ESPN thinks Mykel Williams is at the top of Defensive Rookie of the Year predictions. If he gets it, Nick Bosa, Renardo Green; many people would benefit from the massive ripple effect.
The edge opposite San Francisco 49ers pass rusher Nick Bosa has been somewhat of a running gag. Every year, you think the team might have it figured out, with acquisitions like Dee Ford and Chase Young, but then injuries, talent, or effort derail the hopes and dreams.
So if the 49ers’ first-round pick Mykel Williams pans out, it could give us a year off of the punchline. And if he wins Defensive Rookie of the Year? That might just retire the joke altogether.
ESPN’s Ben Solack thinks it’s possible. In his early Defensive Rookie of the Year predictions, Solak ranked Williams at the top of his Defensive Rookie of the Year contenders, ahead of Atlanta Falcons’ Jalon Walker, New York Giants’ Abdul Carter, and Jacksonville Jaguars’ Travis Hunter.
That leaves us with the Georgia alums. Mykel Williams joined the 49ers at pick No. 11, and Jalon Walker was taken by the Falcons four picks later. These are my two favorite players for Defensive Rookie of the Year. They play the splashiest position; edge rushers have won the award in five of the past six years. They have very little competition for snaps. Williams needs to fend off only Yetur Gross-Matos and Drake Jackson to get opportunities opposite Nick Bosa, while Walker might be the top edge rusher on an Atlanta defense featuring Leonard Floyd and Arnold Ebiketie (plus fellow rookie James Pearce Jr.).
Solak ultimately gave the edge to Williams, noting that Kris Kocurek could unlock more production from him than we ever saw at Georgia.
Obviously, a DROY for Williams would be loved just because it’s a DROY for a 49ers draft pick. When you get that out of the way, what would the rest of the defense look like if that happens?
Here’s the thing: if Mykel Williams is even in the Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation, that tells us everything. It means Bosa isn’t getting quadruple-teamed. It means the run defense is holding up. It means the secondary’s not bailing water. If Williams is playing that well, then the weakest part of the 49ers defense is finally isn’t dragging the rest down with it.
Obviously, any player who gets DROY benefits their whole team. That’s a given. Thing is, with how much a letdown and unreliable Nick Bosa’s opposite end is, the team has concurrently suffered for that as well. The real prize in all of this? A functioning edge opposite Nick Bosa.
Do you think Williams has a shot at Defensive Rookie of the Year?