(Editor's Note: While the start of the 2025 NFL Draft isn't until late April, it's never too early to profile some of the key participants. The staff of DallasCowboys.com intends to preview the landscape of the draft's top prospects, with an emphasis on possible Cowboys draft picks – from the first round to the last. Today's featured player is Georgia EDGE Mykel Williams.)
- Name: Mykel Williams
- Position: EDGE
- College: Georgia
- Height/Weight: 6-5 / 260
Did You Know? When Williams is drafted in April, it'll mark the fourth straight year that the University of Georgia has seen a defensive lineman selected in the NFL Draft. You always scout the player and not the helmet, but the Bulldogs are doing everything right on the defensive line of scrimmage as Williams joins Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Travon Walker and three others all picked out of Athens since 2022.
Where He's Projected:
Many teams view Williams differently based on how high they believe his ceiling is and where he is in his development currently, but most mocks have him going in the early-to-middle parts of the first round.
How He Helps the Cowboys:
Dallas dealt with a plethora of injuries to their pass rushers last season, with Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland all missing time throughout the course of the season. Sam Williams is expected to be back for 2025 and Kneeland and Parsons finished the year healthy, and the Cowboys added Dante Fowler and Payton Turner in free agency, but you can never have enough pass rushers.
In Mykel Williams, the Cowboys would be getting an explosive, athletic pass rusher who is only scratching the surface of what he can do. Williams has the potential to shine in Matt Eberflus' 4-3 defense but needs to get stronger and fill into his 6'5, 260 pound frame if he wants to reach his full potential.
The looming question for the Cowboys and Williams would be whether they feel EDGE is a big enough need to use with the 12th overall pick/a trade back scenario, or if they feel another position like wide receiver would be better to use draft capital on given the current state of the roster.
Final Thoughts:
A raw prospect might not be what Dallas is looking to do with their first-round selection, but with time, Williams has a chance to bake into an elite pass rusher in the NFL. He's got a knack of tackling ball carriers behind the line of scrimmage but is currently too up and down in his play and is relying more on his pure size and athleticism than anything else.
When asked at the NFL combine if he met with the Cowboys formally, Williams answered yes with a giant smile on his face, adding: "I can't talk about it, but I loved that meeting." Do with that what you will.
