Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano recently listed the five most likely NFC busts from the 2025 NFL Draft. The word "bust" is the last thing San Francisco 49ers fans want to hear in connection with a first-round pick, especially considering the team's struggles to land high-impact players early in the draft, aside from Nick Bosa in 2019.
The 49ers famously traded a significant package of draft capital to select quarterback Trey Lance at No. 3 overall in 2021, and their top pick in 2020, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, never met expectations. Neither player remains on the roster.
Now, all eyes are on their latest first-round selection, former Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams. San Francisco can't afford another high-profile miss. Yet, Manzano believes Williams could be a bust (h/t Grant Cohn of Sports Illustrated for the find).
"The 49ers have struggled to find a productive No. 2 edge rusher to complement Nick Bosa," Manzano explained. "It's tough to assess whether San Francisco finally found the right player to hold down the role for many years to come partly because Williams didn't have the breakout junior season many expected him to have at Georgia due to a nagging ankle injury.
"Still, Williams displayed plenty of toughness and leaned on his superior strength to shed off blockers and create pressure. But the No. 11 pick might not have the same upside as the edge rushers who went after him. Walker is more polished and has positional versatility."
Interestingly, Manzano refers to Williams' former Georgia teammate, Jalon Walker, as the more polished option, yet also includes Walker in his list of five potential busts.
"For this year's potential busts, the focus was more on the team's poor track record at certain positions," Manzano wrote. "Also, versatility can be a negative if a team doesn't know how to apply it."
Manzano also notes that former Tennessee standout James Pearce Jr. was likely the best athlete among this year's pass rushers and even argues that former Texas A&M defender Shemar Stewart has more athletic upside than Williams. However, Manzano acknowledges there's bust potential with the latter as well.
Still, labeling any player a bust before their first NFL snap feels premature, and Manzano even states that in his article. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan were reportedly surprised—and thrilled—to see Williams still available when they were on the clock at No. 11. The 49ers even tried to trade up to secure him.
"If Williams can develop more tools and rely more on skills to break free, then adding the Georgia product to this list could look silly by next draft season," Manzano concluded.