SANTA CLARA – Step 1 within the 49ers’ defensive reboot lastly got here Thursday night time when their first-round draft choose introduced in defensive finish Mykel Williams from Georgia.
Then once more, the primary general step got here earlier with the re-hiring of Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator, after his 2021 departure to turn out to be the New York Jets coach.
Now Saleh, because of common supervisor John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan, will get a significant addition to a defensive entrance that obtained leveled by this offseason’s roster purge, which included final month’s launch of defensive finish Leonard Floyd and defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins.
“Saleh is back in the building ladies and gentlemen #trenches,” 49ers proprietor Jed York posted on the social-media platform X, 10 minutes earlier than Williams’ choice was formally introduced at 6:24 p.m.
Williams celebrated his choice whereas surrounded by family and friends at an Atlanta house.
Solely two defensive linemen — edge rusher Abdul Carter, at No. 3 to the New York Giants; defensive deal with Mason Graham, No. 5 to the Cleveland Browns — went within the NFL Draft’s first 10 picks earlier than the 49ers landed Williams at No. 11.
Williams (6-foot-5, 267 kilos) doesn’t flip 21 till June 29. He began 17 of 40 video games in his three seasons at Georgia, the identical state the place he was born (Heat Springs). He by no means had greater than 5 sacks in a season at Georgia, however he labored by an ankle harm final season en path to repeating with All-SEC second-team honors.
“Because of his size, this guy can play on the edge but also down on the tackle. He can be an inside rusher if he needs to be,” former Alabama and NFL coach Nick Saban mentioned on ESPN’s broadcast. “I like this pick. They need somebody opposite (Nick) Bosa.”
This marks the seventh time in 11 years the 49ers banked their high draft choose on a defensive lineman, the predecessors being Arik Armstead (2015), DeForest Buckner (2016), Solomon Thomas (2017), Nick Bosa (2019), Javon Kinlaw (2020) and Drake Jackson (2022).
The 49ers didn’t draft a defensive finish amongst final yr’s eight choices, having as an alternative relied on the free company acquisitions of Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos. Floyd began all 17 video games however obtained launched final month, and that had thrust Gross-Matos into the seemingly beginning spot reverse Nick Bosa, not less than earlier than Thursday’s draft.
The final defensive finish the 49ers drafted was Robert Beal, a 2022 Georgia teammate of Williams and a fifth-round choose who’s produced only one sack by two seasons.
Williams attended however didn’t take part within the NFL Scouting Mix drills. He was timed at 4.75 seconds within the 40-yard sprint at Georgia’s professional day final month, and he held a non-public exercise on campus final week with teammate Jalon Walker, a linebacker who obtained drafted No. 15 by Atlanta.
The 49ers have been an annual hunt to seek out the right complement to Bosa. He’s made 5 Professional Bowls in six seasons and was the 2022 AP NFL Defensive Participant of the 12 months, however he had simply 9 sacks in 14 video games final season.
A yr in the past, the 49ers have been coming off a Tremendous Bowl loss, and so they supplemented their receiving corps with No. thirty first general choose Ricky Pearsall. Miraculously, he would survive a Labor Day capturing and end his rookie season sturdy, however the 49ers nonetheless misplaced seven of their remaining eight video games for a 6-11, last-place file.
Selecting WIlliams to begin their protection’s refurbishment is becoming in that, based on the 49ers’ bio on him, he aspires to pursue a profession in actual property after soccer by which he buys houses and flips them into rental properties.
Initially Revealed: April 24, 2025 at 6:24 PM PDT
