Back to the trenches.
With the 11th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the San Francisco selected edge rusher Mykel Williams. Defensive end was an area of need, and the 49ers fill it with the 6-foot-5, 265 pound player out of the University of Georgia.
“I was just talking to [defensive line coach] Kris Kocurek and he said this when we went through our draft meetings, ‘I think he’s the best edge setter in college football. I think he’s the best edge setter in this draft class.,’” said San Francisco 49ers President of Football Operations and General Manager, John Lynch. “So, if that’s the premise of one of the things that’s a hallmark of what we want in an edge guy, he does it extremely well.”
In his three seasons at Georgia, Williams recorded 67 tackles – 23 TFLs – and 14 sacks, with his 2024 season consisting of 21 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks.
“The film is very impressive,” Lynch said. “…He’s big, he’s tall, he’s long, he’s a great athlete, he’s tough, he’s smart, he’s versatile. He can play outside, he can play inside. He does all those things…Came through here on a 30 visit and really got a feel for the kid. And I just think all of that led us to this guy as a Niner. He fits who we are, our culture, and we pounced when he was there.”
In other words, Williams is a perfect fit the 49ers’ defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s 2.0 defense.
49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan said he told his family Wednesday night that Williams was who he wanted. The 49ers tried to trade up to make sure to get him. That didn’t work out, but they got Williams anyway.
Kyle Shanahan was Mykel Williams, no matter what pic.twitter.com/O8jclnSRqj
— Tracy Sandler (@TracyFGSN) April 25, 2025
Not only were the 49ers impressed with his athletic ability, but they were also impressed with his maturity and confidence.
“You come on these 30 visits and it’s one small piece of the entire puzzle,” Lynch said. “But we have noticed that some of our best players have made a really good impression…I remember Fred Warner, his 30 visit just solidified our interest in this guy. Mykel had a very similar [impact]…a\[A] lot of these guys, and they should be, are incredibly nervous. If he was, he hid it very well. He just seemed very comfortable in who he is, what he wants to be, and that left us really excited and I think he did a great job of just letting us feel what football means to him and why he loves the game so much.”
Have the 49ers find the Nick Bosa bookend they’ve been looking for since 2019? It seems they might have.
John Lynch details what stood out about Mykel Williams #49ers pic.twitter.com/BWw6G20v9x
— Tracy Sandler (@TracyFGSN) April 25, 2025
“I can’t wait to learn from [Bosa], really. I’ve got so many questions,” Williams told the Bay Area media, who will meet the 11th overall pick Friday afternoon, on a Zoom call Thursday night.
With 10 picks left, Lynch said the 49ers are not done drafting defensive lineman. The Draft resumes on Friday at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT.