Patriots draft profile: Mykel Williams is only just scratching the surface of his potential

The Georgia product is one of the top edge defenders in this year’s draft.

Even after signing Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson in free agency, the New England Patriots remained quite interested in bolstering their defensive edge. Their pre-draft contact is concrete proof of that, with 17 reported prospects at the position having some kind of meeting with the team over the last few weeks and months.

Among those players is one of the highest-rated edges available in this year’s draft, projected first-round pick Mykel Williams.

Hard facts

Name: Mykel Williams

Position: Defensive edge/Defensive end

School: Georgia

Opening day age: 21 (6/29/2004)

Measurements: 6’5 1/8”, 260 lbs, 82 7/8” wingspan, 34 3/8” arm length, 10 1/4” hand size, 4.77s 40-yard dash, N/A Relative Athletic Score

Experience

Colleges: Georgia (2022-24)

Career statistics: 40 games (17 starts) | 1,190 defensive snaps, 208 special teams snaps | 67 tackles, 9 missed tackles (11.8%), 21.5 TFLs, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery | 85 quarterback pressures (14 sacks, 14 hits, 57 hurries) | 1 missed special teams tackle

Accolades: Second-team All-SEC (2023, 2024), Freshman All-American (2022), SEC All-Freshman (2022)

Originally an offensive lineman, Williams moved to the other side of the line of scrimmage in his sophomore year at Hardaway High School in Columbus, GA, and never looked back. He left school as a two-time all-state selection, a five-star recruit, and the No. 4 recruit overall in the country. Needless to say, interest in his services was high: he had already received his first scholarship offer before his sophomore season, with multiple others following after his move to defense.

With virtually every major football program in the United States showing interest, he originally committed to USC. However, he decommitted after head coach Clay Helton was fired and eventually decided to stay home: joining the University of Georgia. Williams spent three seasons in Athens, appearing in 40 games with 17 starts and 14 sacks. Despite struggling with a left ankle sprain in 2024 — he claimed he was at “less than 60 percent healthy” all year — he set new career highs in sacks (5.0) and tackles for loss (8.5).

He decided to skip his senior campaign and enter the NFL Draft. Williams was invited to the Scouting Combine and also took a trip to Foxboro to visit with the Patriots during the pre-draft process.

Draft profile

Expected round: 1 (top 15) | Consensus big board: No. 15 | Patriots meeting: 30 visit

Strengths: When you look at Williams, you see an NFL edge defender. Standing at 6-foot-5 (86 percentile) and 260 pounds (40 percentile) with a massive 82 7/8-inch wingspan (86 percentile), he offers impressive length and the frame to succeed against pro-level competition. Despite his size, he is a fluid mover whose explosive get-off is visible regardless of his alignment and translates into raw power. He combines all that with advanced footwork and lower body flexibility as well as an active set of hands influenced by his background as a high school wrestler.

Even though he started only 17 games in college and will not turn 21 until June, Williams offers an all-around skillset on the edge. He has the speed, bend and arsenal of moves to become a disruptive pass rusher from various alignments, while also offering immense strength, advanced diagnosing skills and discipline to become a factor versus the run. Adding to his three-down potential is a high motor and the willingness to pursue plays from the backside or do the dirty work just controlling his gap in the run game.

In general, Williams projects as a plus culture guy. Not only is he a versatile player capable and open to filling multiple roles if asked to do so, he also was named a captain for four of Georgia’s games in 2024. He also showed the toughness to play through the ankle injury in 2024, and delivered the best year of his career despite being impacted by the ailment.

Weaknesses: Williams seemingly has all the tools in the world, and yet he only registered 14 sacks and started just 17 of 40 career games. So, what gives? His youth and versatile role played into that, while Georgia’s usage of its defensive linemen also did him no favors in terms of creating 1-on-1 pass rush opportunities. As a consequence of that, there is plenty of projection involved when evaluating him and his outlook in the league.

There also are some concrete issues with his game coming out of college. He still can refine his pass rush moves by getting more patient and cutting down on wasted movement in his upper half; he needs to show better awareness of leverage; he has a relatively lean build and might benefit from adding more weight to his frame. There also are questions about his medicals and how effective he can be when being used on a down-to-down basis rather than in more of a rotational role.

Patriots preview

What would be his role? Williams was a do-it-all defensive lineman at Georgia, but would likely play a more clearly-defined role early on in his NFL career. He projects as a starter-level edge in New England, who would primarily align from the 5-technique out and serve as part of a three-player rotation: he would join the likes of Harold Landry as well as early/late-down duo Anfernee Jennings/K’Lavon Chaisson atop the depth chart. He appears more pro-ready as a run defender but would steadily add to his pass rushing opportunities.

What is his growth potential? Williams is only just scratching the surface of his potential. Once he gets his feet wet against NFL competition and is able to lay a foundation to build off of, he can become a true do-it-all weapon along the New England defensive line. At worst, he projects as a serviceable starting edge; at best, he will be a mismatch nightmare and perennial All-Pro.

Does he have positional versatility? His college versatility might not translate to NFL versatility from the get-go, but Williams’ rare tools should allow him to become a well-rounded defensive lineman. As such, he would be a prominent option in the run game and as a pass rusher, and should eventually himself moving between stances and alignments on a constant basis.

Why the Patriots? Even though the Patriots made some investments along their edge this offseason, they need an infusion of young, starter-caliber talent. Williams would provide just that while simultaneously looking like a fit for what Mike Vrabel and company want to build on defense: he is scheme-versatile and plays the game with urgency and violence. He would be a defensive cornerstone for years to come, joining the likes of Christian Barmore and Christian Gonzalez as home-grown foundational pieces.

Why not the Patriots? The Patriots currently own the fourth overall pick, which seems a bit early for Williams to come off the board. Would they be willing to overdraft him? And how do they feel about his somewhat lackluster production in college? Do they even view the edge as a need big enough to be addressed that early? All those questions could result in Williams not ending up a Patriot.

One-sentence verdict: Williams is one of the highest-ceiling players in the draft, but already offers the floor of an instant impact player.

What do you think about Mykel Williams as a potential Patriots target? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.