With the No. 11 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, the 49ers added edge rusher Mykel Williams to the defensive front.
San Francisco has sought a bookend for Nick Bosa since the 2019 NFL season, and the 49ers appear to have found their man in the Georgia defensive end who has impressed defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
General manager John Lynch spoke to local Bay Area media after the 49ers selected Williams and shared Saleh's opinion on the pick.
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SIGN UP HERE “[Saleh] said this when we went through our draft meetings -- ‘I think he’s the best edge setter in college football. I think he’s the best edge setter in this draft class,' " Lynch recounted. “If that’s the premise of one thing that’s a hallmark of what we want in an edge guy, he does it extremely well and I think that was impressive.”
Williams spent draft evening celebrating with family and friends in Atlanta when he received the call from the 49ers. Later when speaking with local media via video call, a huge smile crept across his face upon hearing what Saleh said.
“That’s amazing because it’s coming from a very valued source,” Williams said. “That’s major and I really appreciate his opinion of me.”
Williams did get some experience in the wide-9 defense while at Georgia, but he saw more time on inside at 4i-technique. The first-round pick can’t wait to be utilized in the 49ers' scheme on the outside, believing he will have more play-making opportunities.
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“I love it, man,” Williams said. “I’m excited. I feel like how I play on the edges, being in the wide-9 the whole game, the whole time will allow me to make more plays and allow me to be a better player overall and have a better career.”
The 49ers historically used their top draft picks to fortify the defensive front, but not since 2019 and 2020 when the team added Nick Bosa and Javon Kinlaw, respectively, have they taken a lineman in the first round.
As an answer to the challenges the 49ers experienced stopping the run in 2024, Lynch believes Williams will help set San Francisco back on the right track.
“We’ve always talked about how they are the engine that stirs the defense,” Lynch said. “We’ve got some work to do, we know that. I think this guy is a great core piece moving forward and a great bookend to Bosa.”