Seattle Seahawks' Leonard Williams Ranks Among NFL's Best Defensive Linemen

Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams put together one of his best seasons of his career in 2024, earning the honor of being named a top-100 player in the NFL. The former USC Trojans star finds himself inside the top half of the list.

Dec 8, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) celebrates after defeating the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It's been a season of rejuvenation for Seattle Seahawks defense end Leonard Williams. The former USC Trojans star was named to his second Pro Bowl appearance of his career this season after posting a career-high in solo tackles in his 12th season in the NFL.

For his efforts, Williams was named to Pro Football Focus' top-101 players list for the 2024-25 NFL season after help leading the Seahawks to a 10-7 record. As the No. 44 player on the list, Williams is the second interior defensive lineman listed, only behind Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward, who sits at No. 17.

Other edge rushers like Cleveland's Myles Garrett and Pittsburgh T.J. Watt topped the list as well.

Dec 1, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) intercepts a pass for a touchdown during the first half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

It's a big honor for the former No. 6 overall pick as it was another productive season for Williams, He earned a Pro Bowl nod for the first time since 2016, which was his second year in the league. The California native totaled 64 tackles and 11 sacks across 16 games for Seattle. It's the second-most sacks Williams has put up in his career after totaling 11.5 sacks in 2020.

"Williams makes the PFF101 for the first time in four years, his first instance as a Seahawk. He led all defensive tackles in 2024 with 11 sacks while his 54 pressures were tied for sixth. Williams also had 26 run-defense stops, which ranked eighth at his position as well. His 87.1 PFF grade on the season was fourth among all interior defenders," wrote PFF.

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Dec 15, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

In his second season with the Seahawks, Williams had four games of at least two sacks or more. He had a monstrous performance in Seattle's Week 13 win over the Jets, coming away with two sacks and an interception that he returned for a touchdown. It was arguably one of the top performances of the season from any defensive lineman.

Seattle coach Mike Macdonald was extremely complementary of his star defensive lineman after the stellar performance in the win.

"I don't know how this works, but if we can nominate Leonard Williams for Player of the Week, he's just playing at an all-time elite level," Macdonald said. "You know, to have a pick-six, I think they told me he was going about 17-and-a-half miles an hour, which was pretty fast for a man that size, so he's playing out of his mind right now."

It's important that Williams builds on this season as next year he will be 31 by the time the season rolls around and is entering the final season of his three-year, $64.5 million dollar deal with the Seahawks. A positive sign for Williams is that he played in at least 16 games for the first time since 2021. If his health allows, the former Trojan could still have enough juice left in the tank for one final payday if he performs similarly to this season.