"10-plus-sack season within cards": NFL analyst tips 49ers 1st round pick for Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2025 NFL season

The San Francisco 49ers are looking to turn their fortunes around in the upcoming NFL season. Accordingly, it seems like they have made the right choices to do just that in the offseason.

The Niners picked Georgia's star defensive end Mykel Williams with the 11th pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. NFL analyst Ben Solak believes that Williams will win the Defensive Rookie of the Year in the 2025 season.

Mykel Williams has all the makings of a superstar. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound DE generated 67 tackles, 14 sacks, three forced fumbles, and four passes defended in the 40 collegiate games he played for Georgia. The star has earned the second-team All-SEC honors twice and won a national title.

In a recent article published by ESPN's Ben Solak, the insider predicted that Williams would become the Defensive Rookie of the Year if the Niners used him as a pass rusher. Alongside Nick Bosa, Solak believes the 20-year-old could have a 10-plus sack season.

"Mykel Williams will win Defensive Rookie of the Year. If the 49ers unleash him as a pass rusher in a way that Georgia never did -- and if his ankle is healthy -- he has a great pass-rush profile for early success. He'll also rarely see double teams opposite Nick Bosa. A 10-plus-sack season is well within the cards."

The 49ers QB Brock Purdy also made big claims before the 2025 NFL season

Recently, Brock Purdy generated a lot of buzz by making a bold statement. The 49ers QB1 believes that he is a top 10 NFL QB. However, Purdy's comments did not sit well with Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe.

The former Broncos TE and current media personality believes that the 49ers QB lacks the skills to elevate his teammates. While speaking on the "Nightcap" podcast, Sharpe said:

"I don't look at Brock Purdy as a multiplier. What I mean by that (is) I don't believe he can just take ordinary people and make them really good, great."

While experts don't have much faith in Brock Purdy, it'll be interesting to see if Ben Solak's predictions about Mykel Williams will come true in the upcoming season.