The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t make one of the splashier moves of the 2019 NFL draft with Jonah Williams.
But they did make one of the best possible given their needs.
On the field, Williams is an incredible, versatile player. Off the field, his character is what attracted the Bengals and helped make him their top player on the board at No. 11.
Here are five things — on and off the field — Bengals fans should know about Williams.
Zero Sacks
It is easy to say Willaims excelled in the SEC at Alabama and that is why he was a borderline top-10 pick.
But putting the numbers behind it really illustrates the point:
That’s an incredible number for Williams, who overall was a three-year player. The Bengals have already said they won’t assign him a position and call it day — he’s flexible and could play anywhere.
7th-grade weightlifting
Character was a common part of the conversation when Zac Taylor and the Bengals sat down with the media to talk about the Williams pick.
And Williams has plenty of it:
These are the type of personalities franchises want to build around for a long time. Maybe Williams only turns out to be a guard — he’ll still be a tone-setter and leader in the locker room.
Working with Joe Staley, Paul Alexander and More
Williams wants to be great.
Don’t simply take anyone’s word for it — take his:
Again, Williams is a player every team wants from a personality standpoint. And his cerebral play has always come up as a positive in the scouting department.
Idolizes Joe Thomas
Besides working with some incredible names during his predraft process, Williams idolizes one of the best modern left tackles — Joe Thomas.
Williams spoke with Justin Melo of The Draft Wire and detailed this part of the process:
“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 Bengals wouldn’t complain if Williams turned out comparable to Thomas — and he’s working on it regularly.
The Whitworth comparison
The Bengals have been hurting since Andrew Whitworth got away.
And while Paul Alexander isn’t with the team anymore, he’s taken up notable predraft work with prospects and had an interesting note about Williams:
Williams probably won’t be able to escape these comparisons for a long time.
Knowing what Bengals fans know about him now though, they can expect him to keep rising to the challenge.
