In a mild surprise, Mykel Williams edged out Jalon Walker i. The competition to be the first Georgi Bulldogs off the draft board, going eleventh overall to the San Fransisco 49ers.
Williams was just too good for the Red and Gold to pass up. At 6’5 and 265 pounds Williams has prototype edge rush size but also the athleticism to play standing up at outside linebacker as he did his first two seasons in Athens. And those were uniformly productive seasons. In his inaugural campaign in 2022 he was named Freshman All-American and SEC All-Freshman Team after leading the national champions with 4.5 sacks. Williams played in all 15 games, earning two starts while racking up 28 total tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss.
In his sophomore season he earned Second-team All-SEC honors, piling up 18 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, and 2 pass breakups across 10 starts. As a junior Williams played through an ankle injury suffered in the opener against Clemson, but still earned Second-team All-SEC honors, with 21 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, and 5 sacks across 12 games.
Williams is an explosive athlete who uses his exceptional length to keep tackles and tight ends away from his body. If anything the Columbus native plays stronger than his weight room numbers would indicate, getting good punch on blockers and rarely allowing himself to be pushed around. Williams is one of the youngest prospects in the draft, and won’t even turn 21 until later this year. It’s likely that he could continue to bulk up and grow into his body over the course of his first couple of NFL seasons.
Mykel also needs to develop the finer points of the pass rushing craft if that is to be his NFL vocation. While he has an above average bull rush and can speed rush tackles who aren’t expecting it, Williams needs to develop a better repertoire of counters and second moves to consistently best NFL blockers. But Williams has a reputation as a hard worker and his effort on the field is reliable. There’s no reason to think he won’t develop into a solid edge rusher at the next level.
Go ‘Dawgs!!!