49ers First-Round Pick Labeled Obvious 'Rookie to Watch'

The San Francisco 49ers take a lot of pride in their defense, and the team added some exciting young pieces to the unit in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The most intriguing of which is former Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams.

In a recent article by PFF, they name some key players on every team's starting lineup. For the Niners, they list the 11th overall pick as one of the "rookies to watch" in the 2025 season.

"Along with fellow rookies Alfred Collins and CJ West, Mykel Williams was drafted to assist the 49ers’ defensive line in the run game," PFF wrote. "Across his three seasons at Georgia, Williams posted an outstanding 86.6 PFF run-defense grade. He isn’t particularly polished as a pass rusher yet, but his contributions in run defense alone make him an extremely important piece of Robert Saleh’s unit."

The 49ers were in the bottom half of the league in terms of rushing yards allowed this past season, so drafting a guy to help stuff the run was in the team's best interests going into the 2025 Draft.

And that is exactly what they did.

In his final season with the Bulldogs, he racked up nine tackles for loss, as well as five sacks. With some mentorship from superstar edge rusher Nick Bosa, he could develop his ability to get to the quarterback.

The Niners finished last in the NFC West with a 6-11 record, so Williams and the rest of the defense will be looking to help lead the team back to the playoffs.