Leonard Williams

New York Jets defensive tackle Leonard Williams during an NFL football game against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Sunday, Nov. 17, 2016. (Winslow Townson/AP Images for Panini)

(Winslow Townson)

FLORHAM PARK -- It took a year for Leonard Williams to go from highly-touted draft prospect, to arguably the best player on the Jets' roster.

The No. 6 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Williams has blossomed his second season in the league. Through 13 games, he has 53 tackles, seven sacks and two forced fumbles.

Despite playing on a line that also includes Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson, Williams has had no issue emerging from their shadow to make a name for himself.

Earlier this week, Williams caught up with NJ Advance Media. He talked a bit about his individual progression, the concerns regarding his teammates effort, and more:

Statistically, it looks like you're having a pretty good season. How would you grade yourself 13 games in?

WILLIAMS: I think I definitely improved my game from last year. I'm proud of how I've been playing so far. There are definitely times when I see myself on film, and I'm a hard critic on myself, where I see things I do and I just get mad. Maybe I shouldn't have done this, or this. Personally, I know a lot of things I have to work on. But overall I know I've improved this year. I have more sacks, which I wanted. I want more, obviously, though.

Team wise, it hasn't been so great. What are your thoughts when you hear people say this team doesn't have effort? They're not trying?

HUGHES: It's hard to hear it. I have been with this team since organized team activities. We've been grinding for months. We have been through camp, a lot together. We've had a lot of ups and downs.

We had a great season last year. Now that we're not, people are quick to turn on us. It's hard to hear from fans, or so-called fans. They say they love the Jets and all that stuff, but as soon as we have a little bad season, everybody talks down. It's hard to hear.

Those guys aren't in here with us. They don't see the work we put in. They don't see guys half-banged-up at this time of the season. No one is over 70 percent healthy. It's hard for me to hear people from the outside, not really knowing, but they think they do know what's on.

How close is this team to turning it around?

WILLIAMS: There are definitely a lot of things we have to work on. I'm not going to lie about that. I think the one thing I do know is we have is guys not quitting. Even though people say it on the outside, even though people say we aren't giving it our all, we are. This past weekend, we played a tight game against the 49ers, and we showed we have fight. We wanted to finish the game. Guys didn't give up on each other.

As far as I know, everybody loves Todd Bowles. Everybody loves playing with each other. If we work on a few things, we'll turn this around.

This offseason, you talked a lot about how you wanted more sacks. You've got seven right now. Do you see the opportunity to get even more?

WILLIAMS: Even if I do get a sack in a game, I still see times when I have someone beat but didn't finish my move. Maybe I didn't get on a specific edge where I know if I did, it could have been another sack. Even though I have improved my numbers, I know I can keep growing. Not a lot of fans can see it. They just see the stats. But when I'm watching film, I can definitely see I can make a few more plays than I am.

I have a lot [of sacks] this year. It's a pretty good number for myself. I have improved from last year. But I always want more. When I watch film, I can see where I have those opportunities to get more.

Entering the draft in 2015, you were viewed as the best defensive player. Many pegged you as a top-2 pick. Do you hold a chip on your shoulder that you slipped to No. 6?

HUGHES: I still went really high. I was proud being drafted as high as I was, and more proud the Jets took me considering they already had two, three great guys -- Damon Harris, Sheldon Richardson, Muhammad Wilkerson. I'm glad they gave me the opportunity here. More than anything, I wanted to prove these guys right. Not other guys wrong. I wanted these guys to know they made the right pick.

Last year you were a rookie. This year people are saying you're one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL. Crazy to see how far you've come in such a short period of time?

HUGHES: That's really hard to hear. It feels good to hear. I wouldn't be expecting that already. I'm only 22 years old. It feels good to be mentioned with guys that have been doing it for a long time. Hopefully, I can be doing it for a long time as well.

My focus is just to keep working, keep growing. I love and appreciate all the support saying that stuff. Luckily I do a good job not reading it, so it doesn't get to me.

Connor Hughes may be reached at chughes@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connor_J_Hughes. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.