Turf Show Times
Focusing too intently on your weaknesses during the offseason can easily lead you down an ill-advised path.
The San Francisco 49ers knew they had to improve this offseason in the run defense department, especially after releasing veteran defensive tackle Javon Hargrave. They reunited with former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh and asked him to take up his old mantle as defensive coordinator. In the draft, they went defensive early and keyed in on players with run stuffing ability.
So far these investments have paid minimal dividends, unlike the 2023 draft class for the Los Angeles Rams that turned around their defense quickly and helped them rebuild on the fly enroute to the postseason.
Against the run, Williams has very few flaws. He’s strong and physical when taking on blocks and has the upper body strength to get extension against offensive linemen. That, combined with violence when shedding, allows him to disengage and make tackles in his gap. His biggest flaws are gap discipline and recognizing pullers quickly, but those issues are easily fixable.
The Georgia product has some work to do as a pass-rusher, though. Right now, he’ll occasionally win with pure strength and athleticism, and he has the quickness and general movement skills to develop. However, his use of hands is subpar as offensive tackles often make the first significant contact and thwart his moves before they can get started.
Thoughts from JB:
You simply do not take an EDGE rusher with minimal pass rushing upside in the first half of round one. While Williams may fill a much-needed role on the 49ers defense as a run stopper, he likely will never develop into someone opposing quarterbacks are afraid of. The range for his career likely starts with Tyree Wilson on the bottom end and stops on the high end as a longer version of Leonard Floyd.
Williams is now under the microscope with Nick Bosa out for the season. In their first game without Bosa, the 49ers failed to record a quarterback hit for the first time since 2015. Through his first four career games, Williams as earned 10 pressures on 111 pass rushing snaps. For comparison, Bosa also posted 10 pressures in three games but rushed the passer on only 70 snaps.
And there’s reason to be concerned about Williams against the run. Pro Football Focus (PFF) has him at a mark in this department of just 45.9 so far. Out of 67 EDGE defenders with at least 126 snaps, Williams ranks 62nd according to PFF.
It’s been a disastrous start for the first round pick.
Overall, Collins can be a very good run defender in the NFL as a 3-technique and has the potential to be effective when lining up over the center. How much he’ll contribute as a pass-rusher is questionable, but he does have decent athleticism for his size to...
