Mykel Williams Told 49ers He Wants to Rush from Interior on 3rd Down

The 49ers will need another edge rusher on third downs if Williams moves inside.

Georgia defensive lineman Mykel Williams (13) goes in for a sack on Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) during the second half of the SEC championship game against Texas in Atlanta, on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. | Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When the 49ers drafted Mykel Williams with the 11th pick, it wasn't clear exactly what their vision for him was.

Do they see him as a true edge-rusher, like a young Aldon Smith? Or do they see him as an edge-setter who moves to the interior when it's time to rush the quarterback?

According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, Williams may see himself as the latter.

"Once they got into the draft process, and involved their coaches, things only ramped up on San Francisco’s affection for Williams," writes Breer. "Defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, after watching him, called Williams the best edge-setter in college football. When Lynch and Kyle Shanahan sat him down on his 30 visit and asked him, third down in the Super Bowl, where do you want us to line you up, his answer was, 'over the guard' — illustrating his versatility, and the tough-guy nature to his game apparent in how he played through the injury."

Williams' response also illustrates where he feels most confident rushing the quarterback, and that's from the interior, not from the edge.

And that's OK as long as Williams is a productive interior rusher. He can line up next to Nick Bosa and the two of them can play off each other and run stunts and games. In Bosa's best seasons -- 2021 and 2022 -- he rushed next to Arden Key and Charles Omenihu, two defensive ends who moved to defensive tackle on third down. So maybe Williams and Bosa can bring the best out of each other.

Still, the 49ers will need another edge rusher on third downs if Williams moves inside, and it's unclear who that edge rusher will be.