Tyleik Williams Already Impresses Lions Teammates

Detroit Lions defensive lineman Tyleik Williams will be looking to carve out a consistent role in his rookie season.

Williams carries a strong reputation as a run-defender, lending creedence to the fact that his primary assignment in his debut season will be to work in early downs as a run-stuffer.

He still has plenty to prove throughout the offseason, as he was limited during rookie minicamp and still has organized team activities and training camp ahead of him. However, he has already set a strong tone in the meeting room amongst veterans like DJ Reader.

As Reader pointed out during his media session Thursday, Williams has impressed with his presence in meetings and ability to comprehend and apply concepts taught by defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers.

"Sky's the limit. He's a good kid and he's pretty smart. He sits beside me in meetings, so it's just cool to hear his answers. He doesn't talk very loud, but he knows the answers to the questions," Reader said. "So me, being a vet, sitting beside him, it's always fun watching the rookies be like, 'I don't want to get it wrong.' I'm like, 'Who cares? We're in the room.' So, it's been fun just sitting there, watching him talk about it. But, he's really, really smart. He picks up the playbook really well, can't wait to get to see him moving around, see what's going on. I watched him a little bit at Ohio State. I'm really impressed with his game."

After showcasing his smarts in the classroom, Williams will get the chance to begin competing during the summer. It's still uncertain how often he'll be in the mix in OTAs, as he told reporters at rookie minicamp that he was limited due to the length of his season at Ohio State.

Still, Williams will be able to make his loudest first impression when the team begins padded practices later this summer.

Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson has some background with Williams. Williams comes from an Ohio State team that rivaled his Michigan Wolverines in college.

However, alma mater bias aside, he's excited to get to work with the first-round pick as the intensity ramps up ahead of the 2025 season.

"Tyleik's been great, great addition. Unfortunate that he's a Buckeye. We love drafting those Buckeyes, Buckeyes and 'Bama dudes," Hutchinson said. "I mean, he's great. I feel like it's so new, he's only been here for a week or two now."