Get to Know Mykel Williams
The presence of 6-foot-5, 260-pound pass rushers was once a rarity. Nowadays, it appears there are multiple freakishly large individuals playing defensive line in every single class. Defensive lineman Mykel Williams fits that mold.
Williams plays defensive end for Hardaway High School in Columbus, Ga., and is set to make his college decision on March 15.
So, with just a month left before his decision date, here is a look at who this young man is as a football player.
Uncommon Athleticism
We have already discussed how the standard has shifted in terms of defensive linemen. No longer is it enough to be big in today's game, players have to be filled with twitch, bend, power and explosiveness to be elite on the college level.
At 6-foot-5, Williams bends with the best of them. He has extremely loose hips and plays with excellent pad level. His fluidity in the open field when pursuing ball-carriers is unmatched in the state of Georgia considering his size and position.
Technician
Watching defensive line guru Chuck Smith work with these young prospects up close and personal, it's easy to see that all of his young pupils are technicians at the position. Smith does a great job teaching hand-fighting techniques as well as ensuring that the footwork follows in order to make them elite pass rushers.
Names like Von Miller, Aaron Donald, Stephon Tuitt and Azeez Ojulari have all trained under Smith during his time. He's commonly referred to as "Dr. Rush." Simply put, any player that's spent as much time as Williams has with a trainer the caliber of Smith will be ready to get after the passer from Day 1 in college.
Scheme Fit
Williams envisions himself as a true defensive end, although the reality is he's more of a traditional odd-front end. By the time he leaves college, he's projected to weigh around 300 pounds and coaches don't play those types of guys in traditional edge-rusher roles.
However, a school like Georgia that runs a version of an odd-front defense with a defensive end that typically plays with inside alignment on the tackle, would be the ideal scheme for a player like Williams.
He's too athletic to leave on the interior of the defensive line, and he's far too powerful and impactful in the run game to leave him out on the edge. What a school like Georgia or Alabama does is ideal for a player like Williams.
Early Prediction
Georgia defensive line coach Tray Scott is on an absolute heater right now. He's locked up his top targets in the state of Georgia early on in the 2022 cycle with Tyre West, Donovan Westmoreland and Darris Smith, and he's 1-for-1 on out-of-state talent with defensive tackle Bear Alexander also in the fold.
I don't like the idea of betting against Scott this cycle when it comes to in-state players that he's coveted and is heavily pursuing. Williams fits that mold. Additionally, current Georgia commit Tyre West and Williams are extremely close. When you watch them work out together, they are constantly in the same groups and competing with each other.
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