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SI's Albert Breer "Tempted" to Project 49ers DE Mykel Williams as DROY

He's in a terrific situation.
Grant Cohn|
May 9, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Mykel Williams (98) cools off during a water break from the teamís rookie minicamp. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
May 9, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Mykel Williams (98) cools off during a water break from the teamís rookie minicamp. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers may have picked a generational talent in Round 1 this year.

Mykel Williams plays a premium position -- defensive end. He's built like a young Aldon Smith. He's only 20. He's an elite run defender. And as a run defender, he'll get lots of one-on-one matchups playing opposite Nick Bosa.

That's why Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer thinks Williams has a legitimate shot to win the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.

"On defense, I’m very tempted to go with San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Mykel Williams, whom I suspect always had first-pick-type freakish ability hidden by injury last year," writes Breer. "He’ll be playing opposite Nick Bosa in a hyper-aggressive scheme, so it wouldn’t stun me if he rings up a dozen sacks. But it’s hard for me not to pick Abdul Carter, because I think his athleticism is so different for a player at that position, and because the Giants’ strength up front will allow for DC Shane Bowen to generate matchups for him."

Carter might record more sacks than Williams next season. But if Williams records double-digit sacks while playing elite run defense for a playoff team, he might get more votes than a one-trick pony on a bad team.

Williams is an intriguing pick because it's unclear how defensive coordinator Robert Saleh intends to use him. On first and second downs, Williams probably will be a defensive end. But on third downs, he might move to defensive tackle. Saleh could use him in lots of twists and stunts. He could be the outlet for Saleh's creativity. As opposed to Bosa, who generally does his own thing.

I'm picking Williams to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. He's in a terrific situation.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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