Mykel Williams #13 of the Georgia Bulldogs recorded five sacks and two forced fumbles in 2024.
Perry McIntyre/ISI Photos/Getty Images
John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan did not make history Thursday night by becoming the first general manager and head coach to fail to gush about their just-made, first-round pick in the NFL draft.
But say this for the San Francisco 49ers’ duo: They were very convincing while insisting they couldn’t believe their good fortune because – you might have heard this before – their top target somehow fell into their lap.
Lynch and Shanahan sounded giddy after they addressed their defensive line, a position they prize that’s become a pressing need, by selecting Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams with the No. 11 pick. Williams was the second pass rusher selected – he was preceded by Penn State’s Abdul Carter (No. 3) – and Lynch and Shanahan were pessimistic about him falling out of the top 10.
In fact, Lynch said they were “hanging on,” hoping Williams would be available, before he decided to aggressively pursue their guy. Lynch called an undisclosed team in a failed attempt to trade up and was happy he was rebuffed after standing pat netted Williams.
“We had a good idea he was going (to be drafted) earlier, but you never actually know,” Shanahan said. “We were talking up (trading) up. John definitely attempted for a (second) … they shot him down. So we were ready to watch him go away. We were ready to go to our second (choice) and third, but he didn’t go where we thought he was going to go.”
So what’s the fuss all about? Williams is 6-foot-5 and 267 pounds and Lynch said defensive line coach Kris Kocurek termed him the draft class’s best edge setter. That refers to a defensive end’s ability to hold his position outside and turn runs back into the middle, which Lynch has said is most important trait for the 49ers when evaluating pass-rushing prospects.
“That’s a hallmark of what we want in an edge guy,” Lynch said. “And he does it extremely well.”
Williams, a two-time, second-team All-SEC pick, also possesses the power, flexibility and length (82 7/8-inch wingspan) to be an accomplished NFL QB harasser.
“The film was very impressive,” Lynch said. “Mykel is a big, good-looking kid in every way. 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.”
Williams also won’t turn 21 until June – Shanahan termed him a “20-year-old who looks like a man on tape” – and his pre-draft visit to the 49ers confirmed the intel they had received from their scouts about Williams’ leadership and character.
“He kind of had a maturity and way about him when he came through here,” Lynch said. “We felt it. We felt his presence. They talk about it at Georgia: His leadership. Just very comfortable with his own skin. That was very impressive when you put it together, along with the film.”
Lynch and Shanahan were asked about a potential problem with Williams: Why didn’t that film show him taking more quarterbacks to the turf? Williams had 14 sacks and 21.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage in a three-season, 40-game career that included 17 starts.
There are factors that provide context for his modest production. For starters, Williams was part of a deep defensive line rotation at Georgia and averaged 33.5 snaps per game in 2024 after logging 29.3 and 27.1, respectively, in his previous seasons. In addition, he suffered a high ankle sprain in the 2024 season opener, missed just two games and finished with a career-best five sacks in 12 games despite not being fully healthy.
“I played on it the whole year and that really just wasn’t a smart decision at the time,” Williams said. “I just wanted be out there with my guys, so I was playing through a lot of pain.”
Shanahan all but shrugged when asked about Williams’ statistical production, initially saying he wasn’t even aware of his career sack total. A reporter shared that Williams had just 14 sacks.
“That doesn’t even register that much because that’s not what I see,” Shanahan said. “I see a guy that’s really hard to block in the run game and the pass game.”
With Williams, the 49ers hope they have finally found a disruptive bookend to pair with All-Pro edge rusher Nick Bosa. It’s a spot they’ve been looking to fill since Pro Bowl defensive end Dee Ford’s career was derailed by a back injury after the 2019 season. The 49ers have since signed Samson Ebukam and Leonard Floyd in free agency, traded for Chase Young and selected Drake Jackson with a second-round pick in 2022.
In March, the 49ers released Floyd, along with two other front-four starters, defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins, while not adding a defensive lineman in free agency. Those cost-cutting moves telegraphed that Lynch and Shanahan were likely to make a defensive lineman their first pick for the fifth time in nine drafts since they were hired in 2017.
After doing just that, Lynch said there was more to do.
“We still need more,” Lynch said. “We’ve got 10 more picks and (Williams) won’t be the only D-lineman, so we’ve got to keep going. We’ve always talked about (defensive linemen) are kind of the engine that stirs our defense. We’ve got some work to do. We know that. But I think this guy’s a great core piece.”