!!! Bengals 2019 First Round pick Jonah Williams !!!

[oldschooler]

 

 

 

It’s rare for a freshman to show up and earning a starting spot for a national championship team, but that’s exactly what Jonah Williams did at Alabama.

He quickly established himself as one of the best blockers in all of college football, shutting down some of the nation’s top pass rushers and helping lead the Crimson Tide to yet another national title in 2017.

One of the best overall prospects in the entire 2019 NFL draft class, Williams recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his in-depth preparation for facing opposing pass rushers, how his time at Alabama helped prepare him for the next level, and why he’s this year’s top offensive tackle.

JM: What was the experience at the combine like for you?

JW: It was great. It’s something I’ve been watching on television my entire life. Growing up, that’s the gateway to the NFL. It’s tough and hectic but it’s a lot of fun. It was the first opportunity I really had to sit in front of all these NFL teams which was obviously a childhood dream of mine. It was pretty surreal.

JM: And what you do feel is the lasting impression you left on those teams?

JW: I think I left the impression that I wanted to leave. I’m a competitor. That’s the main word that describes me. I’m somebody that wants to come in and compete. I’m tough and I wanna do whatever it takes to win. I’m like that in all things that I do. That’s why I don’t have a lot of hobbies. I focus on being the best at a few things. That’s what I do. Sitting across from teams, I think they felt my passion for this game and for the position that I play. I think that really left an impression on them.

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JM: Did you have a lot of formal or informal interviews there?

JW: Yeah, I had about 20 formals and countless informals, as well. I had a pretty packed schedule.

Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

JM: What about private visits and workouts? Have you completed any? Do you have any more on the schedule?

JW: I can’t speak on any specific teams, but I’ve definitely had some meetings. Every single team was at my pro day, as well. Teams don’t have a lot of questions about me. We’ll see how things play out. I’m just taking things as they come. It’s an interesting period of time. Teams like to keep their cards close to their chest.

JM: What was the weirdest question you were asked at the combine?

JW: I had a staring contest with a guy. That was pretty interesting (laughs). I wasn’t expecting that. I didn’t have my eye drops prepared for that. That was probably the most interesting thing that happened to me.

JM: Did you win or lose?

JW: They called it a tie, actually. Neither of us were blinking.

JM: You played left tackle at Alabama, and I believe you’re the best tackle in this draft. But many have you projected as a guard at the next level. Has there been a consensus on that among the teams you’ve spoken with?

JW: There hasn’t really been a consensus. Obviously, I’m pretty biased about this. I agree with you. Not only do I feel like I’m a tackle, but I’m the best tackle in this draft. I believe I’ve proven that. I’m not a guy that wants to talk about this and beat my chest about what I’m capable of. I feel like my tape has proven this over my career here at Alabama. That’s what drives me as a competitor. I wanna be the best. I think I’ve proven that through the work that I’ve put in. It shows up in every facet of my game.

I’ve spoken to plenty of teams that see me as a left tackle. Based on team needs, there aren’t many teams that don’t have a left tackle. It’s a premium position and most teams are in a pretty good position there. Every team in the NFL has “their guy” at that position. Where they’ll play me will depend on how they feel about that guy. There’s a lot that goes into that. I’m always happy to play anywhere. The biggest thing that I wanna prove, and I feel like I have done that, is that I’m the best tackle in this draft. That’s where I land on that.

Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

JM: As a left tackle, how do you handle speed differently from the bull-rush?

JW: I’m a guy that wants to really know the pass rusher I’m going up against. I have this spreadsheet that I work on throughout the year. I go and watch every pass rushing rep that my opponent has had throughout the season. I’ll watch every single rep. I chart his moves. In my experience, most rushers have four or so moves that they use consistently. I’ll chart how many times he uses those moves and what his win rate is with those moves.

I may prepare differently for a move that he uses just 20 percent of the time, but maybe he wins 70 percent of those reps than a guy who uses a move 50 percent of the time but wins just 10 percent of those reps. Now, I’m very prepared when I go into a game against anyone. I’ve charted it all out.

Guys with speed, it depends on the play. You wanna get out and get your hands on them before they hit their second or third step depending on if they’re inside or outside. That’s about setting the tone. That’s something you do on first down or second-and-short.

I’ve taken a lot of my pass sets and things from Joe Thomas. He was a big vertical set guy. I’ve incorporated some vertical sets into my game for the wide speed rushers. It’s about beating them to a good junction point and running them up the horn or around the quarterback’s place in the pocket.

The most important thing with bull rush guys for me is to get my hands inside. I think that’s one of the most important things in general for offensive line play.

One of the obvious critiques about me is that my arms aren’t the ideal length. At the combine, I listed about 10 names of both very good left and right tackles in the NFL that have my arm length or shorter. It comes down to how you use them. They’re levers and it’s about how you use them. It’s about leverage. The shortest distance to reach a person is inside. You can have a straight line right to their chest. That’s where I try to get my hands on a bull rush. I try to get my hands on their chest plate and keep my hips sunken in with good hip and ankle flexibility. That allows me to pop back and really sit on the bull rush. That allows me to hold my own against the bigger, stronger rushers.

JM: Playing at Alabama allowed you to play against the best competition college football has to offer. Who are some of the best defensive linemen you came across?

JW: First off, you make a great point there. Alabama did allow me the opportunity to play against the best of the best. That’s why I came to Alabama in the first place. Say what you want about me, but you can never say that I didn’t embrace the competition. At that time, I came into the defending national champions and I wanted to come in and play as a freshmen. I played against some great teams my freshman year.

I’d have to mention the guys I practiced against, first and foremost. My freshman year, I was practicing against talents like Ryan Anderson, Tim Williams, Dalvin Tomlinson and Jon Allen. I owe a lot to those guys. They all play in the NFL now. They kinda baptized me my first year.

I’ve had the opportunity to play against a bunch of great players in the SEC. LSU always have great defensive linemen. Auburn, Mississippi State, Georgia, Clemson . . . I can go on and on. We play these guys every single year. You become a better player because you’re playing against the best.

I can compare certain players that I’ve played against to others. I can re-use some of the strategies that worked for me. That’s really helped me a lot. Some of the best guys I’ve played against are the top guys in this draft. I’ve had the opportunity to go up against most of the big guys in the SEC.

We’ve obviously played the Clemson guys three years in a row. We almost have a penciled-in game against them every year in the post-season. There’s too many names for me to mention.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

JM: You’ve had a lot of great teammates throughout your time there. If you were going into battle tomorrow and could only bring one with you, who would you bring and why?

JW: Oh, man. We’ve had some real dogs. That’s the thing about this question. I’d have to say Ryan Anderson. He taught me so much during my freshmen year. For lack of a better word, he’s just a dog. He made me so much better. He has this intensity about him that really rubs off on you. His approach to practice and games is special. He has this angry, intense attitude. You notice it right away. You knew you had to bring it in practice. He has this underdog, “I’m gonna make you feel me” attitude. I can probably name another 50 guys that I’d bring with me. That’s a guy from my freshman year that left a huge impression on me, though.

JM: What’s your favorite way to demoralize your opponent?

JW: The biggest thing for me is to be consistent. My mom was a big tennis player. She knew she’d beaten her opponent when they broke their racket in frustration. I’m just gonna keep giving the ball back to you and I’m gonna keep letting you make the mistakes. It’s the same thing for me. You’re gonna lose your cool and my job is easy now. That’s the attitude I have. I want the guy to get frustrated. I want him to start aimlessly trying stuff because he’s lost his head. That’s how you get a pass rusher off his game. You get him off his game plan and now he’s just trying random stuff that he hasn’t even practiced or worked on. That allows me to really take over.

I didn’t give up any sacks this past year. I don’t feel that there’s anyone who can say they dominated me throughout the course of a game. It just didn’t happen. That’s how I go into every game. I know I’m playing against the best players in college. If I can make them feel like they’re not one of the best players around, I’m doing a great job (laughs).

JM: What can you tell me about Tua Tagovailoa, the man and the leader?

JW: Tua was great. He was obviously pretty special this past year. He’s incredibly impressive. We have so many explosive weapons on offense. We have some real talent on the offensive line and at running back. There’s just so much talent at every position. Tua is the glue that makes everyone come together. He makes sure that everyone’s potential shines right through. I think that’s his best asset. I know he’s extremely talented and that he can put the ball where it needs to be. I think he’s the key that allows everyone else to show how good they are. We all make each other look good and score a ton of points. That’s how you win.

JM: When an NFL team uses a very early draft pick on Jonah Williams, what kind of guy are they getting?

JW: That’s a great question. Like I said, the word I would use to describe me is competitor. I wanna come in and do everything the right way. I wanna be the best at what I do. I feel like that’s what good teammates want. They want somebody who’s gonna come in and buy in. I’m gonna buy in right away. I don’t wanna do anything worse than the best of what I’m asked to do. I’m not gonna try to come in and be a rah-rah guy. If you tell me to do something, I’m gonna do it to the very best of my ability. That’s my asset. That’s the biggest thing. I’m gonna come in and be a competitor. I’m gonna excel in whatever the team wants me too.

 

[bigboi]

31 minutes ago, Duluoz said:

Jonah Williams probably makes more of an impact on this team than Bush would have. The world is awash in LBs, but franchise OTs are rare.

there are plenty of linebackers in this draft.but this could be the right tackle, the Bengals have had since willie anderson.

[oldschooler]

 

[oldschooler]

 

[|kennethmw|]

8 minutes ago, Hooky said:

Westerman

I don't think so.  I think they went and got Miller to start.  

[oldschooler]

 

[oldschooler]

Paul Alexander posted this yesterday

 

 

 

[oldschooler]

 

[oldschooler]

 

[T-Dub]

Pretty good chance he's starting at LT before the end of the year

[oldschooler]

 

[oldschooler]

 

[oldschooler]

 

[oldschooler]

 

[oldschooler]

 

[whodey365]

Likely puts Bobby Hart on the bench and that's a good thing. 

[|Bunghole|]

I feel like the Bengals got a great pick situation with the Jonah Williams pick. 

The fact that the Stealers clearly jumped in front of the Bengals at 10 and stole their first choice LB Devin White (and LB is a HUGE position of need for the Bengalis) is lost on nobody. We did it to them with the William Jackson III pick, so c'est la vie on that. 

But what I think I liked the most in this post-Marvin Lewis era is the decisiveness in which the pick came in. It's like, they had an actual plan, man. A Marvin-led regime would have panicked in the war room, used the entire clock, made some elaborate trade offers over the phone that Mike Brown would always politely kibosh and they draft John Ross.

OT is the 2nd largest position of need for my team. We whiffed HARD on the Ogbuehi and Fisher picks in Rounds 1-2 in the '16 draft. After letting their best OL Whitworth leave. That was a massive failure letting that guy go. Arguably the most unsung great LT of this generation. And yes, I am serious.

[Jamie_B]

 

 

 

12 minutes ago, oldschooler said:

 

 

Hopefully Paul didnt screw him up already. 

 

[oldschooler]

Bengals Go Big With Jonah Williams at No. 11

 

Geoff Hobson

SENIOR WRITER

 

 

Butch Dill/Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Alabama offensive lineman Jonah Williams (73) lines up for a play during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Louisiana-Lafayette, Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

With the first pick of the Zac Taylor Era, the Bengals attacked what is perceived as their biggest offensive need when they selected the versatility of Alabama offensive lineman Jonah Williams with the 11th choice in Thursday night’s first round of the NFL Draft.

As the draft went on, the Bengals shifted their focus from linebackers to the offensive line and when the Stealers traded up in front of Cincy at No. 10, they had their pick of the draft’s top tackles.

The 6-4, 302-pound Williams has room to grow, but many view him as a guy that can have a decade-long NFL career as a guard and tackle after playing one season at right tackle and the last two as a first team SEC left tackle. He’s undersized, but he’s a rare three-year starter for Bama head coach Nick Saban as a terrific technician and tenacity and technique counter a size deficit that can be countered in the weight room. NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks calls him a potential Pro Bowler early in his career.

“Week one starter regardless. Mr. Smooth and Consistent,” says Ourlads Scouting Services. “Chases after linebackers like a big bully in the hallway. Only a matter of time until he reaches them, and when he does, it doesn’t end well for them. Finishes blocks with violence and will recover well on the rare occasions he is beat initially.”

But if and where he starts on that day one remains to be seen. The Bengals signed right tackle Bobby Hart to a three-year, $16.5 million deal last month and left tackle Cordy Glenn has two years left on his deal. They also recently signed a starting right guard in John Miller from the Bills to play opposite the dean of the line, nine-year left guard Clint Boling.

 

 

https://www.bengals.com/news/bengals-go-big-with-jonah-williams-at-no-11

 

[Jason]

16 minutes ago, oldschooler said:

 

I WALKED to school too.  So?

[T-Dub]

4 minutes ago, Jason said:

I WALKED to school too.  So?

 

 

Yeh, same. I've noticed that buses stop at every house now instead of having the kids group up at each corner or whatever.

[MichaelWeston]

He was my favorite player in the draft from the beginning. An absolutely perfect pick. 

[oldschooler]

 

[oldschooler]

6 minutes ago, Jason said:

I WALKED to school too.  So?

 

 

 

Up hill both ways in a snow storm!

[Jason]

2 minutes ago, T-Dub said:

 

 

Yeh, same. I've noticed that buses stop at every house now instead of having the kids group up at each corner or whatever.

On Friday mornings I take a slightly different route to work to get a bagel at Dunkin.  There is a bus that I sometimes get stuck behind that makes 5 stops in 1 mile.  3 of them in a quarter mile.