Seahawks 90-Man Roster Rundown: Lakiem Williams
With the calendar flipping to June and offseason programs in full swing across the country, NFL training camps will begin around the league in less than two months. To celebrate the new incoming season, we will be breaking down the Seahawks' 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2022 campaign.
Lakiem Williams, Linebacker
Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 220 pounds
2021 Stats: N/A
Formerly starring at Spanaway Lake High School in the Tacoma region, Williams began his college career in the JUCO ranks at Butte College before committing to play at Syracuse. After barely playing in his first season with the Orange, the athletic linebacker broke out as a senior with 110 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and a forced fumble, earning himself Third-Team All-ACC honors. Despite the production in one of college football's best conferences, however, he didn't hear his name called in the 2020 NFL Draft and one year later, the Seahawks signed him early in training camp to compete for his hometown team. He spent a portion of the 2021 season on their practice squad and returned on a future/reserve deal in January, giving him another chance to battle for a reserve spot in August.
Best Case Scenario: Showcasing his speed and underrated power - Williams repped 500 pounds on parallel squat five times during the spring - the Tacoma native makes several big plays during preseason games on defense and special teams to bolster his stock. With Ben Burr-Kirven and Jon Rhattigan still recovering from ACL tears, he wins a spot on the Week 1 roster.
Worst Case Scenario: Lacking the size to play linebacker in the NFL, Williams gets devoured by blocks in practice and receives walking papers after the first preseason game, potentially dashing his NFL dreams.
What to Expect in 2022: Under 230 pounds, Williams doesn't fit the size prototype Seattle typically looks for at the middle and weakside linebacker positions. With that said, he's a fluid athlete who plays bigger than his frame suggests and he has a nose for the football, so if he's able to perform well on kick and punt coverage during the preseason and take advantage of potential absences for Burr-Kirven and Rhattigan, the opportunity to steal a roster spot may be there for him at a position with depth question marks behind Jordyn Brooks and Cody Barton. He belongs on a short list of sleepers worth watching on the defensive side of the football battling for a handful of reserve roles.
Previous Seahawks 90-Man Roster Profiles
Kevin Kassis | Cade Brewer | Liam Ryan | Deontez Alexander | Elijah Jones | Josh Turner | Scott Nelson | Joshua Onujiogu | Jarrod Hewitt | Darwin Thompson | Matt Gotel | Pier-Olivier Lestage
