"Many things will define the 49ers' season. Such is the nature of this complex game of football. But perhaps no factor not star players, injuries, or field-goal kicking will be as crucial to determining success or failure as the play of the 49ers' defensive rookies. The Niners drafted six of them this past spring, and three were asked to be starters right out of the gate. And what did we see from the kids on Sunday in Seattle?"
"Williams wasn't just a strong-side defensive tackle setting the edge. He was a frequent interior tackle against Seattle, holding his own against both the run and the pass. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh even dropped him into coverage a few times. That's a ridiculous amount of trust to have in a rookie in his first game. The box score won't tell you the story, but the tape will. Sure, he had some bad reps three of them, to be exact."
Six defensive rookies were drafted and three were thrust into starting roles, creating intense scrutiny on their early play. The rookie performances produced a mixed bag in Seattle, which is expected given their inexperience. Mykel Williams played 75 percent of defensive snaps and was deployed in unusually varied roles, including interior tackle work and occasional coverage, signaling significant trust from the coaching staff. He held up against the run and pass, faced double teams, and endured some poor reps and one-on-one losses to Grey Zabel. Overall tape-based evaluation favored his performance over the raw box score.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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