Big-bodied run-stuffers along the defensive line have defined the Baltimore Ravens for years, and the team is sticking to one of its familiar building blocks by hosting a top prospect from the 2025 NFL draft, a player who could replace retired nose tackle Michael Pierce.
The latter decided to hang up the cleats after the 2024 season, leaving a void at the heart of the defensive front. That void adds another layer of interest to Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams including the Ravens among his pre-draft visits, according to Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports.
The note about Williams potentially being a late first-round pick is significant. It would put him within range of the Ravens, owners of the 27th-overall selection.
Williams would offer an obvious successor to Pierce, but he’d also put pressure on another massive defensive tackle to finally play up to his full potential.
Tyleik Williams Fits Role Played by Michael Pierce
At 6-foot-3 and 334 pounds, Williams is a mass of destructive humanity at the heart of the trenches. He’s somebody who fits the blueprint the Ravens still cling to on defense, an approach based on overwhelming size and physicality.
Pierce, all 6-foot and 355 pounds of him, suited this brand of football. He was a throwback to the traditional space-eater who played over centers, pushed the pile and occupied double teams, a role Williams kept alive for the Buckeyes.
He offered a “textbook” example of beating multiple blockers to stuff the run on this play against Notre Dame, highlighted by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Devin Jackson.
This is the kind of play the Ravens haven’t seen enough from another potentially dominant member of their D-line.
Ravens Need More Up Front
The Ravens are still waiting for 2022 third-round pick Travis Jones to put it all together. When he’s been on his game, big No. 98 has been a force capable of wrecking both phases of offenses.
Unfortunately, Jones is still beset by inconsistency. The 6-foot-4, 338-pounder hasn’t delivered in the stats column often enough, posting only 56 solo tackles and 3.5 sacks across 49 games.
Numbers as modest as these are why taking a beefy, interior game-wrecker off the draft board early should appeal to the Ravens. Especially when Williams isn’t the only viable option in the opening round.
This is a class rich in defensive line talent, but few of its members fit what the Ravens do as well as Williams. He’s a natural anchor for a front seven and would offer a rugged and functional counterpoint to Nnamdi Madubuike, the best inside pass-rusher on the Ravens roster.
Landing the right partner for Madubuike, while also adding extra and genuine competition for Jones, would be a draft win for the Ravens. Yet drafting to what’s already a team strength is a possible tough sell for general manager Eric DeCosta.
He’d do the same if he added a popular prospect at inside linebacker, but DeCosta may not be able to resist putting a dynamic rookie in the mix at problem spots along the offensive line or edge-rusher.
