Playing specific techniques along the 49ers defense should go a long way in Mykel Williams progressing as a rookie
The San Francisco 49ers had their highest draft pick in the first round since 2021. Expectations are sky-high for Mykel Williams, as the 20-year-old edge rusher walks into a situation where he’ll not only be expected to learn on the fly but produce at a level high enough that the Niners don’t miss Leonard Floyd.
ESPN’s Benjamin Solak covered a little bit of everything, from names to know to schedule features to bold predictions for the upcoming 2025 regular season. Solak believes Williams could win Defensive Rookie of the Year, but with a caveat:
Mykel Williams will win Defensive Rookie of the Year. 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. (And if he doesn’t win this award, Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger will.)
At Georgia, Williams never fully played a proper edge rusher role. For example, as a true freshman, he lined up on the edge for 55 percent of his snaps. Williams would play defensive end, but it’d be head up on the offensive tackle or even inside lined up at guard.
There’s a significant difference between playing a Wide-9 technique compared to a 4i — which is where the defensive end is lined up on the inside eye of the offensive tackle. Your responsibilities are night and day. Georgia, despite fielding a defense full of four and five-star recruits, rarely put their pass rushers in a position to pin their ears back.
After he was drafted, Williams said he wanted eight to ten sacks and “whatever rookie award it is.” There’s a recording of Williams where he thinks he could have racked up sack totals had Georgia allowed him to, ya know, actually rush the passer.
It was one of the biggest struggles I had when watching the 49ers first-rounder. I never understood why Georgia didn’t use him on obvious passing downs the way other teams do, leading me to believe that maybe Williams isn’t cut out to be a primetime pass rusher. His ankle injury likely contributed to the decision to kick Williams inside.
That’s over, though. Now, Williams will get every opportunity he missed out on during the previous two seasons and will have more 1-on-1s than he could have ever dreamed of. It’ll be on Kris Kocurek to help Williams develop a consistent pass-rush plan and Mykel to stay healthy, but it’s not far-fetched to think the player playing on the opposite side of Nick Bosa will rack up enough stats and make enough plays to be considered the Defensive Rookie of the Year.