Alabama defensive lineman Quinnen Williams impressed at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this weekend. He is expected to be selected near the top of the draft order next month.
At the Combine, the 6-foot-3 and 303-pound Williams had a 40-time of 4.83 seconds, a vertical jump of 30.5 inches, and a broad jump of 112 inches.
There have been a lot of rumors surrounding what the Arizona Cardinals might do at No. 1. The San Francisco 49ers are probably particularly interested in what their NFC West rival does because they own the next pick. There has been some buzz that the Cardinals are seriously considering selecting Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, which would be good news for the 49ers because it could give them their choice of pass rushers.
The Cardinals, of course, could go in a different direction. Pass rusher Nick Bosa has long been expected to be the top pick in this year's draft. If that happens, San Francisco might look at edge rushing alternatives or decide to trade down with a team giving serious consideration to Murray or another player at No. 2.
Then there is the possibility that the 49ers go in a completely different direction and select Williams to pair with defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to create a dominant inside duo along the defensive line. This line of thinking is not a popular one among fans. It's not necessarily a knock on Williams, who many feel will have a productive NFL career, but because the team has been lacking a force on the edge for years and finally has an opportunity to address the need.
NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger joined 95.7 The Game on Monday and discussed the possibility of pairing Williams with Buckner. Lorenzo Neal, co-host of the "Joe, Lo, and Dibs" show, is a fan of that scenario. Baldinger was asked how devastating a Buckner-Williams tandem could be on opposing teams.
"It could be devastating," Baldinger responded. "We saw DeForest break out this year, and it's very difficult for any one-on-one blocks from anybody around the league this year with him. He got a lot of double teams and still beat those, but this Quinnen Williams is a different type of cat, now.
"I haven't seen a defensive lineman this fast off the ball probably since Aaron Donald, and he's bigger than Aaron Donald. And I'm not trying to compare him to Aaron Donald yet, but he does have that type of explosion off the line.
"Most of these quarterbacks in the league, they're pretty adroit at being able to step up and avoid the edge pressure. But when you can't step up because the interior has collapsed, that's when problems really result in some of the great quarterbacks in this league right now.
"I'm not opposed to what [Lorenzo Neal] is pitching here. I still think they need a great edge rusher and there's a bunch of them in this draft."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Baldinger below.