The 49ers bet on Mykel Williams’ upside in the 2025 NFL Draft, and one new teammate expects the gamble to pay off.
The 49ers are yet to even go through a full padded practice, but there are already extremely high expectations for their top draft pick Mykel Williams.
San Francisco selected Williams 11th overall in large part for his ability to dominate in the run game, while also backing him to make the necessary progress as a pass rusher after a college career with Georgia in which the promise he displayed rushing off the edge and from the interior failed to translate into significant sack production.
Williams’ role in year one will likely see him play as a base end on first and second down and kick inside on third down. On those true pass rushing downs, he will be rushing next to two players who have enjoyed significant success getting after the quarterback under defensive coordinator Robert Saleh in Nick Bosa and Bryce Huff.
The 49ers acquired Huff in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles last month, giving them a rotational edge rusher who had 10 sacks in 2023, his final season playing for the New York Jets in what proved to be Saleh’s penultimate year as head coach.
Reunited with Saleh with the 49ers, Huff will likely come in on those true passing downs and look to create chaos with his explosiveness and well-rounded pass rush skill set.
With Bosa rushing off the other the edge and the likes of Williams and Yetur Gross-Matos set to rush from the inside from what is known as the 49ers’ NASCAR package, San Francisco’s defensive line looks well-placed for a pass-rushing bounce back in 2025.
And speaking to Brad Graham of TheSFNiners, Huff voiced his lofty expectations for Williams.
Asked about his first impression of the former Bulldog, Huff said: “He’s a unit. I’m not gonna lie to you. I saw him training this morning [Tuesday] and I said: ‘Yeah he’s gonna wreak some havoc in this front for sure.’”
With his size at over 6ft 5in and 260 pounds, Williams is going to make a big first impression on a lot of people, and adding significant physical presences up front was clearly a priority for the 49ers, who drafted two more big bodies at defensive tackle in Alfred Collins and CJ West.
But Williams’ ability to wreak havoc in year one will be partially contingent on Huff’s success. If Huff can return to his 2023 best and get opposing tackles to turn their hips quickly by threatening their outside shoulder, then that should create more space for Williams and others rushing from the interior to do damage.
Too often in recent years it has been ‘Bosa or bust’ rushing the passer for the 49ers. With Huff’s acquisition and the addition of Williams in the draft, they now look to have a group up front that should complement each other better and produce more successful team rushes. If that happens, Williams will be in a good spot to live up to expectations.