Four losses to Michigan might scar Tyleik Williams’ collegiate memories, but when Michigan’s lone professional football team approached their selection in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, Williams wanted nothing more than to have them hit his line.
The Detroit Lions obliged.
“I had great conversations at the combine, the 30 visit (with the Lions),” Williams said on Friday. “And they basically told me if I'm there, it's a possibility they're going to take me. So I have my phone right next to me, ringer on, all the way up. Kept checking it. I was nervous. But when I got that call, it was just – I don't even know how to describe it. The feeling you get, like that rush you get of answering that call. Like, I don't think nothing compares to it, if I'm being honest. But it was a great feeling.”
Detroit selected Williams with the No. 28 overall pick on April 24, and there was elation in the Lions’ draft room rivaling the rush Williams felt.
“He really fits what we’re all about,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell told FOX 2 Detroit. “I think, early in the process, he’s somebody we identified that really kind of fit all of our needs. And there’s things about him that remind me of Mac (Alim McNeill). He’s really an athletic big man, he can play the nose, he can play the three (technique), can play the five-technique. He’s excellent against the run, he can get an edge in pass rush, push the pocket. And there’s a lot of upside with this guy.”
The call that made @tyleikk a pic.twitter.com/hNq4Nb77Ts
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) April 25, 2025
Williams emerged as a star for Ohio State at 3-technique defensive tackle in 2023, collecting 54 tackles with 10 tackles for loss, three sacks and five pass breakups. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from the media. He sustained his excellent play into 2024 for Ohio State’s national championship run, gathering 46 tackles, eight TFLs and 2.5 sacks.
Doing the math, that’s 12.5 TFLs exclusively against the run game for Williams in his last two seasons with the Buckeyes. Ball carriers may have had more luck running through concrete walls than Williams, who measured at 6-foot-3 and 334 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine. His run-defense grade on Pro Football Focus was an elite 88.6.
“He's got a lot of versatility in his game,” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said. “I think one of the things, he has the physical skill set, he's got the power, he's got the bend and the agility. He's a very nimble athlete. But the thing about it is that he's incredibly instinctive, too. In my opinion, him and one other DT that was in this class were the top two instinctive defensive tackles in this whole class. And he was one of those guys.”
That versatility is a massive boon for Detroit, which clamored to add more defensive depth in this draft. The Lions went 15-2 to earn the top overall seed in the NFC for the playoffs last season, but an unceasing carousel of injuries, especially on defense, derailed their Super Bowl hopes as they lost 45-31 at home to Washington in the divisional round. Detroit had 16 players on injured reserve going into that game.
One of the many Lions to end his season on the bench with an injury was McNeill, one of Detroit’s starting defensive tackles alongside nine-year NFL veteran D.J. Reader. McNeill tore the ACL in his right knee and missed Detroit’s final four games, an injury that will “probably” cause him to miss time early in the 2025 season.
McNeill’s absence exposed a lack of DT depth for the Lions, who allowed a season-high 203 rushing yards in their playoff loss to the Commanders. The Lions believe they can plug Williams in wherever he’s needed, be it at nose or three-technique. Early in the season, he’s likely to play the latter in place of McNeill.
“Super excited how everything went tonight to be able to acquire Tyleik,” Holmes said. “Obviously been watching him for a really long time. He's played a lot of football there at a very consistent level. And he just has a lot of traits and qualities that we're looking for. And he's gonna fit right in here like a glove.”
Williams stood out to Detroit brass early on in the draft process.
“I remember his interview at the combine,” Holmes said. “Knocked it out the park with his intelligence and how much he knew about the game. Like I said, it’s kind of building a house with the character portion of it. And then we were able to bring him in on the top 30, and he knocked it out again. So he just kept checking those boxes. But he's a good kid, he's mild-mannered. He doesn't say a lot, he's more about his business. But he fits in right here, not only just from the physical qualities, but he's gonna fit in with the other standards that we have around here.”
Giving his all for a Michigan-based team will be a new feeling for Williams, but he's prepared to do anything to help the Lions finish their climb from a 13-loss team in 2021 to football's summit. Even if he's still clinging to his Buckeye roots.
“It's definitely crazy,” Williams said. “I've learned to hate this state for the last four years. But getting drafted, I'm just happy. I can put all that behind me. Of course, I'm still Team Up North. I'm still not going to say it, but I'm just happy I'm here.”
Williams’ first-round selection was the culmination of his life’s work to this point. Now, the work begins once more.
“It's just been a mix of emotions, from crying to being happy and just spending the time with my family for real, and friends who have been by my side this whole journey,” Williams said. “It's really how I wanted to spend it, you know, with the people who came up with me and it's just been a great feeling.”
