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Arizona Cardinals: 5 NFL Draft prospects to watch from the SEC

By Cody Potanko

LEXINGTON, KY - NOVEMBER 04: A.J. Brown #1 of the Mississippi Rebels runs for a touchdown against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY - NOVEMBER 04: A.J. Brown #1 of the Mississippi Rebels runs for a touchdown against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – JANUARY 07: Quinnen Williams #92 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts against the Clemson Tigers in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi’s Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – JANUARY 07: Quinnen Williams #92 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts against the Clemson Tigers in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi’s Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Quinnen Williams – DL, Alabama

Quinnen Williams has the potential to be the No. 1 overall pick, as an interior defensive lineman, he has it all. Pass rushing ability, run stuffing, and sure-tackling, you name it, Williams has it, and in his stat-line shows it. In just one season as a starter at ‘Bama, the 6-foot-3, 303-pound lineman tallied 10.0 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, 30 hurries, and 52 run-stuffs, per Pro Football Focus.

PFF graded Williams highly as well. His 95.0 grade means that he was the highest graded FBS player in the class. He leads the class in pass-rush productivity grade at 10.0 and run-stop rate at 14.2%.

His tape shows why he was graded so highly. Williams is extremely violent with his swim moves, and hand swatting rarely loses 1v1 battles. He’s also nimble and has the flexible hips to get himself out of any situation. If he gets the first contact, it’s most likely over for the interior lineman as he has the strength to dump blockers with ease.

To compliment his pass rushing skills, Williams offers a lot in the run-stopping department. He uses that same blend gap control, and penetration skills are exceptional as he often lives in the backfield. His closing skills and pursuit of the ball carrier are also out of this world as he offers a blend of explosiveness and power.

Final verdict: Williams is nearly a lock to be a top-three pick, and has the game to thrive with the revamped Arizona Cardinals defense. He projects as a perfect fit in Vance Joseph’s defense and could bring pass-rushing from any part of the field. If the Cardinals pull the trigger on Williams with the No.1 overall pick, they would be making a franchise-altering decision.

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