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Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia (Junior)

Picture of Rayane M

Rayane M

The 2025 NFL Draft is fast approaching, and despite an initial impression that this year's class might lack talent, The Trick Play team has once again delved into the tapes to bring you scouting reports on the players who will soon wear the jerseys of your favorite franchises.

From Quarterback to Safety, including the trenches where Offensive Linemen and Defensive Linemen engage in a relentless battle, Rayane and Valentin will walk you through the new faces of this 2025 draft class while everyone is excited about the coming NFL Draft


Strengths :

  • NFL Size
  • Age
  • Potential
  • Athletic abilities
  • Natural power
  • Valued profil

 

Weaknesses :

  • Extremely raw
  • Leverage
  • Plays too much on the shoulder/Does not create Separation
  • Zone coverage
  • Pursuit
  • Pass rush palette
  • Takeoff

TTProfil

 
Mykel Williams, Defensive End for the Georgia Bulldogs, is starting to make a name for himself as the draft approaches, and if you're familiar with the combine, you'll quickly understand why it makes sense to see his value slowly but surely rise.
 
To begin with, Mykel has a size that appeals to this position. For the moment, we're talking about unofficial measurements of 6'5 for 265lbs. A handsome baby, even for the EDGE position, which has many monstrous physiques.
If we add to this an equally impressive arm length, Mykel's physical profile would already make some people want to slap a more or less high pick on a draft, and we're going to add to this physical profile another piece of data that is hugely important when it comes to giving a value to a prospect: his age.
 
At just 21 years old (not quite yet—he won’t turn 21 until this June), Mykel represents, for many, a tremendous potential just waiting to be developed. Based on those two factors alone, a player's value can skyrocket during the pre-draft process. It has happened before—and spoiler alert—it will definitely happen again, as the promise of developing an incredible physical profile is a dream for any self-respecting coach.
 
That’s precisely where the Combine comes into play. As I just mentioned, the two previous factors already guarantee a player a certain level of draft stock, but there’s another element that can solidify a player’s chances of being selected: the athletic abilities he’s able to showcase to Scouts, General Managers, or Coaches during the event. And on that front, Mykel definitely has what it takes to stand out.
Between his great explosiveness, good speed for his size, and physical power, Williams is definitely going to attract attention at the Combine. That’s a given, and anything else would be truly surprising. It’s also one of the points that’s never in question when talking about a prospect coming out of Georgia in recent years.
 
As you've read from the previous paragraph, Mykel Williams is a powerful player. His natural power is evident in the way he plays, in every situation, from passing to racing.
He often hurts opposing offenses in passing situations with a big Bull-rush and sometimes with a Long-arm, which I don't think he uses enough, given his success when he tries it.
In running situations, it's his power and explosiveness that allow him to shine. This enables him to create a great deal of penetration in the Offensive Line, which in turn enables him to either make the play, or at least create chaos which hampers the opposing attack.
 
Finally, Mykel has the advantage of being the kind of profile increasingly sought after by modern defensive coordinators who heavily rely on Nickel packages to better counter the ever more mobile, athletic, and pass-heavy offenses in the NFL. In this sense, EDGE profiles leaning toward Strong Side Defensive End, who can also slide inside to a 3-Tech DT role on clear passing downs, or line up as a Defensive End in a 30-front Dime package, carry real value—and that’s exactly the case for Mykel Williams.
 
Having said that, I have to be honest with you, as I've always been before, and I'm far from a fan of the player. While I have nothing against him personally, it's his player profile or archetype that I have a problem with.
Over and above these qualities, Mykel is an extremely raw player. In the same way as Travon Walker before him, whose comparison will come up often between now and the end of this sheet, Mykel is a player who still has everything to develop in his game.
 
To begin with, serious work will need to be done to improve his leverage. It's that simple—right now, he seems to not care about it at all. If I saw him get lower than his opponent even ten times across the five games I’ve watched so far, that would be an achievement.
At no point does Mykel try to make the effort to lower her center of gravity to make herself harder to contain - after all, why bother?
He already seems to be dominant without making this effort, the problem is that there are many reps that I consider lost by Williams that could have been much different if he had been lower.
 
Despite a big punch and huge arms, I still saw too many games where Mykel simply ran into the line like a wrecking ball, shoulder down, without trying to stretch his arms or create any kind of separation.
It's a pity, given his ability to create space for himself as soon as he stretches out his arms.
 
As for area coverage, what can I say except that it's just abysmal.
From a footwork, feel, reading, and instinct standpoint, it’s clearly not a situation where Mykel is currently comfortable. Just like Travon Walker, for whom it wasn’t natural either, Mykel will have work to do before even reaching a decent level. It still took Travon Walker three years to get to a result that, even today, is clearly nothing to write home about.
So it's up to the GMs and coaches to see whether they think Mykel will be worthwhile as an Outside LB or not, but personally I've already got my own idea.
 
Another unpleasant point, especially for me who holds it in high esteem, is a lack of will in the pursuit which is becoming a recurring thing with players coming out of Georgia.
While I don’t think all players on the Bulldogs’ defense are inherently lazy, I do believe that the surplus of talent on this defense year after year clearly doesn’t help players give their all in pursuit. When on almost every rep a teammate is making a big play (and that’s probably also the case in practice), it creates a very bad habit — the belief that you don’t need to pursue at full speed because, one way or another, one of the 11 guys will make the play. Except sometimes, a rep happens where no one else can make the play — except for the player who’s casually out there on his Sunday jog.
Mykel falls into this trap too, and I think it's a shame, given his impressive athletic abilities. 
 
While we've seen that Mykel has some shortcomings in the run stop game — largely due to technical deficiencies, particularly his lack of leverage and tendency to crash into blockers with his shoulder — he’ll also have a lot of work to do to become a dangerous pass rusher at the next level, mainly because his pass rush move arsenal severely lacks variety.
Aside from the few moves mentioned in the strengths section, Mykel has virtually nothing else. While he occasionally attempts to pull out another move, it's immediately clear that it's not well-executed — and that's without even mentioning the complete absence of any kind of pass rush plan in his arsenal.
Williams very often just plays his rep like a brute and changes technique on a whim. A lot of work will therefore be needed on this point in order to hope to develop his pass rushing skills.
 
Despite a generally explosive first step, Mykel unfortunately sometimes suffers from a slight delay in his takeoff. While this isn’t extremely concerning since it can be worked on, it should still be kept in mind. Power rushers are already not the archetype of players who can rush the QB as quickly as possible on a consistent basis, so it would be wise not to handicap himself further by losing that extra second at the start of the play.
This kind of point was, for example, a concern for a player like Tyree Wilson (Raiders), and two seasons after his draft he still happens to be slow on his Takeoff, so beware.

To conclude, I think you’ve understood by now, but I am far from being a big fan of Mykel Williams. While I don’t have anything against him personally, it’s mainly the issue of the values applied to this type of profile that bothers me. More than that, it’s the values applied specifically to profiles with this kind of skillset/toolkit in particular — the big frame with crazy athletic abilities, but who is still extremely raw in absolutely everything else.

For once, Mykel perfectly represents the type of profile that appeals to certain scouts in American sports in general, and which often relies on the three key factors that they consider the holy trinity of what a prospect should embody: an impressive physique, athletic abilities that stand out, and those two previous points in an athlete who is as young as possible. Then, when it comes to technique: "Don’t worry, we’ll take care of turning him into a football player." 
It’s with this kind of mindset that you end up with a Travon Walker as the 1st overall pick in the draft, or in this case, with Mykel Williams who seems to be heading straight toward a top 10, possibly even top 5 selection if he has a strong Combine.
Personally, I don’t see him as such. While I certainly acknowledge the potential he represents and wouldn't lie by saying he's not interesting, I’m also aware of the significant project he represents and the heavy workload ahead before his team or coaches can hope to turn him into a solid football player capable of being consistently productive.

As is the case every year, there is a real discrepancy between my point of view and that of many experts regarding the value of this type of profile. While the consensus sees Mykel Williams as a first-round lock, and others more measured view him as a second-round talent, I might be labeled a hater because I have him ranked in Tier 4 (or borderline late 3rd, if you’re a fan of the player).
In a similar profile, and just a year older, I have Shemar Stewart in Tier 3, whose nearly elite run-stopping abilities far surpass those of Mykel Williams. So, it’s clear that I can’t rank them both the same.

So, it’s a Tier 4 for me, with a value that I’d place around the 3rd round for a team looking to slowly develop him behind another option at the position. Of course, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a huge reach on draft night given the hype surrounding the player, but I’d still be against a first-round selection unless it’s by a team that’s absolutely loaded with talent and has no major needs (yes, yes, I’m looking at you, Eagles) that decides to take the gamble—and even then, it would only be in the 2nd round.

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