The San Francisco 49ers selected Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams with the No. 11 pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Williams played in 12 games, starting five, last season as a junior and posted career bests in tackles for loss (8 1/2), sacks (five) and forced fumbles (two), and added 21 tackles and a pass defended for a Georgia team that won the SEC Championship Game and advanced to the Sugar Bowl.
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He was a second-team All-SEC selection in each of the past two seasons and a freshman All-American and SEC All-Freshman selection in 2022, when Georgia won the College Football Playoff national championship.
In three college seasons with the Bulldogs, Williams played in 40 games, including 17 starts, and posted 67 tackles, 21 1/2 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and three passes defended.
‘The Beast’ breakdown
Williams ranked No. 21 in Dane Brugler’s top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:
“A consensus top-10 recruit out of high school, he made an immediate impact as a freshman (several key plays vs. Ohio State in the playoffs) and consistently flashed over his career. His junior season wasn’t the true breakout year many expected on the stat sheet, but he set career bests in sacks and tackles for loss, despite dealing with a left ankle sprain that he reinjured ‘multiple times’ during the season.
“Williams has a rare mix of bend and length for a pass rusher and can be a battering ram when he wants to be, but NFL teams want to see him develop finesse and more easily accessible counters in his rush attack. Though there are plenty of examples on tape of Williams maximizing his length and power advantages to push the pocket or set the edge, he needs to do it more consistently for quicker wins and block sheds. Overall, Williams is more toolsy than nuanced and needs to develop a more unified pass-rush plan. The individual traits (length, strength, explosiveness), promising toughness and football character, however, are reasons to bet on his upside. Similar in ways to Jason Pierre-Paul, he projects as an NFL starter on the edge.”
Coaching intel
What anonymous coaches had to say about Williams in Bruce Feldman’s mock draft:
“He was banged up a lot this year, but when he was close to 100 percent, he’s super twitchy. He’s a freak.”
“He’s more of the traditional defensive end guy than (Jalon) Walker. He can either be that 3-4 outside linebacker or 4-3 end. He has real pass-rush ability. I think he’s an elite edge rusher. He’s great chasing from behind, and he can play the run well enough.”
Georgia EDGE Mykel Williams (13, bottom of screen):
6-5, 265, long, quick and fast — can drop, cover and tackle in space. 😳 pic.twitter.com/ajrkgOyeW3
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) August 31, 2024
Scott Dochterman grades the pick
The 49ers needed a bookend with Nick Bosa, and Williams fits the description. After losing a ton in free agency and with salary cap situations, this was more than solid. Williams can become a decade-long starter if he stays healthy. At Georgia last year, Williams dealt with repeated ankle issues, which kept his starts and rotational snaps down. But as a team captain, he still was productive with five sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. Williams (6-5 1/8, 267) possesses huge arms (34 3/8) and wingspan (82 7/8) and is a physical edge capable of moving anywhere along the line of scrimmage on passing downs.
Grade: A
How he fits
Williams ought to have an immediate impact given that the 49ers parted ways with one of their starting defensive ends, Leonard Floyd, during free agency. Williams promises to be an immediate asset to a 49ers run defense that faltered down the stretch in 2024. He’s stout, long-armed and rarely was shoved backward last season. Instead, he was usually the one driving tackles and tight ends into the offensive backfield. The question will be whether he can match the 8 1/2 sacks Floyd had last season. Williams had only five sacks last season and must expand his pass-rush repertoire.
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Depth-chart impact
Nick Bosa has one starting spot sewn up at defensive end? The other? Entering the draft, the 49ers’ top two options were Yetur Gross-Matos and Sam Okuayinonu, neither of whom has been a high-volume pass rusher in their career. Gross-Matos had four sacks in 11 games last season. Okuayinonu had three sacks but none after Week 8, despite him averaging 32 snaps a game over that span. Williams could split snaps with Gross-Matos to begin the season. The 49ers drafted him at No. 11, however, because he’s a three-down player.
They also could have picked …
Among those still on the board were defensive linemen Walter Nolen of Ole Miss, Derrick Harmon of Oregon and Shemar Stewart of Texas A&M, as well as Williams’ college teammate, linebacker Jalon Walker.
Nolen, a quick, powerful interior pass rusher, seemed like a particularly good scheme fit. The 49ers may have passed on him due to concerns about his practice habits and personality and also because the draft is deep at defensive tackle. Look for them to target a defensive tackle with one of their three Day 2 selections. They also could use a Day 2 pick at offensive tackle with Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr., Ohio State’s Josh Simmons, Minnesota’s Aireontae Ersery and N.C. State’s Anthony Belton possibilities.
Fast evaluation
John Lynch may have tipped the team’s intentions Tuesday when he was asked about what qualities the 49ers look for in a defensive end. The first thing he said was someone who can “set a firm edge.” That’s Williams, who is physical and strong and projects well as a Wide-9 defensive end. The 49ers have been searching for Bosa’s bookend since Dee Ford started having injury issues midway through the 2019 season. Williams needs to hone his pass-rush skills. But he’s only 20 years old and has plenty of room to grow.
(Photo: Joe Robbins / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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