The first 10 picks of the 2025 NFL Draft were tense for San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan. As they watched the board unfold, they hoped one name wouldn't be called—Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams, the top player on their draft wish list. The team was so enamored with Williams that they even considered trading up, believing the New Orleans Saints were also eyeing him.
"We tried, and thank God they took someone else because he was still there when we picked," Lynch said as Day 1 of the draft concluded. "So we're happy."
The Saints selected offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., and Williams was available for the 49ers at No. 11.
On Monday, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated revealed that the team the 49ers tried to strike a deal with was the Carolina Panthers.
"The Niners' feelings on that were pretty clear when they tried to do a deal with the Carolina Panthers at No. 8, and jump the New Orleans Saints, who were said to be smitten with Williams, to get him," Breer wrote in a recent feature for Sports Illustrated.
The 49ers' infatuation with Williams started early—in the fall. That's when Lynch, along with directors of player personnel Tariq Ahmad and RJ Gillen, first took notice of the Georgia defender's impressive film. At the time, they didn't realize they were watching a version of Williams playing through a significant injury.
"The wild thing is at that point, they didn't even know he was playing hurt," Breer noted. "He suffered a significant high ankle sprain in Georgia's season opener, came back less than a month later and played the rest of the season through it. The Bulldogs didn't want anyone to know. Williams didn't either. But the reality was he wasn't himself. And he was still a dominant run-stopper and a rusher who, even without the sacks, consistently affected the passer."
Breer believes Williams has more untapped potential than most realize.
"I hurt my ankle like Week 1 last year, and then I ended up playing through it, and I played on it the whole year," Williams said after being drafted. "That really just wasn't a smart decision at the time. I just wanted to be out there with my guys, so I was playing through a lot of pain."
Fortunately for San Francisco, Williams is now fully recovered and ready to compete.
"Right now, I'm 100% healthy, though," he confirmed, "and I've been working out and moving on it like normal."
Once the 49ers' coaching staff became involved in the pre-draft evaluation process after the season ended, their admiration for Williams only deepened.
"Defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, after watching him, called Williams the best edge-setter in college football," Breer wrote. "When Lynch and Kyle Shanahan sat him down on his 30 visit and asked him, third down in the Super Bowl, where do you want us to line you up, his answer was, 'over the guard'—illustrating his versatility, and the tough-guy nature to his game apparent in how he played through the injury."
The 49ers may not have pulled off the trade, but they still landed their top target at No. 11. With Williams now healthy and eager to prove himself, San Francisco is hopeful they've added a cornerstone to a reloaded defensive front.