The San Francisco 49ers wanted Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams badly enough, they tried to trade up to ensure they got him, but they ultimately didn’t have to worry when he fell to them at No. 11 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Williams’ talent did not translate into huge production over his three seasons at Georgia, with injuries notably impacting his performance last season. But he is just 20 years old, with the tools to become an NFL star.
With the Niners, Williams’ path to an immediate impact is clear, and he’ll have the coaching support (defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and defensive line coach Kris Kocurek) he needs to get there. It’s fair to assume Saleh and Kocurek both had significant influence on the decision to draft him.
ESPN analyst paves path to big rookie season for Mykel Williams
ESPN’s Ben Solak took a look at NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates for 2025, noting history, a player’s situation and the position they play to create a ranked order.
Of note, according to Solak, 22 of the last 25 Defensive Rookie of the Year award recipients have been first-round picks. No. 19 overall is the latest any of those 22 have been drafted, and all but two of those 22 went in the top half of the first round.
As Solak noted, five of the last six Defensive Rookie of the Year winners have been edge rushers. As an extension of that, Solak noted high projected snap share and less competition for snaps as differentiators. That led him to narrow to Williams and Atlanta Falcons’ rookie Jalon Walker (Williams’ Georgia teammate) as his top two candidates:
“Williams needs to fend off only Yetur Gross-Matos and Drake Jackson to get opportunities opposite Nick Bosa…”
Left with the top two by process of well-calculated elimination, Solak gave Williams the edge as his favorite for 2025 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year:
“Williams will play under legendary defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, who will free him up to play faster off the line than he ever did at Georgia…..Williams’ play style and role lends itself to a little more pass-rush production than Walker’s outlook, as we should expect Walker to spend some time dropping into coverage. As such, I give Williams the edge.”
FanDuel Sportsbook (odds subject to change) has Williams with the fourth-best odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year (+1100), but a clear path to winning the award is right in front of him.
