New York Jets linebacker Quincy Williams was snubbed from multiple top-10 lists
According to Pro Football Focus, the New York Jets have the top linebacker corps in the NFL. C.J. Mosley slotted in at No. 5 in their linebacker rankings. Mosley was a second-team All-Pro in 2022 but did not earn any accolades in 2023. Quincy Williams, a first-team All-Pro in 2023 and perhaps the best linebacker in the NFL last season, ranked 12th.
Meanwhile, when ESPN polled executives, coaches, and scouts about the 10 best linebackers in the NFL, Williams and Mosley were honorable mentions. Although that might overrate Mosley somewhat, Williams’ placement outside the top 10 is a mystery.
Why do NFL personnel and analytics sites disrespect Williams so much?
The easy answer is that Williams had one year of brilliance after multiple seasons of below-average play. However, that doesn’t pass the smell test.
Ex-Ravens and current Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen slotted in at No. 4 on ESPN’s ranking and No. 7 on PFF’s. Queen went from the Ravens declining his fifth-year option after the 2022 season to becoming a second-team All-Pro in 2023.
True, Queen ranked third in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2020 – despite a 29.7 PFF grade. Still, he never really put it together until 2023. PFF’s own grading system didn’t grade him all that highly in 2023, either. Queen ranked 24th out of 75 linebackers with a 73.1 overall grade compared to Williams’ ninth-ranked 81.1.
It’s difficult to understand where the disrespect is coming from when it comes to counting statistics, too. Perhaps these executives and scouts rely purely on tackles when measuring linebacker performance, the worst possible metric, but Williams had more tackles (139) than Queen (133). Per PFF’s metrics, Williams led all linebackers in defensive stops* (80) and pass breakups (8). True, he allowed four touchdowns and missed 13.2% of his tackles, but his down-by-down impact was unrivaled. He fully deserved his first-team All-Pro selection.
* A defensive stop is defined as a tackle constituting a failure by the offense. It is defined as gaining 40% of the required yards on a first-down run play, 50% on a second-down run, and 100% on third or fourth down, or gaining 50% of the required yards on a first-down pass play, 70% on a second-down pass, and 100% on third or fourth down.
Perhaps Williams’ reputation around the NFL is that of an undisciplined player flying around the field with abandon and little intentionality. That’s certainly how he seemed earlier in his Jets career. However, in 2023, Williams coupled his elite speed and athleticism with superior awareness and instincts in both phases of the game. Jet X’s Andrew Fialkow broke down what was so special about Williams’ 2023 season and opined that he will be able to replicate his performance in 2024.
Maybe it’s just that assessing linebacker play is exceedingly difficult. Players like Fred Warner and Matt Milano have top reputations, but no one can impartially demonstrate how well or poorly a linebacker performs. Essentially, they’re going by the eye test or just the player’s reputation around the league. That’s why Mosley is on NFL Top 100 lists and top-10 rankings even though every Jets fan knows he lost a step or two in coverage (see: David Njoku burning Mosley repeatedly). Nevertheless, PFF gave him the highest linebacker coverage grade in the NFL (90.6).
Honestly, most of these lists have little validity. As demonstrated each year in the NFL Top 100 rankings and the Players’ All-Pro voting, the NFL is concerned more with reputation than performance. That’s why declining 34-year-old Lavonte David ranked in PFF’s top 10 linebackers and was an honorable mention on ESPN’s list.
On another level, maybe this indicates why the Jets gave Dalvin Cook a $7 million contract in 2023 and signed Javon Kinlaw to a $7.25 million deal in 2024. They simply go by reputation, nepotism, and flashy highlights rather than film study accompanied by analytics. Maybe the disrespect towards Williams is just a taste of their own medicine when it comes to evaluating talent around the NFL.
Then again, Joe Douglas found a diamond in the rough when he claimed Williams off waivers from the Jaguars. Perhaps that is a nod to better talent evaluation, although I would argue more credit goes to Robert Saleh, Jeff Ulbrich, linebackers coach Mike Rutenberg, and Williams himself for outstanding player development.
Either way, Ulbrich called Williams the best linebacker in the NFL early in the 2023 season. He’s watching his player day in and day out and knows what kind of impact Williams has. It’s just a shame the rest of the NFL doesn’t recognize it.
And Williams is taking receipts.
— Quincy Williams (@quincywilliams_) May 31, 2024
