49ers star Nick Bosa heaps rare praise on first-round rookie

Nick Bosa believes his new running mate will form a tantalizing duo alongside him for years to come. One month after the San Francisco 49ers took Mykel Williams with their first-round pick, Bosa already sees elite potential in the rookie.

After working with Williams at the 49ers' OTAs, Bosa had high praise for the rookie edge-rusher. The five-time Pro Bowler said his new teammate has “more eagerness to learn” than any young player he has seen.

“I've seen a lot of eagerness to learn, more so than I've probably seen from any young guy,” Bosa said of Williams, via David Lombardi of The San Francisco Standard.

The 49ers tend to be cautious with rookies, giving Williams a 50-50 chance of starting Week 1. However, after the team released veteran Leonard Floyd, they have a clear vacancy for him to fill at defensive end. San Francisco appeared to be laser-focused on taking Williams with the No. 11 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Williams is arguably the 49ers' most exciting 2025 offseason addition, but hardly their only one. After a disappointing 6-11 season in 2024, San Francisco uprooted its entire roster from top to bottom. Kyle Shanahan even made notable changes to his coaching staff, promoting Klay Kubiak to offensive coordinator and re-hiring Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator.

49ers have high expectations for Mykel Williams in 2025

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While San Francisco returns Bosa, pass-rushing was one of the team's biggest needs in the offseason. Bosa led the team with nine sacks in 2024 — his fewest in four years — but is the only returning productive edge-rusher. In addition to Floyd, who was second on the team with 8.5 sacks, the 49ers also released Maliek Collins and Javon Hargrave. Collins was third on the team with five sacks, tying his career-high.

Rotational edge-rushers Sam Okuayinonu and Yetur Gross-Matos return, but the 49ers invested the most in Williams. They subsequently acquired Bryce Huff from the Philadelphia Eagles, but Williams is easily the future of the team's defense.

The 49ers made a concerted effort to improve their defensive line in the 2025 NFL Draft. After taking Williams, San Francisco added defensive tackles CJ West and Alfred Collins in the ensuing rounds.