Shortly after selecting Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams in the NFL Draft, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch spoke with team reporter Lindsey Pallares to explain why the young pass rusher is such a strong fit for the team's defense.
Lynch emphasized that Williams possesses many of the traits the 49ers highly value—most importantly, his character.
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"He's a really impressive young man in every way," Lynch said. "The most important way is probably the character, who the kid is, and that was communicated from our scouts, who went through Georgia. So, that's all his coaches, his academic advisors, trainers, just speak glowingly of him both on and off the field. That's important to us."
Lynch also highlighted how Williams' physical gifts and versatility are expected to bolster the 49ers' defensive front, especially given recent departures and depth needs.
"He's got incredible physical traits," Lynch continued. "Physicality, length, versatility, can play outside, he can move inside in pass-rush situations. So, he checks a ton of boxes. There's a lot of work to be done in honing his skills, but he's going to have great mentors—guys like [defensive line coach] Kris Kocurek and [assistant defensive line coach] Greg Scruggs, who just joined us."
The 49ers' coaching staff is eager to begin working with Williams and helping him develop into a key contributor.
"[We're] really excited," Lynch said. "Those guys can't wait to get their hands on him. And there's just so much talent and youth and just character in this kid that I think it made it a consensus pick throughout our building."
As Day 2 of the draft gets set to kick off, Lynch and the 49ers are focused on continuing to add value to their roster, knowing there's still plenty of talent available.
"We've just got to make good decisions," Lynch concluded. "We've got to continue to trust the process and work that we've done, and it'd be fun."