An Interesting Comp

Posted: May 7th, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 4 Comments »

DeVonta Smith and Landon Dickerson were the headline picks last weekend. They were big time players from the biggest program in college football. The most fascinating pick to me was third rounder Milton Williams.

Matt Alkire put Williams in a mock draft at some point and I told Matt I didn’t think that made any sense. The Vikings preferred bigger DTs. The Colts had bigger or taller DTs. Williams at 6-3, 284 didn’t fit the mold of many guys that new DC Jonathan Gannon had worked with.

Oops.

This is the downside of dealing with new coaching staffs. You can guess what they might want, but you sure as heck don’t know for a fact. When the Eagles made the Williams selection you can see that Gannon is really fired up. This is a player he definitely wanted.

As QBs get faster at throwing the ball, pressure off the edge becomes more challenging. The way to really affect QBs on a regular basis is with pressure up the middle. We see the impact of Aaron Donald, Grady Jarrett, Geno Atkins, DeForest Buckner and of course, Fletcher Cox. Williams has a chance to be a very disruptive interior player.

A few people compared Williams to Malik Jackson.

Jackson
6-5, 284
34-inch arms
4.91 in the 40
28 inch vertical
25 reps
4.41 SS
7.38 3-cone

Williams
6-3, 284
31.5-inch arms
4.67 in the 40
38.5 inch vertical
34 reps
4.33 SS
6.96 3-cone

Jackson was taller and had longer arms, but you can see that Williams is clearly more explosive and more athletic. Those numbers are very similar to Aaron Donald, who was 6-1, 285 at his Pro Day.

Clearly Donald is in a class of his own, but it is important to understand just how atheltic Williams is. Those are special numbers.

Malik Jackson was a disappointment in Philly, but he also signed here at age 29. Williams will be in his prime. Let’s watch some of Williams and then look at Jackson from his early NFL days.

https://twitter.com/Philly__Nation/status/1388312510026104837

And now for Jackson.

The link is giving me problems, but you can watch his Denver days here.

You can see similarities in their games. Both guys move incredibly well. Both have very good motors. Both are strong for their size and know how to use that strength.

Jackson was a key part of great defenses in Denver and Jacksonville. His ability to pressure up the middle and be disruptive was hugely valuable. The Eagles will be very happy if Williams can be a similar type of NFL player.

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4 Comments on “An Interesting Comp”

  1. 1 An Interesting Comp | SportSpyder said at 8:57 AM on May 7th, 2021:

    […] An Interesting Comp […]

  2. 2 The Linc - NFL exec believes DeVonta Smith “was the best player in the draft next to Trevor Lawrence” said at 6:12 AM on May 8th, 2021:

    […] An Interesting Comp – Iggles BlitzYou can see similarities in their games. Both guys move incredibly well. Both have very good motors. Both are strong for their size and know how to use that strength. Malik Jackson was a key part of great defenses in Denver and Jacksonville. His ability to pressure up the middle and be disruptive was hugely valuable. The Eagles will be very happy if Milton Williams can be a similar type of NFL player. […]

  3. 3 The Linc – NFL exec believes DeVonta Smith “was the best player in the draft next to Trevor Lawrence” – Therapy Box said at 6:18 AM on May 8th, 2021:

    […] An Interesting Comp – Iggles BlitzYou can see similarities in their games. Both guys move incredibly well. Both have very good motors. Both are strong for their size and know how to use that strength. Malik Jackson was a key part of great defenses in Denver and Jacksonville. His ability to pressure up the middle and be disruptive was hugely valuable. The Eagles will be very happy if Milton Williams can be a similar type of NFL player. […]

  4. 4 Eagles News: NFL executive believes DeVonta Smith “was the best player in the 2021 NFL Draft next to Trevor L… - Bleeding Green Nation - WELCOME TO HOME OF LATEST said at 6:18 PM on May 8th, 2021:

    […] An Interesting Comp – Iggles BlitzYou can see similarities in their games. Both guys move incredibly well. Both have very good motors. Both are strong for their size and know how to use that strength. Malik Jackson was a key part of great defenses in Denver and Jacksonville. His ability to pressure up the middle and be disruptive was hugely valuable. The Eagles will be very happy if Milton Williams can be a similar type of NFL player. […]