Williams said he got down to 317 pounds his first season with the help of Ohio State’s nutrition team and a lot of hard work. He was an instant contributor for the Buckeyes, playing in 51 games in four seasons.

It was the last two years where Williams became a dominant force in the center of Ohio State’s defense. He started 25 games the last two seasons, racking up 100 combined tackles, 18.0 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.

The Lions believe he can be an immediate impact player for them and that will be important if veteran Alim McNeill (ACL) isn’t ready for the beginning of the season.

“He just had a lot of traits and qualities that we were looking for and he’s going to fit right in here like a glove,” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said of Williams at the conclusion of Thursday’s first round. “We spent a lot of time with him in the process leading up to this and we were very, very impressed.”

Williams was in Allen Park Friday meeting with the coaching staff, getting acclimated with the Meijer Performance Center and having his introductory press conference. He got to sit down with new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and that brief meeting left Williams excited about joining the Lions’ defense.