Why Quinnen Williams makes the most sense for 49ers in the 2019 NFL Draft
After the Dee Ford trade, EDGE is no longer the San Francisco 49ers’ top need. They are now poised to take the best player available in the NFL Draft, Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
With the 2019 NFL Draft less than three weeks away, it’s safe to say most San Francisco 49ers fans are experiencing big end/interior defensive lineman fatigue, given the organization’s recent draft history.
After taking Solomon Thomas third overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, DeForest Buckner with the seventh pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and Arik Armstead 17th in the 2015 NFL Draft, both the Nick Bosa/Josh Allen EDGE hype trains are picking steam in the Bay Area.
Despite the hoopla, Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is the perfect fit for the 49ers.
When general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan were paired together in 2017, Bay Area News Group’s Jerry McDonald reported, “The head coach will control the 53-man roster, with Lynch overseeing the 90-man roster, the draft and free agency.“
And given how the previous GM/head coach marriage crashed and burned, 49ers CEO Jed York was adamant about Lynch and Shanahan working together as friends, not foes.
What a better way for the pair to work continue working well together than to unanimously agree on which player to take when the Niners go on the clock on April 25. After the Dee Ford trade, EDGE is no longer a top need for the 49ers.
They are now poised to take the best player available, Williams.
Let’s face it, Williams isn’t the flashy/sexy pick. But he’s the definition of a can’t-miss prospect. He’s exactly what Lynch and Shanahan need, as many pundits have begun speculating the two are on the hot seat going into year three of this rebuild.
After riding the pine as a strong-side defensive end his first two seasons in Tuscaloosa, Williams bulked up by adding nearly 20 pounds and switched over to nose tackle just to be able to compete for playing time. His unmatched work ethic allowed him claim a starting role at the “Football Factory,” where he racked up an impressive eight sacks and 17 tackles for loss as a redshirt sophomore.
Though edge rush is at a premium in today’s NFL, the fastest route to the quarterback still remains straight ahead. Williams does this effortlessly, as seen in this Twitter thread by 49ers Webzone’s Rich Madrid, using his strong hands and leverage on a bull rush against LSU for one of his 2.5 sacks in the game.
One reason Williams has shot up the draft boards in such a short time frame is because he was able to maintain his speed and quickness from his defensive end days despite moving inside. This is on display in Madrid’s thread once again, as Williams pressures the QB. True 49ers fans can appreciate this part of his game, as it is reminiscent of the Justin Smith/Aldon Smith stunt former defensive coordinator and current Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio used to run with San Francisco earlier this decade.
Though the 49ers can’t go wrong by choosing Bosa or Williams in the 2019 NFL Draft, the latter would provide an interior push, which would wreak havoc on quarterbacks for the next decade. If paired with Buckner inside, the two would create a destructive push, which would allow the likes of linebackers Kwon Alexander and Fred Warner to fly into the backfield in the run game and push the pocket, sending quarterbacks into the waiting arms of Ford on passing downs.
Next. 5 bold predictions for John Lynch, 49ers in the NFL Draft. dark
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