Jonah Williams
Arizona CardinalsDraft & College
He went about where consensus had him.
Of the 220 players taken as a late first-rounder between 2012 and 2021, 70% earned a second contract and 72% became starters. The median one started 58 career games.
STM Take
Tier 7 (#51) in 2023 to tier 1 (#8) in 2024 to tier 8 (#59) in 2025 is one of the most volatile three-year arcs at the position, with the 2024 Arizona tier 1 (#8) finish proving an elite RT ceiling exists. The Alabama Outland Trophy plus the Super Bowl LVI experience confirms career résumé that few mid-career OTs share. The 2026 question is whether the 2024 peak or the 2025 floor is the true baseline.
Williams came out of Alabama as the Cincinnati Bengals' 1st-round pick (11th overall) in 2019, a unanimous All-American and the 2018 Outland Trophy winner. He missed his rookie season with a shoulder injury, then started at LT for Cincinnati through the Super Bowl LVI loss to the Rams. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2024 free agency to play RT. His STTM career runs tier 8 (#68) in 2021, tier 8 (#63) in 2022, tier 7 (#51) in 2023, tier 1 (#8) peak in 2024 with Arizona, then tier 8 (#59) collapse in 2025.
Strengths
- 2024 Arizona tier 1 (#8) finish confirms an elite top-10 RT ceiling that separates him from any mid-tier outcome, even with the surrounding floors.
- 2018 Outland Trophy plus unanimous All-American at Alabama plus Super Bowl LVI experience gives him the career résumé of a true blue-chip prospect.
Concerns
- Tier 1 (#8) in 2024 to tier 8 (#59) in 2025 is a 51-spot collapse that flags injury, role change, or structural shift needing root-cause analysis.
- Multi-year injury history (rookie-year shoulder, multiple knee absences with Cincinnati) puts durability question on every projection.
What to watch: Whether Williams returns to tier 4 or better with Arizona's 2026 offensive line healthy, or whether the 2025 tier 8 finish triggers a contract restructure or trade.