New York Giants defensive tackle Leonard Williams has been heavily criticized since the moment general manager Dave Gettleman acquired him in a trade from the New York Jets mid-way through the 2019 season.
The common complaint is that Williams does not generate enough pressure or secure enough sacks, having finished the year with 0.5, which represented a career low.
However, as Giants Wire has previously detailed, Williams’ valuation as a pass rusher should not begin and end with the sack numbers.
Williams had a pressure rate of 11.3% in 2019, which was 13th among interior defensive lineman. And if that weren’t enough, he also led all interior linemen with 19 pressures — five more than the next closest player.
Ironically, the same people who criticize Gettleman for being “out of touch” with analytics also criticize Williams for securing just a half a sack while ignoring the analytical data that suggests he’s one of the league’s best interior pass rushers.
Sacks sell, though. Just like the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, sack numbers are overvalued and used as a baseline for production when there’s much more to it.
Did Gettleman overpay for Williams? That’s a fair debate. Is Williams an absent pass rusher because of his sack numbers? That’s not a fair debate.
