The San Francisco 49ers had their sights set on Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams before the start of the 2025 NFL Draft. Believing he wouldn't last until their pick at No. 11, the team explored trade-up scenarios in an effort to secure him earlier. But to their surprise—and relief—Williams was still on the board when they went on the clock.

"We were hanging on," general manager John Lynch told reporters after making the pick. "We thought there were a number of instances where he might go, and just kept kind of watching the deal, and other guys kept showing up [being drafted]. So that was a good thing for us, and really, really pleased with adding Mykel to our group."


RELATED49ers select Georgia DE Mykel Williams with No. 11 pick in 2025 NFL Draft
Lynch added that the 49ers liked everything about Williams.

"The film is very impressive," he said. "I mean, Mykel's a big, good-looking kid in every way. He's big, he's tall, he's long, he's a great athlete, he's tough, he's smart, he's versatile. He can play outside, he can play inside. He does all those things.

"I think the toughness, he played through an ankle injury last year and missed two games, but high-ankle sprains can be a tough deal, and to only miss two games and play as well as he did [is impressive].

"Came through here on a 30-visit and really got a feel for the kid. And I just think, all of that, led us to this guy is a Niner. He fits who we are, our culture, and we pounced when he was there."

Regarding trying to trade up to select Williams earlier, Lynch said, "We tried, and thank God they took someone else because he was still there when we picked. So we're happy."


Head coach Kyle Shanahan added, "We thought about going up, and John definitely attempted for a sec, and I was like, 'Good attempt, man. I think we should go.' But they shot him down. So we were ready to watch him go away, and we were ready to go to our second and third [choice], but he didn't go where we thought he was going to go.

"And then, he got to our pick, and I was like, 'I can't believe you tried to trade there. Of course he was coming.' So, that's our thing about the draft. You never know, but we stuck there and waited for a guy, and we got the guy we wanted."

Defensive line coach Kris Kocurek made it clear that Williams is an ideal fit for the 49ers' defensive scheme.

"I was just talking to Kris Kocurek, and he 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 said. "So, if that's the premise of one of the things that's a hallmark of what we want in an edge guy, he does it extremely well, and I think that was impressive."

The 49ers were also impressed by Williams' versatility, noting his ability to make an impact both off the edge and from the interior.


As for the remainder of the draft, the 49ers still have plenty of work ahead in reloading their roster with young talent. One thing general manager John Lynch emphasized Thursday night—the effort to rebuild the defensive line is far from over.

"We've got 10 more picks, and he won't be the only D-lineman," Lynch said. "So, we've got to keep going. We've always talked about, [pass rushers], they're kind of the engine that stirs our defense, and we've got some work to do. We know that. But I think this guy's a great core piece moving forward and a great bookend to [DE Nick] Bosa, who also has the versatility, along with [DE] Yetur [Gross-Matos], to kind of play throughout the line."

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