The San Francisco 49ers are riding high after their pivotal division win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5. They improved to 5-0 on the season and asserted firm control of the NFC West.
Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris' unit delivered a stellar performance, generating four takeaways and five sacks. It can't be lost on San Francisco, however, that in his highly anticipated season debut, edge rusher Mykel Williams failed to make his presence known.
Granted, Williams was playing in his first game since tearing his ACL last year, but it was a continuation of an ongoing trend. Last year, the pass-rusher recorded just one sack in nine games. On Sunday, he carried over his disappointing play from last season, as his PFF grade of 50.4 was the lowest such grade on the defense.
Based on Shanahan's comments before the game, the second-year man was expected to take a significant portion of the pass-rushing work. But that ended up not being the case. Williams played on just 23 snaps, and he recorded zero sacks, zero QB hits, and one pressure in the allotted playing time.
Mykel Williams must prove he can live up to 49ers' 1st-round expectations
Williams has failed to live up to his draft capital thus far in his career. San Francisco drafted him 11th overall out of Georgia, the highly touted SEC powerhouse notorious for producing defensive monsters. Williams was thought to be next in line.
But so far, he has failed to prove worthy of the Niners' faith. Nick Bosa, when healthy, greatly benefits from a running mate, and the sophomore has come up short in his quest for sidekick status.
At age 22, he still has most of his career ahead of him, but the NFL is a league in which players must prove their worth as soon as possible, especially on defense. There are always other options waiting in the wings, whether it's on the depth chart or in next year's draft class.
Former New England Patriot Keion White has already accrued three sacks in his first full season with the 49ers. Rookie Romello Height has one in limited action.
If Williams continues to disappoint, Raheem Morris has other options.
When Bosa inevitably returns, Williams' production will be something to monitor. His 10-game sample to begin his career, while small, is underwhelming to say the least. His middling production is a far cry from what general manager John Lynch had in mind when he pulled the trigger on the Georgia man just two short years ago.
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