Pro Football Focus Gives New York Jets Quinnen Williams One of the Highest Rookie Grades This Season

Quinnen Williams is the third-highest graded rookie this season according to Pro Football Focus, something that flies in the face of the bashing of the defensive nose tackle. And, he is coming off his best performance of the season according to the analytics site. 

Selected third overall by the Jets in last spring’s NFL Draft, Williams has put together a solid season even if it hasn’t been spectacular. He has 23 tackles and 1.5 sacks, not bad numbers for an interior defensive lineman and a rookie no less. 

But because he was such a high draft pick, the expectation level is for Williams to jump off the stat sheets and make highlights on a weekly basis. That his numbers aren’t explosive has led to concerns that Williams is a bust. 

Pro Football Focus, an analytics site, grades every play beyond just making tackles and getting sacks. As such, they see the impact of Williams far beyond just his numbers. When stacked against the rest of his draft class, he’s doing well and justifying being taken at No. 3 by the Jets.  

His grade from PFF from 69.5 was boosted by a strong personal showing in Week 13 for the Jets, a 22-6 loss at the Cincinnati Bengals. 

“He rushed the passer 26 times in the contest and registered two quarterback hurries and an additional pass-rush win, tying a career-high in pass-rush win rate (11.5%) in the process,” PFF noted in their analysis of Williams against the Bengals.  

“He capped off his day with two additional defensive stops against the run and left the field having earned a career-high 75.5 PFF grade.” 

To read the full article from Pro Football Focus, with grades of the entire first round draft class, click here.