Concerns over lingering injuries might have scared some teams off former Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams.

But not San Francisco.

The 49ers decided Williams fit exactly what they wanted, choosing the Columbus native with the 11th pick in the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday night.

Williams’ health was a big topic of conversation at the NFL Combine last February. The defensive end was the first Bulldog taken in the first round.

“The whole year, I never was healthy,” Williams said at the Combine. “I actually re-injured it multiple times throughout the year. I didn't practice until the week of the Texas game. I was messed up pretty bad.”

According to Williams, most of his weeks during his junior season were spent in rehab so that he could get on the field.

“I was going to treatment, trying to rehab my ankle the whole practice,” added Williams, who said he never came close to being 100 percent during the season.

“I was less than 70 percent, less than 60,” he said.

Fortunately, he’s healthy now, and the 49ers are convinced that he is.

Because of his long rehab, Williams did not participate in any of the events at the Combine, ultimately waiting until last week when he and Jalon Walker worked out privately for teams at Georgia’s indoor athletic facility.

“Because I played injured this whole year, so coming out of my ankle, I decided to take the first two or three weeks to rest my ankle and try to get it back up under me,” Williams said. “So, that delayed my training.”