Barth’s 2025 Draft Profiles: Georgia OLB Mykel Williams scouting report
Mykel Williams is the latest lead pass rusher to come from that vaunted Georgia defense. After Abdul Carter, he might have the highest upside of any pass rusher in the…
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – DECEMBER 02: Mykel Williams #13 and Tykee Smith #23 of the Georgia Bulldogs tackle Roydell Williams #5 of the Alabama Crimson Tide during the third quarter in the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 02, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Todd Kirkland/Getty ImagesMykel Williams is the latest lead pass rusher to come from that vaunted Georgia defense. After Abdul Carter, he might have the highest upside of any pass rusher in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Mykel Williams scouting report
Todd Kirkland/Getty Images<em><sup>Mykel Williams makes a stop against Alabama. </sup></em>
Background
College: Georgia
Rookie year age: 21
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 260
Awards: Second-Team All-SEC (2023, 2024)
Since he was coming out of Columbus High School in Georgia, Mykel Williams has been viewed as an elite prospect. 24/7 Sports had him as a five-star recruit and the seventh-ranked player in the Class of 2022.
Even elite prospects sometimes have to wait to see the field at Georgia, where just about every player is an elite prospect - especially on the defensive side of the ball. However Williams was able to carve out a rotational role as a true freshman, and ended up playing 407 (freshman), 381 (sophomore), and 402 (junior) defensive snaps for Georgia during his time with the Bulldogs, and rushed the passer on 65% of those plays.
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Stats
| Season | Team | Class | Games | Tackles | TFLs | Sacks | Pressure | PBUs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Georgia | FR | 15 | 28 | 7 | 4.5 | 33 | 0 |
| 2023 | Georgia | SO | 13 | 18 | 7 | 4.5 | 26 | 2 |
| 2024 | Georgia | JR | 12 | 21 | 9 | 5.0 | 26 | 2 | Career | 40 | 67 | 23 | 14.0 | 85 | 4 |
Strengths
-Explosive athlete who regularly wins the first step
-34 3/8-inch arms make his reach a matchup problems for tackles, which should continue at the NFL level
-Good finisher who can clean things up once he gets into the backfield - 34% of his career tackles went for a loss
Weaknesses
-Still has room to grow into his frame, should add power over his first few NFL seasons
-Wins mostly with raw tools at this point, still needs to build out his pass rush repertoire
-Will have to start winning the leverage battle more consistently
Video breakdown
Bottom line
Mykel Williams is more of a project player than those typically selected higher in the first round of the NFL Draft, but he has the upside teams are looking for in that range. There's some work to do, but with the right coaching he has the tools to become the kind of rusher opposing offenses have to factor in on a down-to-down basis.
