Mykel Williams arrived at Georgia with great hype. That will carry over into the NFL, as the San Francisco 49ers took Williams in the first round with the No.11 overall pick.

Williams becomes the latest first-round draft pick from Georgia, giving the Bulldogs 18 in Kirby Smart’s tenure at Georgia. He is the first Bulldog to be taken in this year’s NFL draft.

Smart often raved about Williams during his time in Athens.

“He was a warrior this whole year. He was dead set: he wanted to play in the Alabama game and pushed so hard to come back. And he wasn’t 100% then, and there was a lot of games he only played a few snaps in because he wasn’t 100%. If you go back to the Auburn game, he was jumping and tearing at the bit to get in those games.”

Williams had only 5.0 sacks during his junior season, due in large part to an ankle injury that forced him to miss two games and limited him for several more.

Williams could’ve packed it in and just prepared for the NFL draft. But it mattered to Williams to be out there with his teammates giving his all.

Smart believes that will help Williams succeed at the next level.

“They want kids that have toughness and can play, and I think Mykel battled through that all year,” Smart said. “And it was really tough on him because he had one of the best fall camps that I’ve ever seen. And the good news is all those scouts saw that too. I think that’ll pop up where he gets drafted at because for a guy that’s going to get drafted really high, he wasn’t 100% all year. But they respect the fact that he pushed through and competed.”

In Georgia’s biggest games last season, Williams showed up. He had multi-sack games in both wins over Texas last season, often getting the best of fellow top draft prospect Kelvin Banks.

While Williams may not have high-end production at Georgia, he was consistent throughout his career. He led the Bulldogs in sacks as a true freshman. That team ended up winning a national championship.

Williams becomes the fifth defensive lineman to be drafted in the first round since Smart became the team’s head coach. That strong recent pedigree should only further set up Williams for success at the next level.

“They’ve prepared me for the NFL by making me a pro,” Williams said on his time at Georgia. “I feel like the decisions that we make when we come in here, it treats me well down the line.”

During his three-year stay in Athens, Williams finished with 67 tackles, 14.0 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss. In a different, more pass-rush-friendly system, Williams has the ability to produce even greater numbers.

Williams has long been looking forward to this day. He was the No. 4 overall player in the 2022 recruiting class, with only Travis Hunter being ranked higher among the prospects from the state of Georgia. Williams is from Columbus, Ga.

He validated that lofty ranking at Georgia, winning a national championship and two SEC championships along the way. He’s excited that he gets to do that again at the next level.

“I just get excited thinking about it because, like, it’s something I always wanted to do,” Williams said. “It’s been a dream of mine since I was probably, like, 10, honestly. So just reaching it gets me excited better. Just to wake up every day and let it be my job, my career, that gets me more excited.”

What Georgia football defensive end Mykel Williams brings to the NFL

Mykel Williams 2025 NFL Draft measurables