2019 NFL Mock Draft: Dwayne Haskins atop one team’s Christmas list

Entering the season, Quinnen Williams wasn’t on anyone’s draft board. The redshirt sophomore defensive tackle was a relative unknown after sitting behind first-round pick Da’Ron Payne in Tuscaloosa, making a play here and there in spot duty.

As a full-time starter in 2018, Williams burst onto the scene and became a dominating presence for the Crimson Tide in the middle of the defense, masking some deficiencies that would have been more evident if it wasn’t for an elite talent like him manning the middle.

Williams has made plays in the backfield all season long, racking up 18 tackles-for-loss, and also showed a propensity for rushing the passer with eight sacks. He came up big in the biggest of moments, registering at least one sack in each of the final five games of the season.

In particular, Williams was unblockable in Baton Rouge against LSU, registering 3.5 tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks in the 29-0 win.

Williams won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s best interior lineman for his efforts and was named a consensus All-American. It would take a special kind of player to usurp the amount of talented defensive tackles in this class, and he has proven to be that special kind of player, with plenty of room to grow.

The 49ers need help pressuring the passer, and Williams could be the interior pass rusher they sorely need. Keep an eye on Greedy Williams with this pick as well, with the Niners looking for a corner to go opposite Richard Sherman.