49ers Tried to Trade Up for Mykel Williams in Round 1 of NFL Draft

The 49ers almost made a blunder during Round 1 of the NFL Draft.

Nov 29, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Mykel Williams (13) walks into Sanford Stadium before a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The 49ers almost made a blunder during Round 1 of the NFL Draft.

They tried to trade up for defensive end Mykel Williams who ended up falling to them at pick No. 11. That's how much they wanted him according to general manager John Lynch. They were afraid another team picking ahead of them would take him, but no team did.

"We tried," Lynch said, "and thank God they took someone else because he was still there when we picked, so we’re happy.”

Here's what happened from head coach Kyle Shanahan's perspective:

Head Coach Kyle Shanahan: "My wife and kids, I told them who I wanted last night. I trust them, none of you guys know them (laughter). But I told them Mykel, but I was like, ‘I don’t think he’s going to be there.’ So, I was telling them other people you might think about. My wife calls me this morning and says she just read a mock draft that he’s going 28th and she was worried that we were just dead wrong about everything, sort of doubting me (laughter).

"But we had a good idea he was going earlier. And you don’t, you don’t actually know. And so, we thought about going up and John definitely attempted for a second and I was like, ‘Good attempt man. I think we should go.’ But they shot him down. And so, we were ready to watch him go away and we were ready to go to our second and third, but he didn’t go where we thought he was going to go.

"And then we got to our pick and I was like, ‘Can’t believe you tried to trade there, of course he was coming (laughter).’ So that’s our thing about the draft, you never know. But we stuck there and waited for our guy and we got the guy we wanted.”

This story reminds me of the time in 2021 when the 49ers traded three first-round picks and a third-rounder to the Miami Dolphins a month before the draft to move up from pick No. 12 to pick No. 3 to take Mac Jones even though Jones ultimately dropped to pick No. 15 and the 49ers eventually changed their minds and took Trey Lance instead.

Good thing the 49ers didn't repeat that mistake.