2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Mykel Williams

Strengths:

• Traits: Williams is a young, long, and fluid athlete who displayed excellent balance, a relentless motor, and good lower body power to control the point of attack.
• Frame Potential: He is still growing into a moldable frame that can feasibly add or cut mass, increase power, or be reigned in for more burst and explosion.
• Physical Versatility: Williams has the size, traits, and experience to line up anywhere between a 4i and a wide alignment in the NFL. He played above his weight class at Georgia with plenty of snaps at 3T.
• Pop: He flashes a growing knowledge of deconstructing blocks, which he combines with naturally violent and heavy hands. Williams brings good pop to blockers with an explosive punch.
• Run Defense: Williams has the makings of a plus run defender from any EDGE alignment with excellent range to reach wide runs.

Weaknesses:

• Pass Rush Plan: He is still learning how to construct and execute a pass rush plan and is often too indecisive with his hands. That indecision leads to late and inaccurate punches that don't land with much impact.
• Pad Level: Williams tends to play too upright. He gets handled quickly when his pad level is too tall unless he wins first contact.
• Production: Williams lacks high-end production in college, never exceeding six sacks in a single season. Further, he is generally raw and inexperienced, which is especially noticeable in his recognition of pulls, traps, and screens.
• First Step: On tape, he lacks the ideal twitch and burst in his get-off to consistently win the corner as a pass rusher. Williams posted a good, not great, 10-yard split at his pro day but did not do the broad jump or vertical jump.
• Pass Rush Moves: Williams primarily wins with a bull rush, inside move, or off stunts without any go-to pass rush moves. His bull rush stalls out due to a lack of counters and secondary moves. Once he gets tied up, Williams lacks the upper body strength to chop, rip, and pry himself free of blockers effectively.

Final Thoughts and Bears Fit for Mykel Williams:

Mykel Williams is praised for his physical traits, versatility, and strong run defense but struggles with a developed pass-rush plan, pad level, and overall production. He has significant potential for growth, but his rawness and inconsistent pass-rushing skills raise concerns for his NFL transition.

Despite these concerns, he projects as a Top 20 pick due to his sky-high potential, moldable frame, and rare combination of traits. I see his ceiling as a borderline All-Pro caliber player in the mold of Matthew Judon, Za'Darius Smith, or Jason Pierre-Paul. His floor is that of a developmental project, similar to players like Clelin Ferrell or Rasheem Green. The middle ground resembles players like Whitney Mercilus, Greg Rousseau, and Ziggy Ansah. All that to say, Williams offers a wide range of outcomes. 

However, I cannot help but notice that few of the players I compared Williams to went inside the top 20 in their respective draft classes. Without proof of elite athleticism, this player mold tends to fall out of the first round. Therefore, Williams' private workout in April will be essential to his draft position.

Coaching and scheme fit will come into play heavily for Williams's projection. For the Bears, Dennis Allen has historically shown that he covets EDGE rushers with this type of physical profile. On tape, it is clear that Williams loves football, never shies away from contact, and goes 100 miles per hour. If his interviews match his tape, he would seem to have a strong work ethic. However, that is not a given, and it will be necessary for the Bears to vet who he is outside of gameday the best they can.

At pick 10, the goal is to take a difference-making player at a premium position. That is in short supply this year, but Williams has the upside to become that caliber of player in the right opportunity. If Dennis Allen has conviction about who Williams can become, I am all for the Bears selecting him at pick 10. Most years, I would not consider him at pick 10, but this year's class is lacking at the top.

Williams could continue to learn and develop behind Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo while serving in a rotational role. That is probably best for Williams, as he still has much growing to do physically and mentally. The Bears aligned to let him develop into the best version of himself over the next few years.

Pro Comp - Ceiling: Za'Darius Smith

Pro Comp - Most Likely: Whitney Mercilus

Pro Comp - Floor: Clelin Ferrell