Latest news with #MykelWilliams
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
The San Francisco 49ers have revamped their defense through the offseason with one of the new key components learning alongside star edge rusher Nick Bosa.
The San Francisco 49ers have revamped their defense through the offseason with one of the new key components learning alongside star edge rusher Nick Bosa. originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The San Francisco 49ers did not completely overhaul their defense over the last few months, but they did start the offseason tearing down to the bones to begin remodeling this group. First, they began with a change in leadership, returning former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh back to his previous post. Advertisement That proved the catalyst for it all, watching a number of starters hit free agency and sign elsewhere. Since then, the Niners have reconstructed this unit with Saleh serving as the lead architect. Most of their notable moves came through the draft where San Francisco went defense-heavy with their selections. Edge Mykel Williams headlines this collection, entering the league as one of the most coveted defensive prospects. Williams had 14 sacks and 23 tackles for loss in his three years at Georgia. The production certainly impresses, but the attitude he has brought to the practice field thus far has caught the attention of the older heads in the room, namely defensive star Nick Bosa. 'A lot of eagerness to learn, more so than I have seen probably from a young guy,' Bosa said this week. 'He just wants to learn as much as he can, and I'm excited to give all the knowledge I can to him. I think he's got a ton of talent, so the sky's the limit.' Advertisement Williams has seemingly earned himself a proper mentor, not only generous from Bosa's side but the right move to take the young guy under his wing. Bosa and Williams will bookend the Niners' front and usher in the second Saleh era in the Bay Area. 'I definitely don't force anything,' Bosa said. 'I just try to give him enough. If I put myself in his shoes as a rookie, what would have helped me, what would have been too much, what I would have tried to avoid. "So, just get him focused on the right things. Things that will make him effective right away and things that I wish that I knew as a rookie.' Williams would be hard pressed to find a better veteran to learn from. Bosa is an established force, posting 53.5 sacks the last four seasons. The rookie's game encompasses more than just pressuring the quarterback, but learning from one of the league's most imposing players is an undeniable advantage. Advertisement As long as Williams continues to absorb information under Bosa he should be on the fast track to becoming an impact player in Saleh's system. The Niners' defense has the foundation necessary to bounce back in 2025 though it will be the ancillary pieces like Williams that will reestablish the structure of a contending team. Related: George Kittle Praises 49ers QB Brock Purdy's Leadership Related: 49ers QB Named 'Breakout or Flop' Candidate This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NFL analyst projects 49ers edge rusher to win major NFL award in 2025
The San Francisco 49ers have been at their best, in recent years, when they have a dominant pass rush, and in 2024, they recorded sacks on just 6.69% of opposing quarterback dropbacks, ranking 18th in the NFL last year. This offseason, San Francisco made some moves to their defensive front, including watching Leonard Floyd (8.5 sacks in 2024) and Dre Greenlaw (120 tackles in 2023 before injury) sign with the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos, respectively, while allowing De'Vondre Campbell, Khalil Davis, Drake Jackson and Alex Barrett to remain unsigned over two months into the start of the new league year. Advertisement The 49ers made just one veteran addition to their front, signing Luke Gifford, who played 19.2% of the defensive snaps for the Tennessee Titans last season. San Francisco's biggest swing at improving their pass-rush in recent months came in the 2025 NFL draft when they used their first-round pick (No. 11 overall) on Mykel Williams. Now, ESPN's Ben Solak has predicted Williams will take home the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2025. "Mykel Williams will win Defensive Rookie of the Year," Solak wrote. "If the 49ers unleash him as a pass rusher in a way that Georgia never did -- and if his left ankle is healthy -- he has a great pass-rush profile for early success. He'll also rarely see double teams opposite Nick Bosa. A 10-plus-sack season is well within the cards." Williams, 20, was a five-star recruit out of Hardaway High School in Columbus, Georgia, prior to joining the Georgia Bulldogs. Over the last three years, he won a national championship and earned second-team All-SEC honors twice while recording 67 tackles (23 for a loss), 14 sacks, four passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 40 games. Advertisement There's a chance that Williams steps into the role on the other side of Bosa and finishes with more sacks than he did in any single season at Georgia (five sacks in 2024 was his career-high). If he does that, he'll have a chance to run away with this award that gone to a pass rusher in five of the last six years (Sauce Gardner winning in 2022 is the lone exception). More 49ers: 49ers rookie draws mixed reviews from college coaches This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers Mykel Williams projected to win Defensive Rookie of the Year
USA Today
27-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL analyst projects 49ers edge rusher to win major NFL award in 2025
NFL analyst projects 49ers edge rusher to win major NFL award in 2025 The San Francisco 49ers have been at their best, in recent years, when they have a dominant pass rush, and in 2024, they recorded sacks on just 6.69% of opposing quarterback dropbacks, ranking 18th in the NFL last year. This offseason, San Francisco made some moves to their defensive front, including watching Leonard Floyd (8.5 sacks in 2024) and Dre Greenlaw (120 tackles in 2023 before injury) sign with the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos, respectively, while allowing De'Vondre Campbell, Khalil Davis, Drake Jackson and Alex Barrett to remain unsigned over two months into the start of the new league year. The 49ers made just one veteran addition to their front, signing Luke Gifford, who played 19.2% of the defensive snaps for the Tennessee Titans last season. San Francisco's biggest swing at improving their pass-rush in recent months came in the 2025 NFL draft when they used their first-round pick (No. 11 overall) on Mykel Williams. Now, ESPN's Ben Solak has predicted Williams will take home the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2025. "Mykel Williams will win Defensive Rookie of the Year," Solak wrote. "If the 49ers unleash him as a pass rusher in a way that Georgia never did -- and if his left ankle is healthy -- he has a great pass-rush profile for early success. He'll also rarely see double teams opposite Nick Bosa. A 10-plus-sack season is well within the cards." Williams, 20, was a five-star recruit out of Hardaway High School in Columbus, Georgia, prior to joining the Georgia Bulldogs. Over the last three years, he won a national championship and earned second-team All-SEC honors twice while recording 67 tackles (23 for a loss), 14 sacks, four passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 40 games. There's a chance that Williams steps into the role on the other side of Bosa and finishes with more sacks than he did in any single season at Georgia (five sacks in 2024 was his career-high). If he does that, he'll have a chance to run away with this award that gone to a pass rusher in five of the last six years (Sauce Gardner winning in 2022 is the lone exception). More 49ers: 49ers rookie draws mixed reviews from college coaches
USA Today
24-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
49ers exec sees 'untapped upside' in rookie defensive lineman
49ers exec sees 'untapped upside' in rookie defensive lineman After using their first four picks in the 2025 NFL draft on Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams (No. 11 overall), Texas defensive lineman Alfred Collins (No. 43), Oklahoma State linebacker Nick Martin (No. 75) and Western Kentucky cornerback Upton Stout (No. 100), the San Francisco 49ers ended their run on defensive draft picks by taking Indiana defensive lineman CJ West in the fourth round. West, 22, was a three-star recruit at Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park, Illinois before committing to Kent State for the 2020 season. In four years with the Golden Flashes, he earned All-MAC honors once and recorded 110 tackles (19 for a loss), seven sacks, one pass defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 39 games played. This past year, West transferred to Indiana and finished the year with 40 tackles (eight for a loss), two sacks, one pass defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. San Francisco clearly put forth a concerted effort to improve their defensive front by adding three talented, young players in the first four rounds of the draft, but they're expected West to outperform his draft position. 'He's someone we think still has a lot of untapped upside,' 49ers director of player personnel Tariq Ahmad told The Athletic's Matt Barrows earlier this week. 'He's someone we're going to have to teach how to get off the ball the way we get off the ball. He is a powerful, heavy guy. He's got twitch, he's got short area movement, he's got instincts.' West measured in a 6-foot-1 and 316 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine. He also showed off his speed with a 4.95-second 40-yard dash and his explosive base with a 33-inch vertical jump. The former Hoosier impressed at this year's East-West Shrine Bowl leading up to the draft, and his performance their caught San Francisco's eye. 'We really felt his size and his quickness while he was there,' Ahmad said. 'And he was a great interview.' West will likely start his rookie campaign as a rotational piece on the defensive line, but if he shows out in training camp, he could start to earn more opportunities and could even push out one of Jordan Elliott or Kevin Givens for a starting spot alongside Collins. More 49ers: 49ers exec shares amazing practice story that pushed them to draft Mykel Williams
USA Today
23-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
49ers exec shares amazing practice story that pushed them to draft Mykel Williams
49ers exec shares amazing practice story that pushed them to draft Mykel Williams After a disappointing year getting after the passer, which saw them bring quarterbacks down on just 6.69% of his their dropbacks (18th in the NFL in 2024), the San Francisco 49ers watched Leonard Floyd sign with the Atlanta Falcons and let Khalil Davis sit unsigned on the free-agent market. Knowing that their pass-rush needed help, San Francisco aimed to improve that aspect of their game early in the 2025 NFL draft. In the first round, they used the 11th overall pick on Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams, who earned All-SEC honors twice and won a national championship during his time with the bulldogs. In 40 career games, Williams recorded 67 tackles (23 for a loss), 14 sacks, four passes defensed, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He also earned a 78.4 Pro Football Focus this past season in 402 defensive snaps. While speaking with The Athletic's Matt Barrows, 49ers director of player personnel Tariq Ahmad recently shared why they targeted Williams in a draft loaded with talented pass rushers. "Williams played virtually all of his final season at Georgia with a Grade 2 high ankle sprain," Barrows wrote. "John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan said on draft night that they were impressed by the 20-year-old's grit. It turns out Williams did more than play through the injury on Saturdays. "When national scout Steve Rubio went to Georgia for a practice, he noted that Williams not only took every practice repetition on the bad ankle but practiced for another 20 minutes after the formal session ended." It was that session that really intrigued San Francisco, and Ahmad shared that they did their best to hide their feelings about the player during the pre-draft process. 'That was a story that stood out to us,' Ahmad said. "I really wanted to go back for Mykel's workout. I was itching to go back, but John thought it was a better idea to just watch the tape.' Williams has the chance to pop in the NFL playing opposite one of the best pass rushers in the league in Nick Bosa. That attitude of playing through less severe injuries can also be infectious and could really impact the culture in San Francisco. If he can take advantage of the opportunities he'll be granted to go against single blockers with the threat of Bosa on the other side, not only could the 49ers mitigate Floyd's loss, but they could actually be a better front overall in 2025. More 49ers: 49ers not a fit for any of ESPN's top trade candidates or remaining free agents
