Quinnen Williams’ favorite football player is Jason Kelce

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Usually, when you ask a young player to name his favorite player in the NFL, he’ll name someone who plays his own position, or maybe a big star like Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes. Alabama defensive lineman Quinnen Williams is a little different.

Williams said on Chris Simms Unbuttoned that Eagles center Jason Kelce is his favorite player. Williams spends a lot of time studying interior line play and consistently finds that Kelce is the center who plays the game at the highest level, and Williams figures if he studies Kelce closely enough to learn everything he does, he’ll be prepared for any center he faces.

“My favorite football player is Jason Kelce, so going up against him is going to be crazy. I’ve looked up to him, I’ve watched everything he does,” Williams said. “He’s the real deal. I’ve gone against a lot of centers, and I watch Jason Kelce film, study him, learn his technique, learn the things he does, and then I can defeat other centers. . . . He’s my favorite player.”

That’s an unusual answer, but one NFL teams will love: A player who’s passionate enough about the game that he so thoroughly studies line play in the NFL is a player who has the right mental approach to football.