Akiem Hicks on Nick Williams: ‘They don’t make ‘em like that no more’

Hicks believes Williams was a ‘blessed acquisition’ for the Lions.

Last week, we explored the potential role of Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Williams. Though many believed he was going to be one of the easier cuts to be made by new general manager Brad Holmes, the Lions opted to keep Williams instead, though after reworking his contract to a more palatable cap hit in 2021.

It turns out Williams caught wind of the article, and wasn’t very appreciative of the image we chose (he also appeared to have other issues with the article that he kept to himself). From there, his former Chicago Bears teammate and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Akiem Hicks found the article and gave his own analysis of the veteran defender.

“Run stuffer, pass rusher he’ll fill the Gatorade coolers, walk the dog. And eat all the fruit snacks in the building,” Hicks tweeted of Williams’ role this year. “They don’t make em like that no more [100 emoji] a blessed acquisition.”

That’s high praise of Williams’ hard-working character from a player that undoubtedly knows him well. Hicks played alongside Williams for two seasons and saw him break out in 2019—ironically filling the role left by Hicks’ injury. That year, Williams recorded six sacks, 42 tackles, and five tackles for loss.

“Just a stud,” Hicks said of Williams in the middle of that 2019 season. “He’s shown that he can be a dominant defensive tackle.”

During that time Hicks and Williams became good friends, and it’s clear he is continuing to support his buddy even as he plays for his NFC North rival.

With a new head coach, new defensive coordinator, and a new cast of supporting players around him, maybe Williams can live up to that billing in 2021.