The Detroit Lions first round pick, Tyleik Williams, had a good rookie season, but he did not quite live up to what many fans expected considering his draft slot. Colton Pouncy of The Athletic chose Williams as his breakout pick for the team.
Pouncy notes that Williams was not expected to have a massive role in his first year, and that he can live up to expectations.
“The Lions moved on from DJ Reader this offseason and are now relying on Williams,” wrote Pouncy. “He’s an instinctive player who’s light on his toes for a 330-pounder. He’s not flashy like TeSlaa, but if he can eat double teams and emerge as a run-stuffing nose tackle, the Lions will be pleased with his progress.”
With Reader out of the picture, the Lions are going to rely on Williams.
The Detroit Lions Need Tyleik Williams to Break Out in 2026
GettyDetroit Lions defensive tackle Tyleik Williams.
Williams dropped to the 28th overall pick in the 2025 draft, mainly because he did not bring much pass rush potential from Ohio State. He looked like a polished run defender, but was not quite ready to make an impact on all downs.
Williams played in 446 snaps during his rookie season, and it was mostly a mix of snaps. He had 226 snaps against the pass and 220 against the run. He finished his rookie season with 19 pressures and one sack. Williams also added three quarterback hits. On the ground, he had two tackles for loss and 12 stops, according to PFF.
Now expectations are for him to build on that.
Detroit is going to need a big year from Williams to avoid back-to-back misses on first-round picks. Brad Holmes has built a reputation of hitting on his high-end picks, but the 2024 selection of Terrion Arnold is not going to be remembered fondly.
Considering Holmes has a much longer track record of hitting, it is not going to be remembered as a big miss, but when you start to stack the misses together, it becomes noticeable. With that in mind, the Lions do want to see progress.
Lions Are Much Deeper on Defensive Line in 2026
Williams is not the only player that the team is expecting to see more from this season. Alim McNeil was second on the Lions in snaps last year. However, he was recovering from an ACL injury, and his play was not quite as strong in 2025 as it was in the seasons prior.
Detroit is also expected to get Levi Onwuzurike back from his injury. He suffered a torn ACL so early into the offseason that he did not step foot on a field in 2025. The good news is that he is now entering 2026 completely healthy with no potential for a setback.
So, the Lions could see all of their top three options on the defensive front improve from one year to the next.
Detroit also signed Jay Tufele from the New York Jets this offseason. Beyond that, they drafted Skyler Howard-Gil in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft. With Mekhi Wingo entering his third NFL season, Detroit has three different options that could fill in as the fourth option on the front.
Detroit not only has as much talent as they have had under Dan Campbell, but they also have a group that is deeper than most years. The defensive line cannot be the reason the defense struggles in 2026.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Lions Former First-Round Pick Under Pressure to Break Out appeared first on HEAVY.