If you ask anyone to name the biggest areas of need for the Washington Commanders to address this offseason, edge is going to be pretty high on that list.
Commanders’ defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. wanted a defense that hunted the football and made opponents feel every snap they played against his unit.
Sometimes, it worked out, but it wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for Whitt to admit to local media during the season that they weren’t getting after it as well as he wanted them to. Because of that, changes are expected to happen in Washington this offseason.
Whether it comes by subtracting players incapable of achieving Whitt’s vision or by adding those who can help it, the Commanders are expected to make moves in the front seven.
“The Commanders make this selection hoping Dan Quinn and Co. can get the most out of the ridiculous frame and athletic profile of Williams,” Trapasso says of the pick.
In his NFL.com profile of Williams, Lance Zeirlein compares the prospect to Buffalo Bills edge defender Gregory Rousseau and calls him an “upside prospect with loads of traits; Williams simply needs more snaps and more time to fill out his frame. He is an explosive athlete who uses his exceptional length to keep tackles and tight ends at the end of his punch. He plays a little too tall at the point and needs to get stronger to shed blocks more quickly, but he plays with good physicality in the trenches and is never pushed around.”
Overall, Zierlein believes Williams could become a contributor to a 4-3 front as a base end and highlights his explosiveness as a big reason why.
We’re still early in the pre-draft process, but early indications say that if Williams is available at No. 29, he would certainly look like a fit for what Washington is trying to do defensively.
