ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reached out to NFL Scouts about the most polarizing players in the upcoming NFL Draft, and a few of them have been linked to the San Francisco 49ers.

Here are some quotes about Georgia’s defensive lineman Mykel Williams, who met with the Niners earlier this week:

“He ain’t making it to you,” the second man said after speaking to Williams. Both knew why.

“He’s a man,” the evaluator said. “Long, smooth, bendy.”

But questions remain about Williams, whose production (15 tackles, five sacks in 2024) did not overwhelm. Neither did his 4.74-second 40 time at Georgia’s pro day, though Williams has been dealing with an ankle injury.

“I thought he’d be a better tester than what he is,” an AFC executive said. “Film was good, not productive. He’s not [former Georgia standout and No. 1 pick] Travon Walker as far as an athlete. At one point I was thinking top 10, or was hoping for that.”

While Williams will almost assuredly go in the first round, where he goes is still unclear. But his upside and positional flexibility along the defensive line should enhance his stock.

“I feel good about him figuring it out — dependable, tough,” a veteran NFL personnel evaluator said. “He plays the game with good feel, good inside rusher, amazing frame, great kid.”

Williams is the poster child of polarizing prospects. As pointed out above, 15 tackles throughout a full season in a league where production matters is a bit scary. Is he not a difference-maker? Is it because Williams played a specific position in Georgia’s defense that didn’t allow him to flourish fully? Or is Williams simply a player who will do the dirty work but never turn out to be an 8+ sack type of player?

ESPN ranks Williams as the ninth-best overall prospect. The next player, who also has visited with the 49ers, Walter Nolen, ranks 26th overall on their board:

“Highest ceiling in the entire draft,” a veteran NFL defensive coach said. “Not as big as [Jalen] Carter but has some of his traits.”

Added an NFC executive: “Impressive traits, and we were fine with his interviews.”

Multiple scouts have maturity concerns, however. There are several NFL scouting reports that reflect Nolen’s history of walking off the practice field mid-session due to frustration.

Opinions of his team interviews are varied, but one NFL personnel executive said Nolen came across as someone who wants to improve and shed bad habits.

“He’s searching for solutions,” the exec said. “He’s young.” Nolen turned 21 in October.

Going to a veteran-laden locker room could help Nolen.

“Your hands will be full and you need a real plan for him, but I have a hard time thinking he falls out of the top 20,” the coach said.

It took Jalen Carter little time to establish himself as a dominant force for the Philadelphia Eagles. Nolen plays with a similar violence that reminded me of Carter, which in turn causes similar chaos, so it’s nice to see some confirmation bias.

Nolen has transferred to a different school repeatedly. If only we were privy to some of the concerns teams had. The above reads like a player who knows he’s made some mistakes but is willing to grow from them.

It sounds like teams must decide if Nolen’s talent is enough to overcome his immaturity. Is Nick Bosa’s presence enough in the defensive line room?

The last player we’ll share is Will Johnson from Michigan:

“He needs to be in a vision zone scheme; let him attack what’s in front of him,” an NFL coordinator said. “If you want him to match up against the best guy every down, that’s not him.”

“Can’t tell how fast he truly is from the tape, “ the coordinator said.

There was one game in the past two seasons where Johnson matched up against a top-flight receiver, and that was Marvin Harrison Jr. Johnson looked like a first-rounder. Johnson gave up a 44-yard catch that was a 50/50 ball. But he also had an interception and contested most of the other targets.

Johnson’s long speed might be a concern. He’s not a 4.3 prospect, but he looks like he runs a sub 4.5. He was in a position to make a player against Harrison on each of the targets down the field.

I’d also argue that Saleh runs a “vision zone scheme,” whatever that means.