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It turns out arm length didn’t matter after all. Jonah Williams became the first offensive lineman taken in this year’s NFL Draft when he was selected with the No. 11 pick by the Cincinnati Bengals. He is the second former Alabama player off the board, following defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, who went No. 3 to the New York Jets earlier in the night.
Jonah Williams earned the SEC Jacobs Blocking Trophy last season, helping Alabama average 45.6 points and 522 total yards per game. He was Alabama’s highest-rated offensive lineman, earning an 89.2 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus. The 6-foot-4, 302-pound offensive lineman earned an 88.6 pass-blocking grade while pulling in an 83.6 run-blocking grade.
Jonah Williams started all 44 games during his three years at Alabama. He began his college career at right tackle before moving to left tackle the past two seasons. There has been some discussion about whether his 33 and 5/8-inch arms are long enough to play the tackle position in the NFL. The offensive lineman has debated such claims, stating arm length is “a small portion of what it takes to be a tackle at the next level.”
“I think if you look at a lot of the really successful tackles over the past 10 years from Joe Thomas, Joe Staley, Jake Matthews, Jason Peters, La’el Collins, Riley Reiff, Ryan Ramczyk — just a couple of guys off the top of my head that have short arms — I don’t think that that’s necessarily a huge deal,” he said at the NFL Combine. “I think I’m proud of the way that I play, my approach to the game. That’s what makes me a great player... I think the way that I play is what defines me as a football player.”
