Why this advanced stat about Mykel Williams is misleading 49ers fans

According to data from Pro Football Focus and NFL Pro, Williams faced the highest amount of double teams and chips of any edge rusher in week one. He is right ahead of Myles Garrett, Aiden Hutchinson, Micah Parsons, and T.J. Watt, so it looks like a pretty reliable stat that shows that teams are afraid of Williams in the same manner. 

However, that is not quite the case. Williams plays a much different role, and it involves him rushing the passer from the interior more than out on the edge. He only played 14 snaps on the edge per PFF, but PFF has him listed with 18 pass rush snaps as well. That is because almost all of his snaps on the edge came in run defense, and all but three of his pass rush snaps were along the interior. 

So, Williams was lined up between the guard and center. Of course, he took on more double teams. Those edge rushers are actually drawing extra attention around the edge because the offensive tackle is not trusted to win their matchup. They shift out tight ends and running backs and even slide protections from the guard. This is not what Williams is doing. 

Lukas Van Ness, Arik Armstead, Tyquan Lewis, and Logan Hall are all on this list for the same reason: not because teams are throwing them more attention, but because where they align defensively asks them to take on two blocks more often. 

Is it valuable that Williams can slide inside and take on two blockers? Yes, this gets Bryce Huff on the field situationally and makes the interior rush much faster. However, the point of getting Williams against those double teams is that he is supposed to be more athletic and physically bigger than these players, giving him easier matchups. It could be viewed as a disappointment that he has so many snaps in advantageous matchups and did not win. 

Williams is going to have to produce in the box score because fans cannot just point to a table that shows that he faces two blocks as much as elite edge rushers.