The San Francisco 49ers have a major disaster on their hands with the Trent Williams contract dispute. As lengthy as Williams is nonetheless enjoying, he is one in every of the greatest tackles in the NFL. He deserves each penny the 49ers will give him, however it’s gonna be exhausting to come back to an settlement earlier than the NFL Draft.
The extra time that passes, the more durable it is going to be to come back to a decision, particularly since each side refuse to present in. But the bizarre half is that Williams is set to make virtually $33 million in 2026, so even when he would not have a brand new extension set in stone but, it is solely a matter of time earlier than he will get his cash.
We have seen this story earlier than: he’ll maintain out for more cash, John Lynch will give it to him, and he’ll get damage. It’s a story that Niners followers have develop into fairly accustomed to over the years. But even when San Francisco pays the 37-year-old what he desires, they nonetheless need to find his long-term successor at LT.
Drafting Caleb Lomu is the perfect method for the San Francisco 49ers to cowl their bases with Trent Williams
With Williams getting into his age-38 season, it is unclear how for much longer he’ll maintain this degree of play, particularly along with his harm historical past. So for that cause, OT is a need the 49ers must address early on in the 2026 NFL Draft, however they should deal with it in a method the place they’re drafting a Day 1 starter at 27.
And the path forward is obvious. If Utah offensive sort out Caleb Lomu is accessible, he must be the decide. While he performed left sort out in faculty, Lomu has the skillset to kick inside to protect at the NFL degree, the place he may begin his profession hopefully enjoying alongside Williams in the event that they get a deal executed.
However, simply because Lomu would begin his profession off as a guard doesn’t suggest he would end his rookie contract as one. The 12-time Pro Bowler’s doesn’t have limitless time left, so he would in all probability be entrenched as the Niners’ beginning left guard till Williams retires or doesn’t return.
The league’s best front offices use the NFL Draft as a chance to handle wants earlier than they floor, and that is precisely what drafting Lomu would do in San Fran. He’d begin at one place on the the offensive line, after which reverting again to his faculty place is methods to get the most out of him.
In a loaded tackle class, it is no assure that Lomu is nonetheless accessible at this level, but when he is, he presents the 49ers with the most secure solution to navigate the Williams saga.
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