ALLEN PARK — Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson doesn’t want to set the bar too high for the Detroit Lions’ newest draft pick.

But he kind of did anyway.

After Lions general manager Brad Holmes compared Tyleik Williams, the 28th pick in Thursday night’s NFL Draft, to Alim McNeill, Johnson said Williams’ traits remind him of someone else: Future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer Aaron Donald.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying he’s Aaron Donald, but his movements skills, like to be able to change directions — Aaron Donald’s really good at doing what we call a jab-olé, inside-outside, and then he can go power,” Johnson said Friday on a conference call with local reporters. “I think Tyleik’s got the same kind of movement because he can go power, he can go finesse if given the opportunity.

“Aaron Donald’s in a league by himself. I don’t want to put that pressure on Tyleik going into the league. But there are some things that he does — Aaron Donald does real easy, and Tyleik has that same kind of movement skills. But Aaron Donald’s a really special player. I don’t think there’s many guys like him.”

Put another way: You can go a long time without seeing a 6-foot-3, 334-pound tackle who moves quite like Williams does. Which is why, even though Williams was more of a run-stuffer in college, there seems to be a high level of confidence from all parties that he’ll be able to become a legitimate pass rusher in the NFL.

“Two things that jump right off the bat is his initial quickness off the ball, and for a big guy to be able to bend and turn corners like he does, it’s just unprecedented. You just don’t do that very easily,” Johnson said, adding that his first impression of Williams was watching him run a 4.9-second 40-yard dash at 340 pounds.

“His get-off is real wicked, and he’s got strong, violent hands, and he understands the pass sets and the run sets. I think that’s really important recognition of what he sees, and Tyleik is really one of the best players I’ve seen to be able to do that. … But his twitch, man, it’s God-given. He had it and he used it to his advantage.”

Amidst yet another round of discussions about whether Holmes could have gotten his first-round pick (in this case, Williams) later in the draft, Williams said the Buffalo Bills’ front office told him they were going to take him with the 30th pick if he was still on the board.

“They kind of told me if I was there, they wanted me,” Williams said.

Besides his athleticism being off the charts for a man of his size, Johnson called him a “very high-character guy” who will endear himself to teammates through his personality and the way he studies the game.

“He has a way of picking up (the offense’s) signals. Zoro could be left, or Cowboy could be right. He would understand exactly where the ball is going. He’d start telling the guys, ‘It’s going right, it’s going right. It’s going left, it’s going left,’” Johnson recalled. “He would come to the sideline and say, ‘Coach, here’s their signals. Here’s their calls. Here’s their run-game calls.’ … He wants to know where the ball is going.”

In an era where college players transfer schools like they’re changing lanes on the freeway, Williams played all four seasons for the Buckeyes, finally achieving the ultimate goal of winning the national title this past January.

While there couldn’t have been many Lions fans who were happy to see Williams’ Buckeyes win the national title, his championship pedigree is undoubtedly a bonus for his next team, which is also on the cusp of greatness. Williams brought it in the postseason, recording 13 pressures over four College Football Playoff games with 14 tackles (three for loss).

“I’ve been through hard games — of course, it’s not the same as the NFL,” Williams acknowledged during his visit to Allen Park on Friday. “I’ve played Texas, Notre Dame, Oregon — I’ve played all those top teams who have these top players. I’ve gone against these guys my whole college career and I’ve had great games against all of them.”

Johnson said Williams got better as the lights got brighter.

“That’s the thing about Tyleik I love about him. He’ll come to the sideline and he’ll have a moment when I see it, and say, ‘It’s time to go, man, it’s time to open the game,’” Johnson said. “He’s done it in so many different big games.”

Williams must admit that feeling welcome in the state of Michigan will take some getting used to. After spending four seasons at Ohio State, Williams is ready to leave behind his disdain for that state up north.

“I’ve learned to hate this state for the last four years, but getting drafted here, I’m just happy. I can put all that behind me. Of course, it’s still the team up north — I’m still not going to say it,” Williams said.

“But I’m just happy I’m here.”

By all accounts, the Lions should be extremely happy he’s here, too.