A high-motor, speedy defender who exploded last year, Ole Miss edge rusher Sam Williams will hope to bring his sack-happy skill set to the next level as he enters the 2022 NFL draft.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Rebels’ explosive pass rusher:
Vitals
Height: 6-4
Weight: 261
Class: Senior
40 time: 4.64
Strengths
A three-year starter who popped off as a pass rusher last season, Williams used a deadly speed catalogue to get to the quarterback 12.5 times in 2021. He also forced a fumble four different times, as well as collapsing the pocket and netting an impressive 16 tackles for a loss.
Williams is lethal as an edge rusher, quickly bursting past offensive tackles, bending around them, and using excellent hands to slap away reach blocks before slamming into the quarterback. His high speed also comes with a non-stop motor. There were times on tape where teams would dedicate three blockers to him, and he would blow through them all. His feet simply do not stop working until the whistle is blown.
He was moved around a lot, working the interior of the offensive line by flipping inside and exploding through slower blockers who couldn’t get their grips on him. He has a wide variety of moves to get to the quarterback, and excels at both the counter and swim moves, edging his speed against any offensive lineman.
In the run game, Williams is not quite as dominant, but still showed excellent improvement over the last year. He excels in reading through option plays and not getting caught up, before exploding onto the ball carrier with decisiveness. He can quickly end a run play if he’s able to burst off the snap before lineman can get a clean handle on him.
Weaknesses
His run defense will need to be worked on at the next level, as Williams struggled to truly set the edge, and was routinely targeted in the run game for his lack of anchor and base strength. There were also issues in his pursuit and willingness to engage in the run game over the past few years, which…