Who do you sign? (With salary projections)

[THE PISTONS]

Connor Williams:
Williams was a top-50 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and a full-time starter at left guard in Week 1 of his rookie season. Williams was briefly benched late in 2021, but he finished the season with an 84.1 pass-block grade over the final five weeks, which ranked fifth among guards. Williams understandably gets overlooked playing alongside an elite left tackle in Tyron Smith and with guard Zack Martin leading the way in PFF grade among guards since 2020 (94.6). Nevertheless, he’s a solid young player with more room to grow.

Strengths:
– Blocking on the move
– Combo blocks

Weaknesses:
– Blocking players with length/power
– Penalties

Scheme Fit/Role:
STARTING GUARD: While Williams has done most of his damage in a zone-heavy scheme, he's an effective puller and he's capable of executing any block required in a gap-heavy system as well. In pass protection, he could use help against longer players.

Recent Injury History:
After Williams' 2019 season was cut short due to an ACL, he's bounced back to play in every game in 2020 and 2021.

Contract Projection: Three years, $20 million ($6.67M per year, $12.5 million total guaranteed)

Bottom Line:
Another offensive lineman who took a couple years to get going, Williams stepped up his game with a top-20 grade in 2020, and he continued that success in 2021. He's a better run-blocker than pass-blocker and he's a mid-tier starting option who has scheme diversity.