SANTA CLARA — The 49ers got their guy at No. 11 in Mykel Williams, whom the personnel department had their eyes on for over a year.
The Georgia edge rusher stood out from the beginning to 49ers directors of player personnel Tariq Ahmad and RJ Gillen, and director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams, who all spoke after the 2025 NFL Draft concluded on Saturday.
“I would say last summer, exactly,” Ahmad said. “I loved watching him last summer, I loved watching him in the fall. Disappointing about the ankle injury, but loved the way he played through it, loved his practice habits. When every scout went there, he still practiced with that injury, and that really stood out to us.”
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SIGN UP HERE Mykel Williams suffered a high ankle sprain in the first game of the 2024 season and continued to practice and play, but his mobility was slightly hindered by the injury. The defensive lineman still appeared in 12 games and registered 21 tackles -- 15 solo and nine for a loss -- along with two forced fumbles and two pass breakups.
“I ended up playing through it, and I played on it the whole year and that really just wasn’t a smart decision at the time,” Mykel Williams said. “I just wanted be out there with my guys. So, I was playing through a lot of pain and right now I’m 100 percent healthy, though, and I’ve been working out and moving on it like normal.”
Seeing the Georgia product in person sold Josh Williams even more. The edge setter’s stature and ability to dominate opposing blockers, as well as opening up opportunities for his teammates, spoke to the director of scouting.
“I saw him in training camp, and then I was at the Ole Miss [versus] Georgia game, and pregame,” Josh Williams said. “That’s when I really realized he’s got an NFL body, he’s made of the right stuff, he’s serious. He just looked like a guy who would wear our uniform and represent us the right way.
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“He executes his job at a high level. Whether it’s setting an edge in the run game, opening up lanes for other guys in the pass game, and then also just meddling blocks himself. He plays at a high level. He showed up in big games and he just was an unselfish teammate.”
Gillen only started watching Mykel Williams’ film the summer before his final season at Georgia, but it was the early film that resonated for the director.
“He’s also a young player,” Gillen said. “He hadn’t even turned 20 years old yet, and he was productive as a true freshman on an extremely talented Georgia team. So that went a long way for me. Just before the season watching his freshman and sophomore year, and a young freshman standing out on extremely talented Georgia team.”
The journey has just begun for the first-round draft pick, but for the heads of the scouting department, they are just getting into the heart of the story for the player who they think could make a lasting impact for the 49ers.