The San Francisco 49ers make Mykel Williams their first pick in the NFL Draft

The pride of Georgia's Hardaway High, Williams is set to make his mark in the NFL after a stellar career with the Georgia Bulldogs

Feb 26, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Georgia defensive lineman Mykel Williams (DL73) during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Coming out of Hardaway High (Georgia) in the class of 2022, Mykel Williams signed with the Georgia Bulldogs as one of the most celebrated high school football players in recent history.

The five-star recruit was rated the nation's No. 4 overall prospect, behind only Travis Hunter, Walter Nolen and Luther Burden III, and was named the "National Defensive High School Player of the Year," by the Maxwell Football Club.

On Thursday, Williams became a top-15 NFL draft pick, when the the San Francisco 49ers selected him with the No. 11 overall pick of the first round, living up to the lofty hype that was bestowed upon him as a young teen.

But it's been a journey.

After originally committing to the USC Trojans in the summer between his junior and senior seasons, Williams took an official visit to check out the in-state Bulldogs in October and flipped his commitment just four days later.

As a senior, Williams registered 81 tackles, 20.5 tackles-for-loss and 12.5 sacks, earned "247Sports' Alpha Dog" at the 2022 All-American Bowl and enrolled early at Georgia will as much hype as any player in recent memory.

Here's what 247Sports had to say about him at the time, projecting him as a future first-round pick:

"Outstanding frame with good height and elite length. Athletic build. Wears mass well and owns ample space for more bulk. ...Terrorizes offenses from various front-line spots. Stands on the edge, drops a hand in the dirt, and also moves inside, at times in a four-point stance. Will fit myriad personnel looks with ability to play a variety of roles thanks to physical tools. ... Shows consistently good snap anticipation and couples with explosive first step. Initiates contact with heavy-handed violence and terrific functional athleticism. Displays chase-down pursuit athleticism with elite closing speed relative to size. ... Most dominant player at 2022 All-American Bowl week. Regularly beat elite offensive linemen in practice 1-on-1 reps and recorded three TFL in the game. Gets blockers on their heels and finishes them with hand violence and power. Flashes consistent stack-and-shed disengaging strength vs. larger offensive linemen. ...Shows encouraging dip-and-bend ability off the edge. Strong production with double-digit sacks three consecutive seasons (40-plus in all). Move set still a work in progress but promising. ...Possesses immense strength capacity given physical specs. Pass rusher by nature but physique and frame space to become a full-time 3- or 5-tech type if desired. Still, athleticism and length could dictate a permanent jumbo edge player. Regardless of alignment, projects to the high-major level as a likely immediate contributor who becomes an impact player with long-term high-round NFL Draft potential."

Even with a loaded Georgia roster and a younger-than-most birth date for his class, Williams managed to play early in Athens.

Williams was a Freshman All-American selection by several publications and capped his season with a sack and three quarterback hurries in the national championship game victory over TCU.

Over the next two seasons, the former five-star recruit finished as a second-team All-SEC selection, but played on an injured leg/ankle for much of his senior season and still earned a 78.4 PFF grade, highlighted by an 82.9 mark against the run.

Given his impressive physical profile, his ability to stop the run and his projection as a potential "sack getter" in a friendly pass-rush scheme, it makes sense that Williams is being talked about as a likely NFL first-round selection.

PFF certainly has high praise for his fundamentals and projection:

"Williams is a long, strong, versatile edge prospect whose motor is always running hot. His pass-rush profile and consistency (win percentage) are lower than ideal for a projected top-20 pick, but his floor as an elite run defender is so high, and his build is so alluring, that he's worth taking the chance on in that range for a team running odd or even fronts."

NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah released a much-discussed top 150 prospects list every year ahead of the draft.

Jeremiah has Williams at No. 22:

"Williams is a talented edge rusher with rare physical traits. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury in the opening game against Clemson and played through pain for the remainder of the season. When healthy, he has a dynamic get-off and can win early from the edge or when he’s reduced inside. He has extremely long arms and blockers struggle to get to his chest. He has a nasty shake/bull move and he also flashes a violent swipe move to generate pressure. Against the run, he still found a way to set a physical edge even when he couldn’t put much weight on one leg because of his injury. His effort never wavered. Overall, the 2024 tape isn’t a fair representation of Williams’ talent. He has game-changing tools when healthy and locked in."

While Williams' career didn't end in individual accolades the way his high school career did, it's clear he's lived up to the hype as a consensus five-star recruit.

A first-round paycheck is likely to be his reward.

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