2013 NFL mock draft: Vikings select Sylvester Williams

With the 23rd pick in Pride Of Detroit's 2013 NFL mock draft, the Minnesota Vikings select North Carolina defensive tackle Sylvester Williams. DLions4Eva is serving as the Vikings' general manager, and his reasoning for the pick is below.

I chose the best defensive tackle left on the board in Sylvester Williams from North Carolina. The Vikings haven't had that intimidating interior that they once possessed with the "Williams Wall" where they would literally shut down opposing teams' run game every year with Kevin and Pat Williams.

Pat Williams is no longer on the team and Kevin Williams is going on 34. They have no viable options at that position, so taking Williams at 23 was a no-brainer. Sylvester Williams is actually more like Kevin Williams than Pat Williams in the regard of being a better pass rusher than run stopper, but I'm sure nobody would complain about that considering the Vikes play in a division with Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and Jay Cutler.

Sylvester Williams is streaky at times, but he is an excellent candidate to become the other half of the "Williams Wall" version 2.0. He has the speed and power you look for in a defensive tackle and will essentially replace Kevin Williams when he moves on. He isn't the best run defender, but he isn't bad at it, either. Just a better pass rusher, that's all.

I also don't buy critics saying he has a suspect motor. This guy reminds me a lot of the player he would be replacing in Kevin Williams and is better than most have given him credit for. He may have had games where he was beaten by subpar linemen, but he's also taken over games against some elite players as well. I think everybody has their good games and their bad.

In the end, though, I chose the best defensive tackle left that fills the biggest need on defense. With the Williams Wall version 2.0, Minnesota's defense all of a sudden is going to strike fear into offenses like it did when the Williams Wall version 1.0 was erected.

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Check out the 2013 Pride Of Detroit Community Mock Draft tracker for a look at all of the picks.