49ers draft edge Mykel Williams: How he fits, pick grade and scouting intel
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.
Advertisement
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.
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.'
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
Come back later for more analysis of Williams.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
27 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Federal judge approves $2.8B settlement, paving way for US colleges to pay athletes millions
A federal judge signed off on arguably the biggest change in the history of college sports Friday, clearing the way for schools to begin paying their athletes millions of dollars as soon as next month as the multibillion-dollar industry shreds the last vestiges of the amateur model that defined it for more than a century. Nearly five years after Arizona State swimmer Grant House sued the NCAA and its five biggest conferences to lift restrictions on revenue sharing, U.S. Judge Claudia Wilken approved the final proposal that had been hung up on roster limits, just one of many changes ahead amid concerns that thousands of walk-on athletes will lose their chance to play college sports. The sweeping terms of the so-called House settlement include approval for each school to share up to $20.5 million with athletes over the next year and $2.7 billion that will be paid over the next decade to thousands of former players who were barred from that revenue for years. The agreement brings a seismic shift to hundreds of schools that were forced to reckon with the reality that their players are the ones producing the billions in TV and other revenue, mostly through football and basketball, that keep this machine humming. The scope of the changes — some have already begun — is difficult to overstate. The professionalization of college athletics will be seen in the high-stakes and expensive recruitment of stars on their way to the NFL and NBA, and they will be felt by athletes whose schools have decided to pare their programs. The agreement will resonate in nearly every one of the NCAA's 1,100 member schools boasting nearly 500,000 athletes. The road to a settlement Wilken's ruling comes 11 years after she dealt the first significant blow to the NCAA ideal of amateurism when she ruled in favor of former UCLA basketball player Ed O'Bannon and others who were seeking a way to earn money from the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL) — a term that is now as common in college sports as 'March Madness' or 'Roll Tide.' It was just four years ago that the NCAA cleared the way for NIL money to start flowing, but the changes coming are even bigger. Wilken granted preliminary approval to the settlement last October. That sent colleges scurrying to determine not only how they were going to afford the payments, but how to regulate an industry that also allows players to cut deals with third parties so long as they are deemed compliant by a newly formed enforcement group that will be run by auditors at Deloitte. The agreement takes a big chunk of oversight away from the NCAA and puts it in the hands of the four biggest conferences. The ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC hold most of the power and decision-making heft, especially when it comes to the College Football Playoff, which is the most significant financial driver in the industry and is not under the NCAA umbrella like the March Madness tournaments are. Roster limits held things up The deal looked ready to go since last fall, but Wilken put a halt to it after listening to a number of players who had lost their spots because of newly imposed roster limits being placed on teams. The limits were part of a trade-off that allowed the schools to offer scholarships to everyone on the roster, instead of only a fraction, as has been the case for decades. Schools started cutting walk-ons in anticipation of the deal being approved. Wilken asked for a solution and, after weeks, the parties decided to let anyone cut from a roster — now termed a 'Designated Student-Athlete' — return to their old school or play for a new one without counting against the new limit. Wilken ultimately agreed, going point-by-point through the objectors' arguments to explain why they didn't hold up. 'The modifications provide Designated Student-Athletes with what they had prior to the roster limits provisions being implemented, which was the opportunity to be on a roster at the discretion of a Division I school,' Wilken wrote. Winners and losers The list of winners and losers is long and, in some cases, hard to tease out. A rough guide of winners would include football and basketball stars at the biggest schools, which will devote much of their bankroll to signing and retaining them. For instance, Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood's NIL deal is reportedly worth between $10.5 million and $12 million. Losers, despite Wilken's ruling, figure to be at least some of the walk-ons and partial scholarship athletes whose spots are gone. Also in limbo are Olympic sports many of those athletes play and that serve as the main pipeline for a U.S. team that has won the most medals at every Olympics since the downfall of the Soviet Union. All this is a price worth paying, according to the attorneys who crafted the settlement and argue they delivered exactly what they were asked for: an attempt to put more money in the pockets of the players whose sweat and toil keep people watching from the start of football season through March Madness and the College World Series in June. What the settlement does not solve is the threat of further litigation. Though this deal brings some uniformity to the rules, states still have separate laws regarding how NIL can be doled out, which could lead to legal challenges. NCAA President Charlie Baker has been consistent in pushing for federal legislation that would put college sports under one rulebook and, if he has his way, provide some form of antitrust protection to prevent the new model from being disrupted again.
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Opinions can vary on Garrett Wilson and what he "deserves.'' But "deserves'' isn't always how this works. The market sets itself, and the Jets know this.
Opinions can vary on Garrett Wilson and what he "deserves.'' But "deserves'' isn't always how this works. The market sets itself, and the Jets know this. originally appeared on Athlon Sports. We know that the New York Jets' contract extension talks with receiver Garrett Wilson are underway, with suggestions that this might be a slow roll on the way toward training camp. Advertisement And we also know that corner Sauce Gardner and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson are also due to join Wilson in wanting to get paid, meaning new general manager Darren Mougey figures to be a busy man. And what about Wilson's numbers? We have our educated guesses. And others have their uneducated ones. Example? The Jets receiver is the subject of shockingly bad contract prediction from quarterback-turned-analyst Kurt Benkert. "I think that Garrett Wilson could very easily get a four-year, $96 million contract," Benkert said. Wait. What? Let's do some math here. Wilson, whose fifth-year option will cost New York $16.8 million, is likely to view himself as a superstar - or, at least, a budding one. The going rate for such a player isn't a number that hovers above $20 mil; that's about $10 million shy. Advertisement Wilson, 24, despite shaky QB play, has become a 1,000-yard perennial. ESPN's Ben Solak has even predicted that in 2025 Wilson will lead the NFL in receiving yards. Opinions can vary on Wilson and what he "deserves.'' But "deserves'' isn't always how this works. The market sets itself. There are now nine NFL receivers who make over $29 million per year. The next wave of great receivers will be chasing a number like that. Not everybody in the media might see it. But we bet the Jets do. Related: Jets Issue 'Perfect Storm' All-Pro Comparison To Armand Membou This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
New York Jets Urged to Sign Pro Bowl Receiver
New York Jets Urged to Sign Pro Bowl Receiver originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Jets have one of the brightest young stars in the NFL at wide receiver in Garrett Wilson. Despite being plagued by subpar and inconsistent quarterback play his entire NFL career, Wilson has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in each of his three NFL seasons. Advertisement Entering 2025, the Jets, like most of Wilson's career, don't have a clear No. 2 on the roster. New York is hopeful that they have found a solution to their quarterback inconsistencies, signing Wilson's college teammate Justin Fields to a two-year deal. But outside of Wilson, the rest of the receiver depth chart is a mixup of veterans Allen Lazard, Josh Reynolds, and Tyler Johnson, as well as rookie Arian Smith. and second year Malachi Corley Pro Football Sports Network Brandon put together a list of one free agent each NFL team should target, and for the Jets, his pick is former Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper. "Amari Cooper is not nearly the player he once was, but he could still be an upgrade for the Jets." Austin noted. "He does turn 31 before the season starts and will need to prove he still has enough left in the tank to have a feature role in an offense. Cooper has had a strong NFL career, recording more than 10,000 receiving yards. He's long been viewed as a reliable go-to option, but things never materialized for him in Buffalo." Advertisement Cooper has made four Pro Bowls in his 10 NFL seasons, most recently in 2023 with the Cleveland Browns, where he turned in a 1,250 yard, five touchdown season. Cooper made Pro Bowls on three of the four NFL teams he's played on, the lone exception being a Jets' AFC East rival in the Buffalo Bills, who Cooper played eight games for lost season. "Cooper's size, experience, and route-running ability should still attract a Jets offense that finished 20th in EPA per dropback and 21st in pass success rate," Austin wrote. "His ceiling isn't what it used to be, but with Wilson leading the pack and a talented backfield that features Breece Hall, New York won't need Cooper to be the top option." Related: Robert Saleh Taking Three Ex-Jets to 49ers Related: Jets Contract Talks With Garrett Wilson Underway Amid Shocking Prediction This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
