Plenty of established players on the San Francisco 49ers have been in awe of first-round pick Mykel Williams.
Nick Bosa was the first player to be impressed with Williams, especially with his desire to learn. It has Bosa excited to have Williams playing opposite sides of him on Sundays.
However, there is another veteran who is excited about Williams. It is THE veteran on the 49ers, Trent Williams. He gave his thoughts on his first impression of the rookie, where he gave a thorough and highly praising assessment.
"He's a mountain of a man. He's a statue," said Williams. "To be that size, to have that frame, and to be that quick, and that fluid in short areas. I think he's a guy that can play first, second down to stop the run, then can play third down wherever you want him to play. He can play on the inside, he can play on the outside.
"He just has that genetic makeup to be a superstar as a defensive lineman. Obviously, it's got to happen on Sundays, and I think he's well capable of that. But for my first impressions of him, that's what it puts me in the mind of. I think he's gonna be a very, very talented defensive lineman. I think he's gonna make his name in the NFL. That's what I see right now."
Williams' physical skills have him primed to be a great player, but he has to put it together, as the star left tackle alluded to.
For the veteran Williams to say this about the rookie, it has to mean a ton. These two will grow increasingly familiar with each other when they face off in training camp.
It is a matchup that will benefit Mykel tremendously and give Trent a stronger sense of what he will become.
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Three decades after he played his last game in the NFL, former Green Bay Packers star wide receiver Sterling Sharpe finally got his bronze bust in Canton. Sharpe’s career may have been cut short by a neck injury, but he’ll always be remembered as one of the best wide receivers in the game, and that’s further cemented by his official status as a Pro Football Hall of Famer. People can also just ask former Packers quarterback and another Pro Football Hall of Famer in Brett Favre, about how good Sharpe really was. Sharpe had a significant role in helping Favre establish a legendary NFL career. Brett Favre pays homage to former Green Bay Packers WR Sterling Sharpe Favre, who is now 55 years old, recently hopped on social media to send classy messages to two former teammates who have been inducted this year to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Sharpe and Jared Allen, who played against and with the signal-caller. “Sterling, you were the ultimate competitor,” Favre wrote in a post on X. “I was just a young quarterback when we played together in Green Bay, and you made my job easier from day one. You ran every route with precision, caught everything thrown your way, and brought an intensity that raised the entire locker room. If not for that neck injury, there’s no telling how many records you would’ve shattered. Long overdue, but so well deserved.” From the 1992 season to the 1994 campaign, Favre and Sharpe worked together for a total of 42 touchdowns. With Sharpe retiring early, he was not able to play during the best years of Favre’s NFL career. After the 1994 season, Favre won three consecutive Most Valuable Player awards. Sharpe played seven seasons in the NFL, all with the Packers, and was a Pro Bowler in each but two of those years. He finished his pro career with 8,134 receiving yards and 65 touchdowns on 595 receptions and 1,015 targets through 112 games.
Joel Embiid’s trust in the healing process may not be paying off. A concerning update emerged over the weekend about the health of the Philadelphia 76ers star center. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reports that there is “genuine concern” around the league about the health of Embiid’s knee. Siegel adds that Philadelphia’s camp is attempting to downplay the concerns but notes that “word is bad” about Embiid’s health around the rest of the NBA. Now 31, the former MVP Embiid is still dealing with the ill effects of a torn left meniscus suffered during a 76ers game in February 2024. Embiid, who previously tore the same left meniscus back in 2017, quickly underwent surgery on the knee and missed two months. It appeared that everything was peaches and cream for Embiid after he returned to finish out the 2023-24 NBA season and even played at the 2024 Paris Olympics last summer as the starting center for Team USA. But Embiid missed significant time while managing his left knee throughout the 2024-25 season and even suggested at one point that he would need to have another surgery. In the end, Embiid appeared in just 19 total games for the 76ers last season and was shut down in February with the team nowhere close to contention. There was some talk a few months ago that Embiid might be undergoing the Kobe Bryant treatment to address the troublesome knee, but it looks like Embiid still hasn’t found a course of treatment that his knee is responding to. We know that the 76ers were already growing frustrated with Embiid’s lack of availability going back to last season. Now they may have to prepare for the potential of Embiid missing more time in 2025-26, a disastrous possibility given that they still owe the seven-footer an absurd $187.6M over the next three seasons.
The New York Yankees entered Sunday’s finale against the Miami Marlins with increased pressure to deliver. Entering the game down 2-0 in the series, the Yankees hoped to get back to winning ways. However, the team suffered another disappointing defeat on the road, losing 7-3 to Miami. The latest loss compounds New York’s recent struggles. New York is now 25-32 since May 29, including costly series sweeps to the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and now a weekend sweep in Miami. While they’ve managed a 13-10 mark at home during this time, the team’s inability to perform on the road continues to threaten their postseason chances. Aaron Boone’s Comments Amid Yankee’s Embarrassing Form Following Sunday’s loss, Yankees manager Aaron Boone addressed the team’s poor outing. He had a three-word message that summarizes where his team is at following a third straight loss. “Gut check time,” Boone said, describing the urgency to turn things around at a crucial point of the season. Boone, whose job status has come under increasing fan scrutiny, acknowledged the team’s prolonged slump and admitted the Yankees have to take responsibility. Despite notable trade deadline additions—including David Bednar, Camilo Doval, and Jake Bird—the team’s bullpen issues and inconsistent offense have not improved. Boone has been adamant about the need for greater focus and resilience down the stretch. But with New York slipping further behind in the American League East, questions are being asked about whether his voice still resonates in the clubhouse. With the latest loss, the Yankees have now been swept in three of their last seven road series and hold an MLB-worst 5-17 record on the road since June 13. Before that stretch, they were the best road team in baseball at 21-13. Marlins Make History Against the Yankees The Yankees’ latest loss also meant franchise history for the Marlins, who have now completed their first-ever three-game sweep of New York. Kyle Stowers delivered the big blow with a three-run homer, while Edward Cabrera dominated on the mound with six shutout innings and seven strikeouts. With the win, the Marlins hold steady at the third spot of the NL East, improving their record to 55-55 as they continue to fight for a playoff spot. Miami have also now won eight of their last 10 games and appear to be picking up at the right time. As for New York, they continue to trail the Blue Jays and Red Sox in the AL East, and will now turn their attention to a critical road series against the Texas Rangers. The Yankees will hope they can return to winning ways quickly, with the AL East top spot now starting to slip away.
The Oklahoma Sooners picked up some major talents out of the transfer portal in the offseason, highlighted by quarterback John Mateer and running back Jaydn Ott. However, one underrated pickup has had campus buzzing since his arrival and might have already locked up a starting position. From FCS to SEC, Derek Simmons aiming to boost draft stock FCS transfer offensive tackle Derek Simmons arrived in Norman from Western Carolina, where he was a fixture for the Catamounts for 2023 and 2024. Simmons played three different positions for Western Carolina last season, bouncing from left tackle to right guard and right tackle, but settled in primarily at left tackle. Simmons didn’t allow a single sack across 417 pass-blocking snaps in 2024, according to PFF. This year for the Sooners, however, Simmons is set to start and lock down the right tackle spot, which was a major issue for Oklahoma last season. So far in fall camp, Simmons has been a full-time starter with the ones, and it seems like the gap between him and the second-string unit is immense. Linebacker Kobie McKinzie complimented Simmons recently, comparing him to other former Sooner greats. "Derek is really, really good. Probably one of the best tackles that I’ve seen since I’ve been here, and I’ve seen a lot. Wanya [Morris], Anton — he’s up there. He’s really, really good. We got some pieces to be better there [on the offensive line], and they’ve shown that. They’ve given us some fits on defense.” While comparing Simmons to a first-rounder and top-100 pick might be a tad too early, it speaks volumes about his abilities he has put on display so far throughout camp. On film, Simmons looks the part of an elite athlete, with his only real physical limitation being a lack of length (verified under 33" arms). If he can hold down the right tackle position for the Sooners, it solves a significant area of weakness from last season. So far, Simmons has delivered on the hype-and then some.
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