The 49ers might’ve hit the jackpot by selecting Mykel Williams with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
In fact, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer believes teams around the league might end up kicking themselves for letting Williams slide that far and ultimately into San Francisco’s hands.
“I think there’s a chance the NFL will rue letting Mykel Williams get to 11,” Breer wrote in a story published on Monday. “This was an important draft for the San Francisco 49ers. They’re resetting their roster in a lot of areas. And in one spot in particular, they knew they’d have a lot of work to do – which is why they got a pretty nice jump in the fall on studying the defensive linemen that would be in the draft.”
Many NFL analysts are high on the 20-year-old Williams, and for good reason.
The 6-foot-5, 265-pound edge collected 67 tackles and 14 sacks over three years with Georgia, was a two-time second-team All-SEC selection and won the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship with the Bulldogs.
Breer imagines that 49ers management was impressed by Williams’ frame and potential opposite of star edge rusher Nick Bosa.
“So it was that, when [president of football operations/general manager] John Lynch and directors of player personnel Tariq Ahmad and RJ Gillen started diving in on the college guys in the fall, they came across Georgia’s athletic freak of a 20-year-old edge rusher,” Breer wrote.
“In Williams, whom they had high on their list from his sophomore tape, they saw a long, strong, heavy-handed athlete capable of toggling inside and outside, like guys they’ve had play their “big end” position (Arik Armstead, Arden Key, Charles Omenihu) have in the past.”
On paper, Williams should plug the holes on San Francisco’s defensive line, which struggled mightily during the 2024 NFL season, particularly against the run.
NBC Sports Bay Area’s 49ers insider, Matt Maiocco, pictures Williams bringing an instant impact to the Bay.
“Williams likely slots as a Day 1 starter and three-down player,” Maiocco wrote Wednesday.
If Williams ends up being the guy the 49ers believe he is, then Breer will have been right. The NFL will rue allowing the Georgia edge to slide to San Francisco at No. 11.
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