49ers draft a rookie edge rusher for Rams RT Rob Havenstein to pancake

The Los Angeles Rams are not a team in need of much immediate help from rookies added during the 2025 NFL Draft. But the San Francisco 49ers do not share a similar story. After a 6-11 season and a mass exodus during the 2025 NFL Free Agency market, the 49ers need to regroup and restock their roster. And their listed draft shopping list reflects that. They need help at:  

• DL
• Edge
• OL
• RB
• CB

While the San Francisco 49ers have 11 picks to spend while shopping to fill their roster needs throughout the three-day event, even that number of picks may fail to adequately address all of their roster needs. The team lost multiple key veterans, and the belief that rookies can simply show up and immediately make the same level of contribution in their rookie season is overly optimistic.

The Los Angeles Rams selected Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse with the 19th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The 49ers selected Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams with the 11th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. So, should Rams fans be concerned about the idea of facing Williams twice a season for the foreseeable future? Not so fast, my friend.

Verse was the best edge rusher in a deep and talented draft class of edge rushers. Williams would have been no better than the fifth-best edge rusher in the 2024 NFL Draft. But wait, there's more:

LA Rams fans have nothing to worry about after the 49ers pick Mykel Williams

While Mykel Williams is a talented edge rusher prospect, he played on a very proficient and creative Georgia Bulldogs defense that loved to move him around to threaten opposing quarterbacks and anyone along the offensive line. And that was an option for Williams as he stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 260 pounds, a huge size for NCAA football.

But despite his size, power, and prowess, Williams never recorded more than 28 tackles, 5.0 quarterback sacks, or nine tackles for a loss in any season. And he played 40 games in three collegiate seasons. While 49ers returning DC Robert Saleh may love the young man, they will likely keep him corralled at the edge rusher position, opposite veteran edge rusher Nick Bosa.

The worst part of his rookie debut in the 49ers' defense is that many talented veterans are no longer on their team. Even veteran edge rusher Leonard Floyd, who played rather well in his only season for the 49ers, has moved on to sign with the Atlanta Falcons. So, Mykel Williams will be relied upon to put up solid numbers right out of the gate.

In Mykel Williams' draft profile, he is described as a rookie who flashes a high NFL ceiling, but also stretches of time in games where he fails to show up well. Since he will likely face Rams veteran RT Rob Havenstein, if he does not bring his A game on every snap of the football, he will be pancaked. It's as simple as that.

It's a live and learn cycle in the NFL. And learning as a rookie comes from the heated competition that forces young players to grow and develop quickly. That work awaits Williams throughout his rookie season.

I was concerned that the 49ers might select CB Jahdae Barron or Marshall edge rusher Mike Green, who I see as having a much higher ceiling in the NFL. While I respect Mykel Williams' talents, I don't fear them. And I don't see any reason for the Rams to fear him either.

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