The San Francisco 49ers made a move to shore up their ailing defensive line in Thursday night's NFL Draft's first round, selecting Georgia EDGE Mykel Williams.
There are a lot of reasons for this: a bookend to pass-rushing phenom Nick Bosa, an infusion of youth at a troubled position, and his sheer talent, as well as defensive coordinator Robert Saleh's sign-off.
Now, another defensive coach has added his weighty opinion to the mix. And it's a less-flashy, but extremely important part of Williams' game he highlighted.
Kris Kocurek, the Niners' defensive line coach, had this to say, according to David Lombardi of the San Francisco Standard:
Kris Kocurek thinks Mykel Williams was the best edge setter in college football
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) April 25, 2025
While setting the edge isn't all that matters, it raises Williams' floor with the team significantly. Any sort of three-down player opposite Bosa (or also available as part of the D-line rotation) would be a huge boon to San Francisco, which has consistently struggled for competent D-line play opposite its star player.
Oftentimes, it has resulted in the team rotating former players such as Dee Ford and Cle Ferrell, one to play the run, and one to play the pass, or resulted in moving pieces around, like Arik Armstead, normally a defensive tackle, playing defensive end.
Williams' ability to set the edge, as well as his size (significantly larger than other reputed picks like Jalon Walker or Shemar Stewart), sets him apart from the 49ers' other options on the edge of the defensive line at the 11th pick.
Reading between the lines of Kocurek's comments, it seems to have been a deciding factor in San Francisco choosing the former Bulldog.
It's hard to argue, as even if Williams can't make much noise in the pass-rushing department earlier, even providing competent run defense would likely provide an immediate upgrade to the defense. Last year's run defense was especially poor, and it's clear there's a focus on improving it this year.
Kocurek clearly believes this is a step in that direction. The challenge for him now is to unlock Williams' other tools, namely his pass-rushing abilities and potential to disrupt opposing offenses.
If Kocurek can do that, there's a good chance of turning a solid pick into a great one. His early comments at least suggest that he's looking forward to coaching him, too.
All eyes will be on both of them, and any other additions the 49ers make to their D-line, in the upcoming season.