UNC Football: Sylvester Williams, the Heels Next Great Defensive Lineman?

SLY MONSTER
He has the size, the strength, quickness, he has all the physical tools. Sylvester Williams is the next in a long line of great UNC defensive linemen. However, unlike some of his less motivated predecessors he has the most important ingredient DESIRE. Sylvester Williams will never garner the tags unmotivated or lazy and that is why he may be the best UNC defensive linemen in the last 8 years. The 298 pound defensive tackle had a great start to his season with 4 tackles, two sacks, and a pass deflection that led to a interception.

If Kevin Reddick is Tar Heels most important defensive player Sylvester Williams is certainly the Heels most irreplaceable. As you saw on Saturday Williams presence on the field makes the other 10 players better and not just better he makes their job easier. There were certainly very encouraging signs from a UNC secondary that had its share of question marks to begin the season and they owe a ton of that to Williams. He was by far the most disruptive player on the field and even Elon double teams and chip blocks couldn’t keep him from routinely collapsing the pocket. The offense has plenty of talent but rest assured if UNC has a successful season it will be because of the defense and most notably Mr. Williams.
I have watched him for 14 games now as a Tar Heel, the man simply doesn’t take plays off. Come Saturday do yourself a favor and for 50% of the defensive plays commit yourself to just watching Sly (as his teammates call him). Trust me it will be worth it. Though he has a very limited background in football he is probably the most talented DT you will see even though he didn’t garner the pre-season hype that some others in the ACC did. WFU DT Nikita Whitlock is one of those hyped in the pre-season, fortunately this weekend we will get a direct contrast between the two.

I will hedge my bets and say you will be far more impressed by Sly. He has all the moves and his extreme discipline makes him not only a force in the passing game but also an adept run stopper. The new 4-2-5 defense also allows him to get more one-on-one opportunities now that OLs really have to guess where pressure is coming from.  But even with the right scheme and all the talent in the world many players still don’t scare OLs line Sly does.

This takes me back to the one thing that separates him from even the most talented DTs and that is that DESIRE I talked about. Sly wasn’t a 4 or 5 star recruit he didn’t have all the hype and he didn’t have all the awards handed to him like many big time recruits these days. He worked in a factory and eventually made his way to junior college. His life in football is one that has been earned through hard work every minute of every practice, every rep in the gym, and every snap on the field. And that is what creates the monster that you see on Saturdays.

With all the talent on the Tar Heel roster I firmly believe the monster that is Sylvester Williams will be the highest NFL draft pick on the Tar Heels current defensive two deep. He may not have garnered to pre-season hype but as we all know it is the post-season hype that maters. When it comes to Sly there will be plenty of it. So this weekend Tar Heel fans do yourselves a favor just focus your attention on the next in a long line to come out of Defensive Line U. Just be sure not to let your jaw drop too far and be sure to thank me on Sunday morning.