SANTA CLARA — Now that 49ers defensive end Mykel Williams has worked with Kris Kocurek for a few weeks, the defensive line coach shared how the rookie has been adapting to his new surroundings.
“What we saw on college tape and all the information that we gathered in pre-draft process concerning him as a person, all the boxes have checked off so far,” Kocurek said. “His toughness, his love for the game, the skill set that we’ve seen on tape, the skill set that his coaches at Georgia explained that he had in his body, a lot of the boxes have checked so far.”
There are lofty expectations for first round picks, but they might be even higher for Williams, who is joining a defensive line room that saw multiple departures during free agency. While Kocurek was nothing but positive in his description of the Georgia product, he made sure to temper his comments just a bit.
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SIGN UP HERE “Now, we are out there in a geared down setting in OTA football right now,” Kocurek said. “You won’t truly get the true assessment until we get the pads on in August and really start going at this at the level that kind of correlates more to Sundays.”
The 49ers have a few more on-field practices before the group breaks for summer, and all eyes have been on Williams to help reinvigorate a pass rush that saw a challenging 2024 season.
The team has been in the market for a bookend to pair opposite of Nick Bosa for several seasons, wanting to get pressure on the quarterback from both sides of the field.
An attempt to acquire an edge rusher with their second-round pick of the 2022 NFL Draft in Drake Jackson did not pan out as planned. The USC product dealt with a lingering knee injury before being released in May.
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The 49ers also signed Leonard Floyd last season, who was second in quarterback sacks only to Bosa during his one season with the team. The long-time veteran quickly was signed by the Atlanta Falcons.
In Williams, Kocurek hopes the 49ers have found a long-term answer, but only time will tell.
“So far so good,” Kocurek said. ”Really impressed with the kid, his love for the game, his toughness, his eagerness to learn. And then the skill set that backs that all up. Arrow is pointing up on all of that.”