How did Quinnen Williams do at the NFL Combine?

Former Alabama Crimson Tide defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is in the conversation as the best-overall prospect in the 2019 draft, and he only helped his case with a sensational NFL Combine performance.

With 71 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, and eight sacks, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams was an absolute menace last season for an elite Alabama Crimson Tide defense. Williams and Nick Bosa are widely viewed as the top-two prospects in a 2019 draft class that is absolutely loaded on the defensive line, and Williams cemented his status as a top-five pick with an electrifying NFL Combine performance.

At 6 foot 3, 303 pounds, Williams clocked a 4.83 forty-yard dash, which, as noted by the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, is the fourth-fastest time in history for a 300-pounder in Combine history.

But perhaps Williams’s 10-yard splits on his 40 times were even more impressive, as The Athletic’s Dane Brugler noted that his 1.67-second split on his second run (he had a 1.69-second split on his first) bests marks set by superstars like Geno Atkins, Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy. Players with faster splits? Fletcher Cox and Aaron Donald.

His agent, Nicole Lynn, was even surprised when Williams decided to run the 40 for a second time after posting a 4.87 mark, and it said a lot to her and the fans watching that he did even better on the second run with a 4.83.

Speed and explosiveness like that is simply unfair for any defensive tackle, but especially a 303-pounder with 33 1/4″ inch arms; it’s no wonder why Williams finished second in the SEC last year with those 19.5 tackles for loss.

Williams notched a 30.5-inch vertical and a 112-inch broad jump to go with his terrific 40-yard dash time. It’s that time, as well as the 10-yard split, that will generate the most discussion around Williams as a prospect. Though he didn’t participate in the bench press (one player suffered an injury on the bench this year), three-cone drill or 20-yard shuttle, it’s hard to see anyone holding that against the elite tackle prospect.

Plus, Bruce Feldman relayed that his interviews went well, so it seems like only Heisman-winning quarterback Kyler Murray could hold him back from being the No. 1 overall pick.

The production, film and jaw-dropping speed all make Williams seem like a future superstar at the next level, so any team would be lucky to grab him. This Combine performance may have vaulted Williams ahead of Bosa for those who were on the fence when picking between the two disruptive defensive linemen.