FantasyPros will be taking a look at early NFL Draft scouting reports before the Combine in March. Here’s a look at Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams. And check out our entire 2025 NFL Draft Guide.
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2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Mykel Williams
Mykel Williams (DE – Georgia)
6-foot-5 | 265 Pounds
Background
A five-star recruit and Columbus, GA native who initially committed to Southern California before flipping to Georgia and becoming the centerpiece of their 2022 recruiting class. Mykel Williams started the first two games of the season that year and totaled 407 snaps overall, finishing with 28-7.0-4.5. Credited by Pro Football Focus (PFF) with 10 starts in 2023, he finished with fewer snaps (381) and an 18-7.0-4.5 line. Hasn’t been quite as productive this season, but is on pace for a similar year (20-9.0-5.0).
Positives
Three-year contributor for one of college football’s premier programs. Very well-built defensive end with excellent size and length. Typically two gaps, but flashes impressive quickness out of his stance to knife through gaps and create penetration on one-gap concepts; does a nice job of crossing an opponent’s face and getting low to create early penetration. Williams sets a hard edge and shows good gap discipline in the run game.
Functional strength is very impressive. Does a nice job of keeping his shoulders square and holding the point of attack. Uses his length effectively to lock out opposing blockers. Active in working through traffic and keeping himself in the play. Has heavy hands to discard blockers when two-gapping in the run game. Length gives him an impressive tackling radius.
Shows good discipline when working on the backside. Able to jolt opponents with his hands when rushing off the edge, and can generate push with his bull rush when he gets his feet going. Williams covers a lot of ground with his first steps as an EDGE rusher and flashes a nice rip move. Has been praised for his work ethic.
Never really solidified himself as a full-time starter at Georgia or broke out on the stat sheet, so there may be some concerns about Williams’ development trajectory. Not consistently among the first linemen off the ball, and sometimes rises out of his stance instead of firing forward with explosiveness. As a taller player, can have some issues with his pad level, undermining his natural strength.
Hasn’t been a particularly dynamic pass-rusher thus far in his career, with a relatively straightforward power-based approach, so building a more sophisticated and diverse rush approach and developing counters will be critical to Williams’ passing-down success. As it currently stands, there are too many plays where he ends up stuck on blocks when his initial approach doesn’t work. Has hardly dropped into coverage.
Summary
One of the most sought-after recruits from the 2022 recruiting class, Williams never broke out and reached his full potential at Georgia, seemingly because of inconsistent get-off, pad-level issues and a limited/predictable pass-rush approach. However, there appears to be considerable untapped potential here, and Williams’ limitations are all technical issues that could be addressed with coaching and additional reps.
As it currently stands, it looks like he should be able to contribute relatively early in the run game, owing to his impressive size, length, power and discipline. Looks like a Day 2 boom-or-bust type to me, but is getting a lot of first-round hype.
Projection: Round 1/Round 2
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