Next year’s NFL draft will be fascinating and extremely important for the San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers are in a transition period with their roster where they’ll need to start finding replacements for some of the veteran stars that have helped carry them for the the last half decade. They need to start hitting on first-round picks and finding some superstars to replenish a roster that has been one of the NFL’s best for the last five years.
Barring a change in defensive philosophy, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they tried to find pass rush help with their first-round choice in the 2025 draft. That’s the exact route they go in a mock draft from Cory Kinnan at Daft on Draft. He has the 49ers snagging Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams with the No. 17 overall pick.
Teams are going to love Mykel Williams. Even if he hasn’t hit his max potential at Georgia, and even if he has had some issues staying healthy and on the field. Williams is explosive as hell, built in a lab, and possesses massive 36-inch arms with the bend to win along the outside track as well.
There aren’t many things the 49ers love more than an edge rusher with measurables and high-caliber tools, although the injury issues may scare them off.
Williams in three seasons has played in 33 games, posting 11.0 sacks and 19 tackles for loss. Pro Football Focus credits him with 68 pressures. Perhaps the more notable thing that would make Williams so enticing for San Francisco is that he’s graded out very well as a run defender which would allow him to stay on the field for all three downs – something the 49ers will surely want from a first-round selection. There’s also a chance at Williams’ size that he could also contribute as an interior pass rusher.
There are other needs the 49ers could theoretically address in the first round of next year’s draft, but don’t be surprised if their pick goes toward a high-upside edge rusher like Williams.
