Leonard Williams of the Seattle Seahawks has earned the No. 1 spot in the NFL’s top 10 defensive tackle rankings, and while the selection might surprise casual fans, it makes perfect sense when you look at the body of work. Williams, now in his 30s, has consistently ranked between fifth and eighth in these polls over the years, but his 2025 season pushed him over the top into the spot he probably should have occupied sooner.

The truth is, Williams has been one of the most dominant interior defenders in the league for a while. It just took the rest of the football world some time to catch up. As one NFL evaluator noted to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Williams “was the best player on that team” whenever his team played the Seahawks. That kind of praise from opposing coaches and evaluators speaks volumes about the respect Williams commands at the line of scrimmage.

Versatility is what separates Williams

What makes Williams such a force is his ability to line up anywhere along the defensive front. He be in front of the Left tackle, left guard, center, right guard, right tackle. Any shade, any technique. Williams wins from all of them. That kind of positional flexibility is rare among interior defensive linemen, and it’s what elevates him above the rest of the pack.

He’s not a one-trick pass rusher who disappears on early downs, either. Williams dominates in the run game with the same intensity he brings as an interior pass-rushing threat. The combination of those two skill sets, paired with the ability to move across the entire front, makes him a nightmare for opposing offensive lines to game-plan against.

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A late bloomer finally getting his due

Williams has been a tremendous force along the interior of a defensive line for years, whether that was in New York or Seattle. The recognition just didn’t follow at the same pace. For a player who has been this consistent for this long, the No. 1 ranking feels less like a coronation and more like an overdue correction.

In my opinion, this is the kind of player who makes everyone around him better. When you can command double teams from multiple alignment spots and still win, you’re creating opportunities for edge rushers and linebackers to make plays. That ripple effect doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet, but evaluators around the league clearly see it.

So is the No. 1 ranking deserved? It is. Williams earned this with years of dominant play that finally reached a tipping point after 2025. The only real question is why it took this long.