49ers spend first-round draft pick on defensive end Mykel Williams
SANTA CLARA Step in the ers defensive reboot absolutely came Thursday night when their first-round draft pick brought in defensive end Mykel Williams from Georgia Then again the first overall step came earlier with the re-hiring of Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator after his departure to become the New York Jets coach Now Saleh thanks to general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan gets a major addition to a defensive front that got leveled by this offseason s roster purge which included last month s release of defensive end Leonard Floyd and defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins Saleh is back in the building ladies and gentlemen trenches ers owner Jed York posted on the social-media platform X minutes before Williams selection was officially released at p m Williams celebrated his selection while surrounded by friends and family at an Atlanta home Only two defensive linemen edge rusher Abdul Carter at No to the New York Giants defensive tackle Mason Graham No to the Cleveland Browns went in the NFL Draft s first picks before the ers landed Williams at No Williams -foot- pounds does not turn until June He started of games in his three seasons at Georgia the same state where he was born Warm Springs He never had more than five sacks in a season at Georgia but he labored through an ankle injury last season en course 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 requirements to be former Alabama and NFL coach Nick Saban explained on ESPN s broadcast I like this pick They need somebody opposite Nick Bosa This marks the seventh time in years the ers banked their top draft pick on a defensive lineman the predecessors being Arik Armstead DeForest Buckner Solomon Thomas Nick Bosa Javon Kinlaw and Drake Jackson The ers did not draft a defensive end among last year s eight selections having instead relied on the free agency acquisitions of Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos Floyd started all games but got distributed last month and that had thrust Gross-Matos into the likely starting spot opposite Nick Bosa at least before Thursday s draft The last defensive end the ers drafted was Robert Beal a Georgia teammate of Williams and a fifth-round pick who s produced just one sack through two seasons Williams attended but did not participate in the NFL Scouting Combine drills He was timed at seconds in the -yard dash at Georgia s pro day last month and he held a private workout on campus last week with teammate Jalon Walker a linebacker who got drafted No by Atlanta The ers have been an annual hunt to find the perfect complement to Bosa He s made five Pro Bowls in six seasons and was the AP NFL Defensive Athlete of the Year but he had just nine sacks in games last season A year ago the ers were coming off a Super Bowl loss and they supplemented their receiving corps with No st overall pick Ricky Pearsall Miraculously he would survive a Labor Day shooting and finish his rookie season strong but the ers still lost seven of their final eight games for a - last-place record Choosing WIlliams to start their defense s refurbishment is fitting in that according to the ers bio on him he aspires to pursue a career in real estate after football in which he buys homes and flips them into rental properties Related Articles NFL Draft will determine if Robert Saleh can work miracles with ers defense NFL Draft ers must find quality starters to get that edge back after roster purge The ers first-round draft pick should be their easiest ers mailbag Here is my starting to open boom-or-bust NFL Draft ers McCaffrey welcomes the skeptics after injury-riddled season
