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Leonard Williams (American football)

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Leonard Williams
refer to caption
Williams with the New York Giants in 2022
No. 99 – Seattle Seahawks
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1994-06-20) June 20, 1994 (age 30)
Bakersfield, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:302 lb (137 kg)
Career information
High school:Mainland
(Daytona Beach, Florida)
College:USC (2012–2014)
NFL draft:2015 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Tackles:511
Sacks:43.5
Forced fumbles:6
Fumble recoveries:4
Pass deflections:11
Interceptions:1
Player stats at PFR

Leonard Austin Williams (born June 20, 1994) is an American football defensive end for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the New York Jets with the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft. He played college football at USC.

Early life

[edit]

Leonard Austin Williams[1] attended Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he was a two-sport athlete in football and track. As a senior, he had 103 tackles and 10.5 sacks, helping Mainland to reach the FHSAA 6A state semi-finals, where they lost to Miami Central 7–17. However, the loss was overturned in August 2012 as Miami Central forfeited its entire season due to a transfer infraction.[2]

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Williams was ranked as the fifth best strongside defensive end recruit in his class.[3]

College career

[edit]
Williams playing for USC in 2012

As a true freshman in 2012, Williams started nine of 13 games at defensive tackle, recording 64 tackles, eight sacks and an interception. He was named the Pac-12 Conference Defensive Freshman of the Year.[4][5] As a sophomore in 2013, Williams was moved from tackle to defensive end.[6] After recording 74 tackles and six sacks, Williams was a named a first-team All-Pac-12 Conference selection and was an All-American by ESPN.[7][8] As a junior in 2014, he recorded 80 tackles and seven sacks. He was named Team MVP, first-team All-Pac-12 and was an All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and ESPN.[9][10]

After his junior season, Williams announced that he would forgo his senior year and enter the 2015 NFL draft.[11][12]

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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In May 2014, Williams was projected a top-4 selection in the 2015 NFL Draft by various mock drafts.[13][14][15] By October 2014, Williams was projected as a top-3 selection.[16] In the months leading up to the draft Williams was regularly the 2nd pick in mock drafts,[17][18] but in the final weeks most experts predicted that Marcus Mariota would instead be the 2nd pick, with Williams subsequently falling to 3–5th place.[19]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 4+5⁄8 in
(1.95 m) 		302 lb
(137 kg) 		34+5⁄8 in
(0.88 m) 		10+5⁄8 in
(0.27 m)		 4.97 s 1.73 s 2.88 s 4.53 s 7.59 s 29.5 in
(0.75 m)		 8 ft 10 in
(2.69 m)
All values from NFL Combine[20][21]

New York Jets

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Williams was selected by the New York Jets sixth overall in the first round of the 2015 draft.[22] He was the highest selected USC defensive lineman since Darrell Russell in 1997.[23] Williams signed a four-year, $18.6 million contract on May 8, 2015.[24] During his third preseason game against the interleague-rival New York Giants on August 29, 2015, Williams left the game with an apparent knee injury. X-Rays and MRIs were both negative, revealing no ligament damage.[25] On September 7, 2015, he had his jersey number switched to #92 from #62.[26] On his regular season debut against the Cleveland Browns on September 13, 2015, Williams made a total of five tackles.[27] On the December 6, 2015, Williams recorded his first sack in a Giants-Jets rivalry game.[28] In 16 games of his rookie year in 2015, Williams made 63 tackles with three sacks.[29] He was named to the PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team for the 2015 season.[30]

Williams playing for the Jets in 2017.

Opening the season against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 11, 2016, Williams had 2.5 sacks for his first career multi-sack game. The Jets combined for 6 sacks, but still lost 23–22.[31] He had a total of 7 sacks on the season, and as recognition for his great play, he was selected as a first-team alternate for the 2017 Pro Bowl.[32][33]

In 2017, Williams started all 16 games, recording a career-low 47 tackles and two sacks.[34]

On April 11, 2018, the Jets picked up the fifth-year option on Williams' contract.[35] During Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers, he was disqualified for the first time in his NFL career after throwing a punch on Bryan Bulaga. This was one of 16 penalties as the Jets lost the game 44–38 in overtime.[36] On December 29, Williams was fined $43,449, which also included a hit on Aaron Rodgers.[37] In the 2018 season, he started in all 16 games. He finished with five sacks, 42 total tackles (27 solo), and two passes defended as the Jets went 4–12.[38][39]

New York Giants

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Williams (#99) in a game against the Washington Redskins in 2019

On October 28, 2019, Williams was traded to the New York Giants for a 2020 third round pick and a 2021 fifth round pick.[40] In week 15 against the Miami Dolphins, Williams forced a fumble on former teammate Ryan Fitzpatrick which was recovered by teammate Sean Chandler during the 36–20 win.[41] He finished the 2019 season with a half-sack, 46 total tackles (21 solo), three passes defended, and one forced fumble in 15 games and 12 starts.[42]

On March 16, 2020, the Giants placed the franchise tag on Williams.[43] He signed the one-year tender on April 22, 2020.[44] He was placed on the active/non-football injury list at the start of training camp on August 2, 2020.[45] He was activated on August 14, 2020.[46] In Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football, Williams recorded his first sack of the season on Ben Roethlisberger during the 26–16 loss. Williams' sack was his first full sack as a member of the Giants and surpassed his 2019 total of 0.5 sacks.[47] In Week 13 against the Seattle Seahawks, Williams recorded 2.5 sacks on Russell Wilson during the 17–12 win.[48] Williams was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 13.[49] In Week 17 against the Dallas Cowboys, Williams recorded three sacks on Andy Dalton during the 23–19 win.[50] Williams won the NFC Defensive Player Of The Week Award again for his performance. This brought Williams' total to 11.5 sacks on the season.[51] In the 2020 season, he finished with 11.5 sacks, 57 total tackles (29 solo), one pass defended, and one forced fumble.[52] He was ranked 84th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.[53]

The Giants placed the franchise tag on Williams for the second consecutive season on March 9, 2021.[54] On March 18, 2021, the Giants signed him to a three-year, $63 million contract that includes $45 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $22.50 million.[55][56][57] He started in all 17 games in the 2021 season. He finished with 6.5 sacks, 81 total tackles (34 solo), two passes defended, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.[58] He was ranked 97th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.[59]

On September 6, 2022, the Giants restructured Williams' contract to create more cap space.[60] He sprained his MCL in Week 2 against the Carolina Panthers.[61] He returned in Week 6 against the Ravens.[62] He finished with 2.5 sacks, 45 total tackles (26 solo), one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries in 12 games and starts.[63]

Seattle Seahawks

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On October 30, 2023, Williams was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft (No. 47; later used on Tyler Nubin) and a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft.[64][65] Due to the mid-season trade he would miss out on having a bye week during the season and he played in 18 regular season games during the 2023 season which was the first time a player would play 18 games in a season since the 1930 NFL season.[66] In the 2023 season, Williams finished with 5.5 sacks, 62 total tackles (37 solo), and two passes defended.[67]

On March 12, 2024, Williams signed a three-year, $64.5 million contract extension with the Seahawks.[68]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career High

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck Int Yds TD PD FF FR Yds TD
2015 NYJ 16 15 63 29 34 3.0 – – – – – – – –
2016 NYJ 16 16 68 36 32 7.0 – – – – 2 0 0 0
2017 NYJ 16 16 47 22 25 2.0 1 6 0 1 – – – –
2018 NYJ 16 16 42 27 15 5.0 0 0 0 2 – – – –
2019 NYJ 7 7 20 8 12 0.0 0 0 0 1 – – – –
NYG 8 5 26 13 13 0.5 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0
2020 NYG 16 12 57 29 28 11.5 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
2021 NYG 17 17 81 34 47 6.5 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 0
2022 NYG 12 12 45 26 19 2.5 – – – – 1 2 0 0
2023 NYG 8 7 21 13 8 1.5 0 0 0 1 – – – –
SEA 10 10 41 24 17 4.0 0 0 0 1 – – – –
Career 142 133 511 261 250 43.5 1 6 0 11 6 4 0 0

Postseason

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck Int Yds TD PD FF FR Yds TD
2022 NYG 2 2 6 2 4 0.0 0 0 0 1 – – – –
Career 2 2 6 2 4 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

References

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  1. ^ "Profile". rostermon.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  2. ^ Kurtenbach, Dieter (August 15, 2012). "State finds Miami Central used ineligible Broward County quarterback in 2011". Florida Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  3. ^ "Leonard Williams, 2012 Strongside Defensive End, USC". Rivals.com. February 2, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  4. ^ Sonnone, Brendan (November 27, 2012). "Ex-Mainland DL Leonard Williams named Pac-12 freshman defensive player of the year" Archived January 1, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Pac-12 football awards and all-conference team announced". Pac-12. November 26, 2012. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  6. ^ Klein, Gary (September 1, 2013). "USC football: Leonard Williams picked up where he left off". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  7. ^ "Pac-12 football awards and all-conference teams announced". Pac-12. December 2, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  8. ^ "2013 AT&T ESPN All-America Team". ESPN.com. December 14, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  9. ^ Klein, Gary (December 17, 2014). "USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams chosen most valuable player". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  10. ^ Klein, Gary (December 17, 2014). "USC's Leonard Williams named to coaches All-America team". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  11. ^ Markazi, Arash (December 29, 2014). "USC DE Williams says he's entering NFL draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  12. ^ Klein, Gary; Thiry, Lindsey (December 29, 2014). "Leonard Williams leaving USC for 2015 NFL draft". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
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  14. ^ Sobleski, Brent (May 11, 2014). "2015 mock draft: Jameis Winston slips out of Top 5". USA Today.
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  45. ^ Eisen, Michael (August 2, 2020). "Giants reach NFL's new 80-man roster limit". Giants.com. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  46. ^ Fennelly, John (August 14, 2020). "Giants remove Leonard Williams from NFI list". USAToday.com. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
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  51. ^ Gordon, Grant (January 6, 2021). "Titans RB Derrick Henry, Vikings QB Kirk Cousins among Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
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  53. ^ "2021 NFL Top 100". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  54. ^ Eisen, Michael (March 9, 2021). "Giants place franchise tag on Leonard Williams". Giants.com. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  55. ^ Patra, Kevin (March 16, 2021). "Giants DL Leonard Williams agrees to three-year, $63M deal". NFL.com.
  56. ^ Eisen, Michael (March 18, 2021). "Leonard Williams, 26, still 'has a lot of game left'". Giants.com. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  57. ^ "Spotrac.com: Leonard Williams". spotrac.com. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
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  59. ^ "2022 NFL Top 100". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  60. ^ Alper, Josh (September 6, 2022). "Giants restructure Leonard Williams' contract". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  61. ^ Dunleavy, Ryan (September 19, 2022). "Giants' Leonard Williams has sprained MCL but hopeful for quick return". New York Post. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  62. ^ Traina, Patricia (October 16, 2022). "Giants Week 6 Inactive Report: Leonard Williams, Wan'Dale Robinson Active". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  63. ^ "Leonard Williams 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  64. ^ Boyle, John (October 30, 2023). "Seahawks Agree To Terms With Giants On Trade For Pro-Bowl DE Leonard Williams". seahawks.com. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  65. ^ Eisen, Michael (October 30, 2023). "Giants trade Leonard Williams to Seahawks for draft picks". Giants.com. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  66. ^ Podell, Garrett (January 6, 2024). "Seahawks defensive lineman set to become first to play 18 games in a season since 1930". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  67. ^ "Leonard Williams 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  68. ^ Boyle, John (March 12, 2024). "Seahawks Sign DE Leonard Williams To Multiyear Deal". Seahawks.com. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
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