Source: San Francisco 49ers DL Mykel Williams has torn ACL - ESPN

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers' fears about the injury to rookie defensive end Mykel Williams were confirmed Monday afternoon when a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that Williams tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

After the Niners' 34-24 victory against the New York Giants on Sunday afternoon, coach Kyle Shanahan left little doubt about Williams' likely diagnosis while also trying to offer a hint of optimism that further testing would reveal better than expected news in a brief chat with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

«He's just down and you never know,» Shanahan said after the game. «Hopefully, it's not the worst, but if it is, hey that sucks for this year. But that's all it sucks for. You'll be back next year and this won't affect you at all.»

As it turned out, that's exactly the case for Williams, who will need surgery to repair the knee and then begin a lengthy recovery process before he can return in 2026.

Williams suffered the injury with about four minutes left in the game as he pressured Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart. Williams got close to Dart, who threw incomplete to his right. But Williams' knee buckled and he went down. His immediate reaction suggested something was seriously wrong as he grabbed for his right knee and pounded his helmet and the turf in frustration.

Although Williams was able to slowly walk off the field, Shanahan said after the game that the team was «worried» about the injury being an ACL tear though an MRI on Monday was needed to confirm it. Williams has started each of San Francisco's first nine games, averaging 45.4 snaps per contest and posting 20 tackles and a sack while lining up on the edge on early downs and moving inside to rush