There is something to be said for earning the respect of your peers, and Leonard Williams has it.
For the 12th consecutive year, current players voted to determine the Top 100 in the NFL. With the votes tallied, NFL Network started to unveil the 2022 edition on Sunday, and the Giants' defensive lineman, who is coming off the best two-year stretch of his career, made the list for the second consecutive year. He was ranked No. 97.
Williams' 44 quarterback hits since the start of 2020 are tied for the seventh-most among defensive linemen, and his 18.0 sacks are tied for fifth-most in that span. In 2021, his 81 tackles were the fourth-most by a defensive lineman, three fewer than three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald.
Originally the sixth overall draft choice by the New York Jets in 2015, Williams was traded to the Giants on Oct. 28, 2019. His 145 quarterback hits are tied for the fifth-most by a defensive lineman in his first seven seasons since the stat was first tracked in 2006.
View photos of defensive lineman Leonard Williams.
Below is a look at past Giants in the Top 100:
2022: DL Leonard Williams (No. 97)
2021: CB James Bradberry (No. 74), DL Leonard Williams (No. 84)
2020: RB Saquon Barkley (No. 31)
2019: RB Saquon Barkley (No. 16)
2018: WR Odell Beckham Jr. (No. 77), S Landon Collins (No. 92)
2017: WR Odell Beckham Jr. (No. 8), S Landon Collins (No. 28), CB Janoris Jenkins (No. 54), DT Damon Harrison (No. 96)
2016: WR Odell Beckham Jr. (No. 10), QB Eli Manning (No. 47)
2015: WR Odell Beckham Jr. (No. 32)
2014: S Antrel Rolle (No. 72)
2013: QB Eli Manning (No. 43), DE Jason Pierre-Paul (No. 55), WR Victor Cruz (No. 58)
2012: DE Jason Pierre-Paul (No. 24), QB Eli Manning (No. 31), WR Victor Cruz (No. 39), DE Justin Tuck (No. 62), WR Hakeem Nicks (No. 90)
2011: DE Justin Tuck (No. 60), S Antrel Rolle (No. 68), G Chris Snee (No. 77)
Take a look through Giants in the "Top 100 Players" over the years.