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Jonah Williams: ‘I’m the best tackle in this draft’

By Bryan Perez

SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 07: Jonah Williams #73 of the Alabama Crimson Tide warms up prior to the CFP National Championship against the Clemson Tigers presented by AT&T at Levi's Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 07: Jonah Williams #73 of the Alabama Crimson Tide warms up prior to the CFP National Championship against the Clemson Tigers presented by AT&T at Levi's Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Alabama offensive tackle Jonah Williams is one of the safest prospects in the entire 2019 NFL draft, but teams aren’t sold on his ability to play tackle in the NFL. He thinks they’re wrong.

Blue-chip offensive tackles are hard to find. In fact, they often end up as a top-five pick or a highly-sought-after free agent if and when one becomes available. But in the 2019 NFL draft, there’s no consensus opinion on who the top tackle in the class is and there’s even debate about whether this year’s top linemen can even play the position.

Alabama’s Jonah Williams is in that bucket of players who appear to be without a position right now. Despite starting 44 games at right and left tackle as a member of the Crimson Tide, his physical makeup has draft analysts sliding him inside to guard, with some suggesting he can be an All-Pro caliber center.

Just don’t tell that to Williams.

“Not only do I feel like I’m a tackle, but I’m the best tackle in this draft,” Williams told the Draft Wire’s Justin Melo. “I believe I’ve proven that. I’m not a guy that wants to talk about this and beat my chest about what I’m capable of. I feel like my tape has proven this over my career here at Alabama. That’s what drives me as a competitor. I wanna be the best. I think I’ve proven that through the work that I’ve put in. It shows up in every facet of my game.”

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Williams has consistently said his goal is to be one of the best five offensive linemen on his future NFL team multiple times throughout the draft process and has expressed an obvious willingness to play wherever his coaches think will give the team the best chance to win, but he’s a competitor. And, according to him, he’s a tackle.

“I’m always happy to play anywhere,” he said. “The biggest thing that I wanna prove, and I feel like I have done that, is that I’m the best tackle in this draft. That’s where I land on that.”

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