SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers took Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams with the 11th pick in the NFL draft.
The Niners came into the draft on Thursday night with several holes on the roster following a 6-11 season and several departures earlier in the offseason.
They opted to target the defensive line first after losing Leonard Floyd, Maliek Collins and Javon Hargrave already this offseason. San Francisco is looking to rebuild the defense through the draft for coordinator Robert Saleh, who returned to the team after spending the past four seasons as head coach of the New York Jets.
With only two defensive linemen going in the top 10, the Niners had a wide selection of choices available at No. 11.
Williams is a versatile defensive linemen who is stout against the run with the 49ers hoping he can help improve that aspect of the defense after some struggles the past two seasons. He will team with 2022 AP Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa as bookends on the defensive front.
Williams had five sacks last season for Georgia despite playing through a sprained ankle suffered in the season opener. He had 14 sacks in three seasons for the Bulldogs.
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Josh Dubow, The Associated Press
