Leonard Williams called most important player for Seahawks' Super Bowl amid No. 1 DT ranking

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The Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl this past season, and a huge reason why was thanks to the elite defense on display all year long.

While a lot of the focus went to Devon Witherspoon, the true heroes of this defense were the interior defensive linemen. Byron Murphy and Leonard Williams were huge pieces of this defense.

In a poll of NFL scouts, coaches, and executives from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Williams came in at No. 1 and was even called "the most important player" on the Super Bowl-winning Seahawks defense this past season.

Leonard Williams called 'most important player' on Seahawks defense amid DT-1 ranking.

"1. Leonard Williams, Seattle Seahawks. Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 8," Fowler shared. "Williams never previously cracked the top five since this project's inception in 2020. But he has always been a major talent..."

While Williams has always been a good defensive tackle, he's never been rated as the league's best DT since his debut in 2015 with the New York Jets, and ESPN's annual positional ranking since 2020.

But now, Williams isn't just ranked inside the top-five; he's the top-ranked DT overall. It's a huge jump for the Seahawks veteran, but it's a well-deserved one.

This past season, in 17 games, Williams had seven sacks, 62 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 22 quarterback hits, a Pro Bowl nod, a second-team All-Pro, and a sack during the Seahawks' Super Bowl run in the playoffs.

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Williams' impact on the Seahawks this season isn't just about those statistics, however. As Fowler notes, "These days, he's an absolute nightmare to block. Several offensive coaches did not hesitate to say Williams was the toughest player to guard last season."

One NFL coordinator told Fowler, "He was the most important player on that Super Bowl team. He's the total package."

Williams might be underrated, as interior defensive lineman typically don't receive their flowers unless they're at the Aaron Donald level of dominance.

But, while nationally he might not be viewed as such, Williams is clearly viewed highly, as he was just ranked as the best defensive tackle in the NFL.