NFL Trade Rumors
The 49ers picked up versatile DE Mykel Williams with their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Longtime DL coach Kris Kocurek said they plan on using Williams in both edge and interior roles.
“Both. That’s one thing at Georgia that he displayed,” Kocurek said, via Matt Barrows of The Athletic. “He can get to the passer from the edge and then slide over guards and utilize that skill set, the wiggle, the ability to get on the edges and manipulate guards from the interior. He’s just a really versatile player, which is something we’ve always utilized in the past with guys like Arden Key and Charles Omenihu and Arik Armstead in 2019 and 2020. … The thing we like about Mykel is we’ve seen it at Georgia. He’ll line up 4i, 3-technique, 3-technique on both sides, edge player. So he’s done it before, so I don’t think the learning curve is quite as steep with him.”
Kocurek said they need Williams to be “elite” at getting to the football and he responded well to their coaching through his first week of practice.
“The first day, I would say, was good. But we explained to him that good’s not good enough. We need him to be elite in certain categories. And getting to the football with effort is one category that Mykel needs to be elite at. And I challenged him after the first day. I’m not saying that it was bad. But it wasn’t quite exactly what we wanted. And I thought that in the following days, he’s really, really responded on making a concerted effort to get to the football, whether it’s out on the field chasing plays 30 yards down the field. And not just running because the coach said to run, but running with intent, running to get to the football with a purpose. So I like where he’s at in that stage of it.”
Kocurek added that Williams has “gravitated” to fellow DE Nick Bosa in their offseason program.
“[Williams has] really gravitated toward Nick a lot. And if you watch ’em at practice, he’s always standing right behind Nick. And Nick knows he’s watching him, and he’s a kid who’s really eager to learn and wants to know how and why. … I think it’s a good match. You’ve got an older — I shouldn’t say “older” — you’ve got a veteran player, Nick, going on his seventh year with a rookie who’s like a sponge right now and wants to learn from one of the best in the game. It’s a good matchup.”
During his rehab from a knee injury, Panthers DT Derrick Brown spoke on the rehab challenges, including having to relearn how to walk again.
“Nine weeks of being on crutches, no weight bearing, and then trying to get on the treadmill, walk again,” Brown said, via Kassidy Hill of the team’s website. *“It felt funny, but huge strides from where we were then and now back...
