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Tennessee football’s 10 DTs with best NFL careers

By Caleb Calhoun

The Titans Albert Haynesworth (92) leaves the field after the game. The Tennessee Titans defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 31 to 13 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 19, 2006. (Photo by Joseph Labolito/NFLPhotoLibrary)
The Titans Albert Haynesworth (92) leaves the field after the game. The Tennessee Titans defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 31 to 13 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 19, 2006. (Photo by Joseph Labolito/NFLPhotoLibrary) /
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Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images /

Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 2006-2009. Years in NFL: 7. Dan Williams. player. 7. 839

Teams played for:

  • Arizona Cardinals, 2010-2014
  • Oakland Raiders, 2015-2016

One year after Turk McBride left for the pros, Dan Williams stepped in as Tennessee football’s starting defensive tackle. He immediately stood out, helping the Vols win their most recent SEC East title in 2007 and starting for three years, earning All-SEC honors in 2009. Williams had 24 tackles for losses those three years along with six sacks and 160 total tackles.

Simply put, Williams was a very good player, and that level of talent allowed for him to be taken in first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Immediately, the Memphis native proved his value, as he had 38 total tackles coming off the bench his rookie season.

In his second year, Williams became the starting nose tackle, a perfect fit for him given his 6’2″ 330-pound frame. Over his final two years in Arizona, Williams helped the Cardinals return to their winning ways. They went 10-6 in 2013 and then 11-5 and made the playoffs in 2014.

After that run, Williams went to the Oakland Raiders and joined a rising franchise behind the arm of Derek Carr. It paid off in 2016, as he remained a starter on that team and helped the franchise make its first playoff appearance since 2002.

Williams was in the pros for seven years and had 222 tackles, 154 of which were solo, along with 15.5 tackles for a loss, three and a half sacks and 11 pass deflections. He appeared in 102 games and started in 66 of them.

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