. “He had 2.5 sacks last year, did not have a big-time impact at all for the Jets. I don’t know how great he is as a fit in Gregg Williams’ defense but Gregg Williams has been a good defensive coordinator in this league for a very long time. He’s going to get more comfortable with him and how to use him. Quinnen Williams will be able to make that adjustment. I just can’t believe that we’re not going to see a better version of this kid. As dominant as he was in the SEC, the best division in college football. They couldn’t block him. It didn’t matter who they were playing against. Quinnen Williams was unblockable. I just have to believe that we’re going to see that player emerge here. We’re going to see more from him. That was disappointing last year. I thought we’d see more out of him.â€
Ultimately, if Williams doesn’t fit well into Greg Williams’s system, it is possible he has another average year with Gang Green. Nonetheless, he has the traits to explode and serve as one of the better players on the Jets’ defense, and they need him to step up against the run and put interior pressure on opposing quarterbacks.