There’s been one key aspect of Mykel Williams’s development that has caught eyes in the building.
The San Francisco 49ers are inching close to mandatory minicamp, currently conducting their organized team activities (OTAs) workouts as they get up to speed for the 2025 season.
While it was a quiet offseason overall, the 49ers have had quite the past six weeks, bringing in 11 draft picks and adding edge rusher Bryce Huff via trade this week.
At the top of the draft was first-round pick Mykel Williams, who is expected to take on a substantial role in his freshman year as the edge opposite Nick Bosa. Williams, a 6’5, 260-pound lineman from Georgia, had been hampered by an ankle injury for much of last season, but was dominant in 2023.
Now fully healthy, Williams is a common pick to win the NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year. But, in order to do that, he’ll need to bridge the gap between his ceiling and current floor sooner rather than later.
Well, introduce Nick Bosa, who has been serving as a mentor for the rookie early on, and has been impressed.
“I’m seeing a lot of talent, a lot of eagerness to learn, more so than I’ve seen probably from any young guy,” Bosa said. “He just wants to learn as much as he can, and I’m excited to give all the knowledge I can to him. I think he’s got a ton of talent, so the sky’s the limit.”
“Just length, size, explosiveness, all the things you want—strength, physicality,” Bosa said. “He’s got it all.”
Defensive line coach Kris Kocurek sees the initial potential with Williams as well, noticing the relationship between Bosa and the 21-year-old growing.
“Guys like Nick Bosa and Kevin Givens, who’ve been here the longest, both of them are going into their seventh year, I think it’s instrumental that they kind of set the tone,” Kocurek said earlier this week. “And even the guys that have been here for a calendar year, that have been within the scheme, and been here, and kind of know the way things are ran here, to be able to articulate that to the younger guys, and articulate the standard of play that we were looking for, how we want to conduct ourselves in the meeting rooms, in the weight room, on the field, and just the manner that we want to go about doing things, I think it’s very, very important.”
“[Mykel’s just] being a sponge, and trying to ask Nick a lot of questions,” Kocurek continued, “and Nick pulling a young rookie to the side and giving him small pointers on what he could do better to help him be successful.”
It’s a step forward in both of their paths as Bosa, commonly known for his quieter demeanor, is looking to be more vocal, while Williams is looking to grasp everything before making his mark in training camp.
While Bosa is the one helping out Williams now, it could be the opposite way around as well during the season if things go to plan. If Williams can prove to be an effective run stopper and/or pass-rusher, that changes the advantages an offense can have.
It’ll be harder for teams to run at Williams on the ground, helping set one of the edges opposite Bosa. And he could command more attention as a rusher or kick inside, either giving Bosa more 1-on-1 opportunities or pairing him with an explosive, speed rusher in Bryce Huff on the other side.
All-in-all, it’s a good sign that Williams is impressing early and that it’s Bosa being the mentor, helping the rookie soak everything in. That should prove beneficial down the line as the 49ers try and revamp their defensive line to being one of the best units in the league.