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Bills Top 20 Talents in 2016: No. 10 - DL Kyle Williams

Bills Top 20 Talents in 2016: No. 10 - DL Kyle Williams
Posted at 4:03 PM, Jun 07, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-07 16:03:22-04

In under two months, the Buffalo Bills will get to work at St. John Fisher College for training camp and the 2016 season. And this year, with how the team ended things in 2015, is extremely important to not waste the talent that exists on the roster.

So, as offseason workouts continue at One Bills Drive, WKBW will preview the roster — and more specifically, the top talent that exists on the roster that can help the Bills to putting an end to the playoff drought. You’ll be introduced to the Bills’ ‘Top 20 Talents.’

It's a bit of a different 'most talented' list, because it also takes other factors into consideration. The countdown criteria:

- Overall skill level
- On-the-field performance
- Projection based on film study over the past several years
- Age, and improving/declining ability

With that written, on to the countdown:

No. 10 - DL Kyle Williams

Age: 32 (6/10/83)

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 303

Last year’s rank: 4

Why he’s here

- A mainstay on the Bills roster through all the tumultuous times, even with age and a season-ending injury catching up to him, his talent is still worthy of a spot on the Top 10 of this countdown. Williams still played at an impactful level while he was healthy during the 2015 season and was one of the top players on the defensive side of the ball. His quickness off the snap and ability against the run makes him an asset defensively when healthy. However, Williams suffered a knee injury that he's been rehabbing from since October. What type of player will the Bills be getting once he's back to full health? That question, combined with the fact that he'll be 33 years old this season, causes a slide down this countdown from where he's been the past two years. But if healthy and back to his playing level from last year, he's still a highly productive player for the Bills.

2016 outlook

- Williams will once again resume the role as a starting defensive lineman for the Bills when he gets the green light to begin practicing in 2016. He said he's not looking to rush back to practice in favor of letting it heal all the way, and there is no real timetable for his potential return. A safe bet would probably be for him to return at some point during August, but we won't know until we get there. However, whenever he does, he'll pair with Marcell Dareus to try and get the Bills defense back to their lofty level from the 2014 season.

Top 20 Talents Countdown

10) DL Kyle Williams

11) EDGE Shaq Lawson

12) TE Charles Clay

13) LB Reggie Ragland

14) C Eric Wood

15) WR Robert Woods

16) S Aaron Williams

17) HB Karlos Williams

18) P Colton Schmidt

19) LB Preston Brown

20) S Corey Graham

Twitter: @JoeBuscaglia