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Will 49ers Rookie Mykel Williams be a Bust in 2025?

Mykel Williams has a ton of pressure to perform this year.
Grant Cohn|
May 9, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Mikel Williams (98) works out during the teamís rookie minicamp. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
May 9, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Mikel Williams (98) works out during the teamís rookie minicamp. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

Mykel Williams has a ton of pressure to perform this year.

The 49ers drafted him with the 11th pick a few months ago, and their track record of drafting players in Round 1 is not good. Think Solomon Thomas, Reuben Foster, Javon Kinlaw and Trey Lance. Now, Williams needs to prove that he's not the next in a long line of 49ers busts, according to Bleacher Report.

"The Georgia product may eventually be an NFL star, but he could easily underwhelm as a rookie," writes Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox.

"Williams entered the draft with intriguing physical traits but with limited proven production (14 sacks in three seasons). He may not step into a significant rookie role either, as the 49ers traded for Bryce Huff post-draft to help complement Nick Bosa on the edge.

"Most fans expect first-round picks to be instant difference-makers, but Williams may be looking at a developmental year in 2025."

Not only will Williams have to beat out Huff for snaps, he also will have to beat out veteran Yetur Gross-Matos, whose salary cap number is nearly two times greater than Williams' this year. And they play the same position. Both are defensive ends in the base defense who move to defensive tackle on passing downs. And Gross-Matos is 27 while Williams is 21.

Granted, Gross-Matos has an extensive injury history, but so does Williams. Both of them missed mandatory minicamp a few weeks ago. Whichever one can stay healthy most likely will start Week 1.

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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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