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USA Today
30-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Is Leonard Williams Underrated? Low NFL Top 100 spot met with criticism
If there are 98 players in the NFL better than Leonard Williams, I've got some prime real estate to sell you on Mars. Leonard Williams' inclusion at No. 99 on the NFL's Top 100 List was a well-deserved piece of recognition for one of the Seahawks' best players- especially considering only 8 defensive tackles made the list in 2024, as compared with 20 wide receivers. However, the placement at #99 has been met with criticism from members of the media who think he's still underappreciated. Corbin K. Smith prompted the discussion Monday morning: Sami ON Tap shared a similar sentiment and provided context Williams' rankings in the past: I love that Leonard Williams made the NFL Top 100.#99 lands at #99.I really thought he would be higher than has been higher when he was on the Giants, and this was his first time making it on the Seahawks..2021: #842022: #972023: N/A2024: N/A2025: #99 By the numbers, their point is valid. PFF's analytics say this was the best season of Williams' career by a sizable margin, with his 87.1 DEF grade in 2025 followed by only one other season above 80 in 2016 (81.4). He made the Pro Bowl both years, but also received NFL Defensive Player of the Year votes this season. It will be interesting to see if players who finished below him in DPOY voting place above him on the Top 100. Williams posted elite numbers compared to other interior defensive linemen last season. He tied for 2nd with 11 sacks, ranked 4th with 15 QB hits, and tied for 9th with 54 pressures. While his 2020 season with the New York Giants earned him the No. 84 spot on 2021's list with similar stats, two differences stick out that he should get more credit for in 2025- he was forced into a much more versatile role and had one of the best plays of the season doing role was more interior-based in 2025. Even though he recorded a career high in sacks in 2020, it's easier to get half a sack more playing a true defensive end; making his 2025 sack total more impressive. He also spent 16 snaps in coverage, an absolute anomaly for a human weighing 302 pounds, and produced a truly magical moment for Seattle against his former the New York Jets 21-6 in the 2nd quarter, Williams recorded a 92-yd pick six which sparked Seattle to a 20 unanswered-point, comeback win. It is one of the best examples of a dominant play by an individual player in recent NFL memory and is typically a scenario reserved for high school and college defensive lineman prospects who are leagues above their fact that Williams' made a high school highlight happen in an NFL Game shows both his uniqueness and quality at his position. While the NFL agrees he belongs on the Top 100 this year, many wonder what he would have to do to be a top 80 player that he hasn't precedent is unclear. He already ranks 4th in PFF DEF Grade for DIs, so it's hard to see him gaining ground without being outright the best DT in the league. However, it is a player vote, so it's unlikely they're obsessing over PFF Grades and stats. They typically put more stock into who they've played with and Leonard Williams' placement on the NFL Top 100 might be low, he's finally getting discussed. The recognition is great to see, but it's even better that it caused enough controversy to highlight him in conversations.
USA Today
30-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Watch: Every sack from Seahawks DE Leonard Williams in 2024
Leonard Williams came in at No. 99 as the NFL released the first batch of their annual player-voted Top 100 List on Monday morning. He had a career year in 2024, reaching his second Pro Bowl and finishing 14th in NFL AP Defensive Player of the Year Voting. Here are all his sacks from his second season in Seattle, where you can see the mismatches he created to get to double-digit sacks for just the second time in his career. His 11 sacks were the most by a Seahawks defender since Frank Clark in 2018. Head Coach Mike Macdonald utilized Williams' massive frame and elite athleticism in a versatile role between the interior defensive line positions. The physical dominance that earned him the nickname 'Big Cat' was as present as ever in his age 30 season, especially highlighted by the stamina that allows him to stay low and wide while coming downhill in the narrow interior gaps. You can see him use these tools on tape to clean up two sacks against the New England Patriots in Week 2, and to chase down Kyler Murray to the outside in the Seahawks' Week 14 Win against the Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks restructured Williams' contract in February to open up cap space before free agency. He's under contract through 2026 and will look to continue his late-career consistency to have one more chance at a lucrative payday in the open market in 2027.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cardinals' Heralded Prospect Drops Off Top 100 List Amid Absence
After starting the season on the 60-day IL, St. Louis Cardinals former top-100 prospect Tink Hence has fallen out of Top 100 Prospect List. Sam Dykstra covered the updated list, mentioning Hence as one of three prospects dropping out of the top 100. Advertisement "Hence really needed a healthy 2025," Dykstra wrote. He highlighted that Hence has yet to throw more than 96 innings in a full season due to his yearly struggle with injuries since joining the Cardinals' organization, writing, "As good as the stuff has looked, he needs to show he can stick to the mound to regain more solid Top 100 consideration." St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Tink Hence in a spring relief appearance on February 25, 2025. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Coming into the season, Hence was sitting at No. 76 on the Top 100 List, but according to Dykstra, the news of the righty sustaining a right rib cage strain during spring training was enough to take him out of consideration for the list. The 22-year-old only totaled 20 starts for Double-A Springfield in 2024, but carried a 2.71 ERA with 109 strikeouts through 79 2/3 innings of work. Advertisement If Hence could work past the injuries, he could be something special, but it may be a while before Cardinals' fans see the flame-thrower in an MLB uniform until then. Other Cardinals in the Top 100 Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt jumped from No. 23 to No. 20 on the list after starting the year with a .290 average in his first 22 games for the Double-A Cardinals. The 22-year-old shortstop has scored 12 times, walked 11 times, knocked in 10 runs, and picked up four doubles and a home run in just 78 at-bats so far this year. Although the team's No. 2 prospect Quinn Mathews hasn't seen action with Triple-A Memphis since April 11, the southpaw moved from No. 45 to No. 40 on the list. The 24-year-old pitched to a 6.10 ERA in three April starts, allowing seven runs on 11 hits and 15 in 10 1/3 innings before hitting the 7-day IL on April 13. Related: Cardinals Surge Up Latest MLB Power Rankings Related: Cardinals at Phillies: How to Watch and What to Watch For
