New England Patriots: 5 First Round Targets in 2017 NFL Draft
By Hunter Davis
2. Tim Williams: Alabama
With Dont’a Hightower potentially leaving, the Patriots can fill in another Alabama man to take his spot. Whether he leaves or not, I believe Tim Williams needs to be a focus of the Patriots.
He could either provide the Patriots a replacement, or an addition.
Whether Hightower leaves or not remains to be seen, but if he doesn’t Tim Williams can provide a pass rush talent opposite of the fellow former Alabama star. It could produce a pass rush defense Bill Belichick hasn’t seen with the Patriots.
Having a young OLB in Williams opposite of Hightower could also speed along his growth.
Williams posted an absurd 20 sacks, 30 tackles for a loss, and 2 forced fumbles in his collegiate career, according to Sports-Reference.com. He is easily one of the drafts best pass rushers, and can create pressure that the Patriots lacked last season.
Watching film on Williams I saw a great ability to get into the backfield during plays, and an innate ability to sack the quarterback. He can also get his hands up and defend passes at the line very well, making for great coverage skills.
Even if Hightower leaves that won’t stop Tim Williams from being a star in Bill Belichick’s defense.