Milton
Williams.
Milton
Williams.
Louisiana Tech· 6'3"· 284 lb· 4.67s 40
"A 285-lb Louisiana Tech 3-tech with a 9.99 RAS and one-year-starter production — the class's highest-tools Round-3 interior rusher."Pre-draft read
Williams operates as a twitchy interior rusher who consistently generates disruption. His alignment varies across the defensive front at Louisiana Tech, but his most effective role projects as a penetrating 3-technique within an attacking rotation, with some snaps outside the tackle against pass-heavy formations. His first step, change of direction, and recovery quickness are evident on tape.
He consistently beats guards to a spot, using active hands to maintain leverage and reduce his surface area to penetrate gaps. He is more effective when shooting, slanting, and pursuing against the run than attempting to anchor against double-teams. When allowed to attack half a man, his burst and leverage result in negative plays.
One-gap 4-3 penetrating front
Rotational interior rusher as a rookie, with a high ceiling to become a disruptive full-time pass-rushing 3-technique.
Any two-gap 3-4 defense that asks him to regularly sit and two-gap against interior blockers.
Williams' elite athleticism and burst make him a nightmare for interior offensive linemen, but his smaller frame limits his effectiveness against the run in a traditional two-gap scheme.
Milton Williams (LA Tech DL #97) vs. Georgia Southern | 2020 New Orleans Bowl
2020 bowl-game all-22 style cut-up — get-off timing, 3-tech gap penetration, sub-package interior-rush reps from Louisiana Tech.
Eagles Draft Milton Williams with 73rd Overall Pick | 2021 NFL Draft
Philadelphia's draft-night selection package: college production summary and Howie Roseman's rotational interior-rusher rationale.
Milton Williams with the STRIP SACK! Super Bowl LIX
Super Bowl LIX signature play — strip-sack on Patrick Mahomes recovered by the Eagles, the game-sealing sequence and career-defining moment.
Milton Williams profiles as a sub-package interior rusher who can provide immediate pressure in obvious passing situations. His appeal to teams centered on his exceptional athleticism for the defensive tackle position, highlighted by a 4.67 forty-yard dash, which suggested he could develop into a dynamic pass-rush specialist.
He primarily functioned as a "tweener 3-technique" at Louisiana Tech, occasionally seeing snaps as a base end due to his lighter frame and twitchiness. He demonstrated his disruptive capability with 10 sacks and 19 tackles for loss over his final two seasons, including a 5.5-sack breakout in 2019. This production, combined with his athletic testing, made him an intriguing prospect coming from a smaller program.
Concerns included his frame for a full-time interior role and the level of competition faced in Conference USA, which led to projections of him as a designated pass rusher rather than a three-down starter. He was ultimately selected as the 73rd overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.
- 01
Exceptional burst and agility
His 4.67 forty-yard dash and 6.96 three-cone show top-tier quickness for an interior lineman.
- 02
Disruptive pass rusher
He consistently displays quick penetration and makes plays in the backfield, including 10 sacks in his last two seasons.
- 03
Active hand usage
He uses a variety of hand moves like swipes, rips, and chops to defeat blocks from offensive linemen.
- 04
Plays with good leverage
His initial burst and ability to reduce his surface area allow him to penetrate gaps effectively.
- 05
Good upper body strength
His 34 bench press reps indicate he can convert speed to power when rushing the passer.
- 01
Undersized for interior role
His frame is often displaced against double-teams, which limits his effectiveness in a full-time 3-technique role.
- 02
Inconsistent run defender
He struggles to anchor against strong run blocks and is more effective when allowed to pursue the ball carrier.
- 03
Average arm length limits reach
His 33 1/4 inch arm length necessitates reliance on quickness and hand fighting rather than extending to stack blockers.
- 04
Level of competition
He primarily faced Conference USA talent, which raises questions about his ability to consistently beat NFL-caliber linemen.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.67sp50
- Vertical
- 38.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 121inp50
- Three-cone
- 6.96sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.33sp50
- Bench
- 34repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Louisiana Tech | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Louisiana Tech | 13 | 59 | 5.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | Louisiana Tech | 10 | 45 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | — | 30 | 105 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Realistic: movement-based interior rusher who developed into a paid mid-tier starting DT with real pass-rush pop but modest run-defense grades — the quality-starter outcome for the profile.
Ceiling: undersized, twitch-first interior rusher who evolved into a Pro Bowl 3-technique and cashed a top-of-market free-agent deal — the ceiling outcome, and the exact archetype Williams eventually hit.
Floor: twitchy sub-package interior rusher who cashed once as a good-not-great starter and settled into a rotational role — the outcome if run-defense and length limitations had capped the workload.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Steal of the round. Rotational Years 1-2, breakout Year 3 (7 sacks, top-25 PFF interior grade), key contributor on the Super Bowl LVII run. Signed 4-year, $104M mega-contract with New England in 2025 — one of the top interior FA payouts. Round-3 to max-money player is the ideal trajectory.
Milton Williams was the small-school interior athlete every 2021 draft room ended up loving after the combine. At 6'3" 284 he tested like an EDGE: a 4.67 forty, a 38.5" vertical, a 10'1" broad, a 6.96 three-cone and 34 reps on the bench — a 9.9-caliber RAS profile for an interior lineman.
On tape from Louisiana Tech he was a "tweener 3-technique" — light enough to get scouted as a base end at times, twitchy enough to win as an interior sub-package rusher on nickel — with 10 sacks and 19 TFL across his final two seasons and a 5.5-sack breakout in 2019 as a true sophomore.
Philadelphia took him at 73 as a designed rotational rusher behind Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave. He earned a rotational role as a rookie, stabilized as the DT3/4 across 2022-2023, and broke out in his contract year (2024): 5 sacks, 51 pressures, strong PFF interior grade — capped by a strip-sack of Patrick Mahomes and a second sack in Super Bowl LIX. That production turned into a four-year, $104M free-agent deal with New England in March 2025, one of the top interior FA payouts in league history. Round-three to max-money player is the ideal outcome for this evaluation.