2025 Draft: Day 2 Preview
Other than the giant Jaguars trade, the first 7 picks were as chalk as could be before things started getting crazy with the Panthers at pick 8. By the time we were on the clock at 11, all but the top two defensive linemen in the draft were available, and we quickly chose Georgia’s MYKEL WILLIAMS to line up opposite Bosa. He was undoubtedly our favorite prospect from that cluster of high-upside defensive linemen, so much so that Lynch admitted that the Niners tried to trade up to get him.
To be clear, I would have HATED that move. While Lynch didn’t name names, the team the Niners reached out to and were rebuffed by was most likely the Saints at pick 9, who ended up taking Kelvin Banks and likely were worried the Bears (or even the Niners) would have swooped him if they moved down two spots. Making a move that high in the draft would have likely cost us our first third-rounder, with a late-round pick thrown our way in return. Facing multiple roster holes and a draft with so much talent through the second day, that would have been a horrendous deal for us–tantamount to giving up a starter for a net zero gain.
Thankfully, we have Mykel Williams AND our third-round pick, and I have a few guesses as to why we were so high on this high-upside edge.
Trusted Confidants: The Niners put a lot of stock in the opinion of their “trusted confidants” on the college football scene–guys who they believe tell it to them straight and accurately about prospects. Herm Edwards (Aiyuk, Pearsall) has been one of those guys. The Notre Dame OL coach (McGlinchey, Banks) has been another. A lot has been made of Lynch’s effusive praise of Dan Lanning and how that probably points to us taking an Oregon player at some point in this draft. But for these purposes, we’re talking about Will Muschamp.
Muschamp was the head coach at South Carolina when we drafted Deebo and Kinlaw and is now the defensive coordinator at Georgia. The Niners undoubtedly reached out to him to discuss Mykel Williams, and he almost certainly gushed both about Williams’ trajectory as a pro and his impact on the Georgia locker room. For our staff, those kinds of recommendations speak volumes.
Locker Room Impact: We had a stellar 2024 draft in part because we spent our picks on seasoned vets, locker room leaders, and super high-character guys. For better or worse, when the Niners have success with something, they like to stick to it until they’re knocked off that path. So if it came down to a tiebreaker between Williams and some of the other defensive linemen in this range, his highly vouched-for character could have sealed the deal.
Run Defense PTSD: But what about Jalon Walker–another Georgia standout who’s been lauded for his leadership abilities? I think the Niners were quite snake-bitten by how poorly their run defense performed over the last two seasons, and with a new Will linebacker in tow and a new defensive line in the making, they wanted to make sure their edge could actually set the edge in the running game. Mykel’s size, strength, and length would give him the edge over someone like Walker.
I said before that the Niners needed to draft guys with a short-term role and a long-term plan, and Mykel will start immediately. To be fair, our depth chart basically dictates that. But as Mykel develops his pass-rush ability, he should slide in quickly as a force against the run. That’s where he’s more developed, and that’s where he can make an impact right away while he figures everything else out.
Positional Flexibility: Walker got all the pub for his versatility on the Bulldogs, and rightfully so, but Mykel lined up everywhere from end to tackle to stand-up rusher at Georgia, and he has the size, length, and power to moonlight on the interior from time to time. To be clear, Mykel is absolutely an edge in our defense, but he has enough heft to do some inside passing down work and be employed on the twists and stunts that made former Niners Arden Key and Charles Omenihu extra useful in their time in the Bay. That gives us some flexibility when our defensive line desperately needs it and raises Williams’ floor a bit if he never becomes a truly dominant outside rusher. Arik Armstead was never an elite pass rusher, but he was an excellent overall defensive lineman in part because he could play the edge on base downs, rush the passer from the interior, and stop the run from both positions. Williams isn’t as big or as tall and long-levered as Armstead, but there’s some risk mitigation in that positional flexibility.
Upside: Of course, when you’re picking at 11 you want a guy with a legitimate ceiling, and Mykel has that. A former five-star recruit, Williams was a top 5 shoe-in heading into the season based on his size, traits, and trajectory, but that ascension was stalled by an ankle injury in the season opener. Later, it was revealed to be a grade 2 high ankle sprain. Williams missed two games before gutting out the rest of the season in great pain. While the toughness is commendable, you gotta wonder if the Bulldogs shoulda stepped in at some point and let him rest… nevertheless, there’s optimism that Williams’ 2024 tape–still good enough to get him drafted at 11–isn’t truly indicative of where his game is at now and is nowhere near where his game could wind up later.
It’s also worth mentioning the Bulldogs’ scheme and how they deployed Williams. Due to the positional versatility and size we mentioned earlier, as well as Georgia’s style of defense, Williams wasn’t allowed to pin his ears back and just one-gap rush the passer every down like the A&M or Ole Miss guys. And even when he was on the edge and asked to rush, he often lined up inside eye of the tackle, a naturally disadvantageous pass rushing alignment but one that let him muck up the edges in the run game. The Niners feel like they’re leaning more into twists and stunts this year and Mykel will certainly play some snaps inside, but getting to streamline and simplify his assignment from the wide 9 should pay dividends to his pass rush development.
We also at least saw his potential flash throughout his career, and it was often in the biggest games of the year. As a true freshman, he had 5 tackles, 2 TFLs, and a sack against Ohio State in the CFP semifinal. This year, on a bum ankle, he had 4 sacks in two games against Texas, destroying Kelvin Banks in their early-season matchup.
Finally, it’s worth reiterating the fact that he’s 20 years old. He’s one of the youngest players in a draft that has a lot of sixth year seniors due to the COVID extension. He’s nearly four years younger than potential round 2 target DT Darius Alexander. He’s nearly five years younger than WR Nick Nash from San Jose State.
The sky is the limit, but there’s certainly work to be done. We’ve talked in the past about traits that players either develop or they don’t, like quarterback anticipation, linebacker instincts, and–in defensive linemen–a pass rush plan and the ability to smoothly sequence moves when plan A doesn’t work. These are the traits that so often separate good college players from legitimate pros. We don’t know if Williams can develop the moves and countermoves that he’ll need to succeed, and–unlike Shemar Stewart or Walter Nolen–he doesn’t have the elite first-step quickness to just get by with early wins if he doesn’t. But the length, strength, bend, and overall movement athleticism are there to be a top-end player.
For now, I’ll leave you with this little video blurb on Mykel Williams from former NFL linemen Brian Baldinger:
ROUND 2
Defensive Tackle reigns supreme, and so does our need for it. Tyleik Williams was a favorite of mine at 43 but came off the board at 28 to the Lions. However, there are still several guys in that same tier who could be nice scheme and value fits at 43. Darius Alexander is the strong man, a still ascending talent with long arms and good power. TJ Sanders is the overlooked one, with the best polish of the three despite playing football for the shortest amount of time. Shemar Turner is the disruptor, a one-gap shooter with plenty of twitch and (for better and worse) combativeness. I’d be happy to add any of those three.
It is my heavy preference to go DT here given our need for multiple additions in this draft, but–if there’s a run on the position or we really wanna test the class’ depth (and our nerves)–there are a couple of other options that match value and need.
If we want to address linebacker, Carson Schwesinger is a great fit at a good value. I’ll also throw out a name that wasn’t on any of the write-ups, and that’s Nick Emmanwori. It’s a pure shot in the dark and seems unlikely, but we love converting safeties to linebackers, and what better safety to mold than the 6-3, 220-pound one who runs a 4.4 and already is at his best in the box?
I’m still not convinced we want to take an offensive tackle this early, but Aireontae Ersery is the only one who makes sense if we do. Given the number of teams picking before us in the second, I’d be surprised if he’s actually on the board by the time we’re up.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning Will Johnson’s massive draft tumble. This is far more surprising than Shedeur Sanders’ fall, but it’s not hard to see why. Whether it’s just bad timing and injuries or something else, he seemed to phone in too much of the year. That’s a red flag for teams. So is not running a 40-yard dash when you’re a bigger corner whose biggest question is deep speed. Still, the scheme fit and the potential are strong. Like tackle, it feels high for a cornerback, but Johnson’s slip could predicate a move on the position sooner rather than later. Then again, we might have someone like Shavon Revel Jr ranked higher than him… that said, Johnson likely goes in the first 5 picks of the second round.
As for who might actually be available when we pick at 43? Cleveland and Chicago both have two picks each. After adding Mason Graham and Maliek Collins this offseason, while still retaining Shelby Harris and last year’s second-rounder Michael Hall, the Browns are set at defensive tackle. That strikes two picks off the list who could snag one of our guys. Chicago spent two second-day picks on DTs just last year and could be in the market for Ersery—even though I’d guess Houston snags him first after shipping out Laremy Tunsil this off-season. You’d assume the Bears wouldn’t make it three second-day DTs in two years, but it’s a new regime and a deep class, so anything is in play. My guess is one of those picks goes running back to get ahead of the run, and the other is a wildcard. After passing up on Abdul Carter, the Titans feel like a landing spot for one of those slipping edges—either Mike Green or Donovan Ezeiruaku—but they could also swing on a guy like Luther Burden if they’re desperate to provide Ward weapons sooner rather than later. The Raiders or the Saints feel like great landing spots for Will Johnson, with the Saints and the Browns the most likely contenders for fellow draft-slipper Shedeur Sanders. Finally, the Pats went on a spending spree to address (or at least patch up) a lot of their major needs this off-season, but they could add talent anywhere—including along the OL despite just drafting Will Campbell.
Obviously, all this can quickly go to shit with the high number of trades that often go down at the top of the second. But it feels like—if we want it—one of those three defensive tackles. If not, don’t be shocked if we try to trade down.
ROUND 3
If we haven’t gotten a DT yet, this is it, and it’s tough to determine which of these guys may still be available. Omarr Norman-Lott is the most intriguing one of the bunch (and could be a dark horse in the second), but his market is hard to sus out. He’s a very scheme-specific evaluation, and if we think he can play heavy snaps and have a pulse against the run, he could easily slot in somewhere ahead of dudes higher on most boards. Jordan Burch is a defensive end, but is 6-4, 280 pounds. I don’t think the slide inside is expected at the moment, but he’s worth tossing on the list. Joshua Farmer is a guy who I don’t love as much in the second round (where he may wind up), but would be a fan of in the third. He’s got some two-gap ability along with pass rush potential, making him the only surefire two-way guy in this cluster. By the end of the round, Aeneas Peebles may have his name called. He’s a hyper-productive pass rusher but is vastly undersized. With all most of these guys, you’d kinda want to pair them with a bigger body on the interior. Perhaps Evan Anderson is that guy—and if not, there are plenty more dudes later in this draft who can do a DJ Jones impersonation—but this is why taking a DT in the second makes the board a bit clearer moving forward.
We could wait until the fourth, but we’ll at least strongly consider leaving this round with a starter caliber player at Will linebacker. Chris Paul Jr. is the big name to watch here, although Jeffrey Bassa could sneak into this round as well. I’d prefer to pick either at 100 versus 75, but we’ll see how the board shakes out. If we’re high enough on guys like Bassa and the “other” UCLA linebacker (Kain Medrano), kicking this need to the fourth could wind up prudent. Or it could dominate us ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
By the third round, it feels like we’re creeping into more likely offensive line territory. Charles Grant is my guy here, and I prefer him over Anthony Belton–a prospect whom the Niners spent one of their 30 official visits bringing into Santa Clara. Belton’s a mauler with FBS reps, but I worry about the movement skills. Marcus Mbow is another guy I just really like in general. He’s light and has short arms, so I don’t know if he sticks at tackle, but he’s a great athlete and a scheme fit somewhere along our offensive line. Given the fact that he’s unlikely to play right away and may not play outside, I’d prefer to wait until the fourth for him, but wherever Mbow winds up, he feels like a plus contributor.
While waiting still makes a lot of sense, we’re also starting to get into potential corner territory. Quincy Riley is someone we’ve done our homework on, and–despite his suspect zone chops and tackling–is a guy who physically resembles what we want in an outside cover corner. Darien Porter is the insane size-speed upside swing. His game is almost all projection, but the size, athleticism, and ball skills are bonkers. I think it’s more likely we take a scrappy, smaller dude who can play immediately like Jacob Parrish, but Porter is worth noting nonetheless.
This is also the first time that I would personally consider adding an offensive weapon. Of the guys available, TE/H-back Harold Fannin Jr. intrigues me because his weirdness and versatility may mesh perfectly with our weirdness and versatility. If there’s a position that the Niners can use better than most, it’s that kind of guy. Kyle Williams is my favorite YAC wideout who you can actually see becoming a well-rounded wideout down the road. Deebo may be gone but I still think we’re at our best when we have someone who terrifies defenses every time we run a slant route. But if our move in the receiver room is to go “big dudes who play traditional wideout,” Elic Ayomanor could be in play.
GOAL
With defensive end solidified, we need to add a starting defensive tackle by the end of day. While I think we’re internally quite high on Evan Anderson, adding two isn’t out of the question. In addition to DT, it would be nice to address at least one of our other pressing needs before the day is done, whether it’s a starting Will LB, a developmental OT, or a starting inside or outside cornerback. Coming away with three of our biggest needs addressed would make for an excellent first two days of the draft, with plenty of ammo and flexibility on the third day to fill our remaining roster holes.
Go Niners 🏈👍