Great players make great plays to win games. The New England Patriots boast two of the NFL's very best players: quarterback Drake Maye and cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Both are ranked among the very best at their positions in the league.
Yet, maybe the team's third-best player didn't even make a list of the top 100 in the NFL. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler cites the Patriots' defensive tackle Milton Williams as being snubbed by ESPN for not being listed as one of the league's 100 best.
Difference-makers in the NFL are players who make big plays. The Patriots' Williams is certainly one of them. He also makes the biggest plays in the biggest games, as his 2025 Super Bowl performance demonstrated in the Eagles' win.
That game clearly helped Mike Vrabel decide to splash the cash to get Williams to anchor his defensive line in 2025 and beyond.
New England Patriots' Milton Williams is a bona fide NFL star
No matter how high he ranks on anyone's list, Williams is a top NFL player who makes things happen when he's on the field. In 2025, on the way to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row, Williams was a force in all 12 of the games in which he played.
He was sorely missed in those he didn't play in. Fowler makes that point succinctly.
"The game is loaded with star defensive tackles -- many of whom make more than $30 million per year. Williams makes $26 million a year, which is a relative bargain for his ability to change games. Nine defensive tackles made the top 100 here, and Williams should have been in that group. New England's run defense was drastically improved with Williams in the lineup.
And he had 3.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss over 12 games in 2025. 'He's a player that's gotten better every year, and he was clearly comfortable being a focal point for the defense,' an NFC scout said."
The depth on the 2026 Patriots' defensive line is now thin, after they ill-advisedly let 2025's surprise top free-agent signing, Khyiris Tonga, leave after the 2025 season. Tonga was a big body inside, a solid run-stopper, and a major adjunct to the top two interior D-linemen, Williams and Christian Barmore. Now, with that depth gone, both Williams and Barmore must stay on the field.
Yet, there's little doubt that Milton Williams is the top man on the depth chart at defensive tackle for the Patriots. His all-around ability to disrupt the opposing team's offense is indisputable and indispensable.
If he is out for any extended period in 2026, as he was in 2025, it could be catastrophic given the team's much tougher 2026 schedule.
Head Coach Mike Vrabel, in a candid comment, said that his team was not deep. He knows that better than anyone else. One position where that's exceedingly true is the D-line. Whether Williams is categorized as a Top 100 player by ESPN or anyone else is irrelevant.
He's the Patriots' best D-lineman. If he stays healthy in 2026, he'll show ESPN and everyone else why he's one of the NFL's best players.
Add us as a preferred source on Google