Cardinals Should Gamble on Georgia Pass Rusher

Welcome back to our series assessing perfect picks for the Arizona Cardinals in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.

On today's menu we have one of the most exciting edge rusher prospects in the class in Georgia's Mykel Williams.

The former Bulldog is something to marvel at with his size of 6'5 and 265 lbs blended with some crazy athleticism that we've rarely seen before.

My lazy comparison has been to another former Bulldog in Travon Walker. Quite frankly, I believe it's a perfect comparison thanks to their similar size (Walker at 6'5 and 272 lbs) and high-end potential as raw or "project" prospects.

If you want another one, you could go with Odafe Oweh from the Baltimore Ravens.

The commonality between the three is size, speed, athleticism, and upside, but they all need(ed) coaching and patience to realize their potential. Walker figured himself out pretty quickly with consecutive 10+ sack seasons in his first three seasons. Oweh had his first 10 sack season as a fourth year guy.

Williams could require that same patience, but he's undeniably talented and could become a superstar.

Some will wonder if the Cardinals can afford to be patient and develop someone like Williams, but I'm here to introduce you to this monster of a man as well as his fit with the team and what his day one role may look like.

Let's begin:

Profile

Former Five-star recruit and consensus top-10 recruit in the nation (2022)

CFP National Champion (2022)

Two-time Second-Team All-SEC (2023, 2024)

The fit

Williams fits into this pass rushing room with tons of potential and upside thanks to his insane athleticism. The moment the Georgia product steps into the Cardinals' locker room he shows himself as one of the biggest guys in there. The only pass rusher who may look as big is Darius Robinson, who's 6'5 and 285 lbs.

From a profile standpoint, Williams fits right in with a pass rushing room that is getting bigger. He also fits what the team needs off the edge - athleticism.

Finding a guy with the pure, untapped potential that Williams possesses is tough to find. Sure, Arizona already has an athletic specimen in the aforementioned Robinson, but Williams brings his own take to the room with blinding speed and power conversion.

A Cardinals team in need of pass rushers would love Williams. A defense in need of a superstar pass rusher would love Williams even more.

The logic

Of the many, many pass rushers in this loaded class, I truly believe that Williams can be the best of all of them. The key to getting to that point will be to sit him down with this coaching staff and develop a plan for him with checkpoints along the way to make sure he's progressing correctly and timely.

The Cardinals have seen some elite pass rushers over the years, but the void left by Chandler Jones has not been filled even by a collective effort. Sure, that's a tall task, but even combining the pass rushers Arizona has seen since Jones left hasn't been enough.

Williams has the potential to grow into a player of Jones' caliber and I'm not just being polite. There aren't many people who look like Williams and move the way he does. From an athletic standpoint, he isn't far behind Jones - now it's a matter of getting him to that production standpoint.

Elite pass rushers make your defense great and the Cardinals know that as well as anyone else. Grabbing a top pass rusher is a must in this class, but grabbing a player who could potentially pass all of his classmates is quite exciting... albeit a gamble of sorts.

Day one role

Williams is a guy that Arizona must be patient with. Although the Georgia product has three years in Athens and two years starting under his belt, he hasn't reached his maximum potential. The upside with Williams is catastrophically good, but he needs time to get there.

The Cardinals coaching staff will be able to coach Williams up to his ceiling, but it could take a year or two to get him there. Injuries have slowed down Williams progress, as well, most evident this past season.

But while the team develops him, they can easily slide him in this rotation and get him reps. Even as a project, Williams is too good to keep on the sidelines and we've seen how great he can be in flashes. Those same flashes will be what gets him on the field and keeps him out there.

No need to worry, Cardinals fans, you'll see this kid early and often for this defense. My only advice would be to stay patient as he develops. Year one could see fewer than five sacks... but he could become an annual 10+ sack producer before his rookie contract ends.