But he needs to be a productive pass rusher as well to justify the 49ers drafting him in Round 1. And in three seasons at Georgia, he recorded just 14 sacks. So his pass-rush ability is a projection. He might be an edge rusher, or he might be an edge setter and an interior rusher. We don't know yet.
That's why Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano says Williams is one of five first-round picks from this year's draft who is most likely to be a bust.
"The 49ers have struggled to find a productive No. 2 edge rusher to complement Nick Bosa," writes Manzano. "It’s tough to assess whether San Francisco finally found the right player to hold down the role for many years to come partly because Williams didn’t have the breakout junior season many expected him to have at Georgia due to a nagging ankle injury.
"Still, Williams displayed plenty of toughness and leaned on his superior strength to shed off blockers and create pressure. But the No. 11 pick might not have the same upside as the edge rushers who went after him. Walker is more polished and has positional versatility. Pearce is considered to be the best athlete among the edge rushers in this class. Shemar Stewart, the Cincinnati Bengals’ No. 17 selection, is another boom-or-bust prospect, but he’s just as strong as Williams and might offer more in terms of athleticism. If Williams can develop more tools and rely more on skills to break free, then adding the Georgia product to this list could look silly by next draft season."
I understand Manzano's concerns. They're valid. But it's worth noting that Robert Saleh spent some time with the Green Bay Packers last season as a consultant after getting fired by the New York Jets, and the Packers had a top-five defense in the NFL.
That defense was a 4-3 and it had two big defensive ends -- Rashan Gary and Lucas Van Ness. Each weighs more than 270 pounds. Both of them set firm edges in the run game and collapse the pocket as pass rushers. Maybe Saleh wants to recreate what Green Bay has.
To be fair, Shemar Stewart also is a big defensive end and he's more athletic than Mykel Williams. Perhaps Stewart should have been the pick. Unfortunately for Stewart, he was far less productive than Williams in college.
I think the 49ers picked the right guy.
