Detroit Lions defensive tackle Tyleik Williams (78) practices during OTA at Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park on Friday, May 30, 2025. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lions rookie suddenly becomes biggest X-factor after tough injury blow

Originally posted on Side Lion Report | By Matt Sidney | Last updated Jul 20, 2025 10:05 AM ET

Levi Onwuzurike’s 2025 season is already over. Dan Campbell confirmed Sunday that the former second-round pick tore his ACL and underwent surgery. He had been placed on the PUP list, but the update all but guarantees he’s finished for 2025—and maybe for good.

Onwuzurike signed a one-year deal this spring after finally putting together a healthy, productive 2024 campaign. But now, after already missing all of 2022 with a back injury, he’ll miss another full year. There’s no sugarcoating how brutal this is for a player trying to hang on, and for a team trying to stay healthy in the trenches.

But this time, the Lions were prepared. And they didn’t wait until this happened to cover themselves. That’s why Tyleik Williams is already one of the most important rookies in the building.

Tyleik Williams steps into critical role sooner than anyone expected

Detroit didn’t draft Williams as a throwaway depth piece. He was the plan—whether that meant 2026 or now. They knew what they were getting: 330 pounds of controlled chaos, a wrecking ball in the run game who can anchor, shed, and reset the line of scrimmage.

That’s exactly what they’re going to need now.

“You don’t like to lose anybody,” Campbell said. “Certainly, losing Levi, that hurts, but it helps that we’ve got (rookie defensive lineman) Tyleik (Williams), so we’ve got a little bit of balance here.”

Williams becomes a plug-and-play option for a rotation that just got gutted. Alim McNeill is still working back from his own ACL tear. Josh Paschal likely won’t be ready until September. DJ Reader and Roy Lopez can help, but they’re not long-term answers.. It’s not just that Williams has to be ready—it’s that the Lions can’t necessarily afford him not to be.

The rookie doesn’t have to dominate out of the gate, but he has to hold his own against NFL offensive lines. The good news is, Williams’ skill set fits exactly what the Lions need early: early-down toughness, run fits, and a motor that doesn’t quit. Even if his pass rush needs time to catch up, Detroit has specialists for that. What they need now is a base-package solution who won’t get bullied inside—and that’s what Williams was drafted to be.

Losing another defensive player before the season isn’t what this team wanted, but this is why you invest in the trenches before it becomes a fire drill. The Lions know better than most. Detroit clearly planned for this possibility when they turned in their first-round card, and got the kind of player who can actually absorb the fallout. It’s a tough break, but a credit to Detroit’s draft prep.

They didn’t know they’d need Tyleik Williams this soon. But they do now—and they’re better off for already having him. He'll now become their biggest X-factor in 2025.