One of the three Georgia football stars taken in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft was defensive lineman Mykel Williams. He was selected 11th overall by the San Francisco 49ers, but he has already been labeled as a rookie would could underperform during the 2025 season.
"The Georgia product may eventually be an NFL star, but he could easily underwhelm as a rookie," Bleacher Report analyst Kristopher Knox shared via ugawire.usatoday.com.
49ers DL Mykel Williams predicted to have poor 2025 season
This prediction appears to be more of a shot in the dark then anything backed up with real data because Williams was a force at Georgia for all three years he spent in Athens.
Williams got off to an electric start to his college career in 2022 when he racked up 28 tackles and 4.5 sacks as a true freshman. He may have recorded less tackles in 2023 and 2024, but he continued to increase his tackles for loss and sacks each season. During his final season at Georgia in 2024, Williams ended the year with nine tackles for loss and an impressive five sacks.
The hesitancy shared by Knox in the above quote likely comes from him not knowing if Williams' game will translate to the NFL right away. However, Nick Bosa, who is one of the best defenders in the NFL today, shared this offseason that the sky is the limit for Williams in the NFL.
So all things considered, it seems like a stretch to already think Williams could be a bust in his rookie season. Is it possible? Sure. But the more likely outcome is that Williams has a solid rookie season and then blossoms into one of the top defensive lineman in the entire NFL as his career progresses.