49ers land Trent Williams in steal on NFL Draft weekend

The San Francisco 49ers landed some fine talent in the 2020 NFL Draft. Yet their biggest move came via trade.

Over the weekend, the Niners landed Trent Williams in a deal with the Washington Redskins, giving up a 2020 fifth-round choice and a 2021 third-round pick. Williams, 31, is a seven-time Pro Bowler who should seamlessly replace Joe Staley. Staley, 35, is retiring after myriad injuries and one fine career.

With Williams coming to the Bay Area, the 49ers both get younger and upgrade the left side of the line. Despite not playing all of last season embroiled in a dispute with Washington, Williams is viewed as an elite talent at a premium position. To land him without giving up a top-50 pick? Phenomenal.

Despite only being signed through the 2020 season, San Francisco didn’t negotiate an extension as part of the swap. And while there has already been chatter wondering if the 49ers will Williams do so soon, Lynch feels such talk is premature. Per ESPN:

“I think the plan was to land him right now and then let the rest kind of work itself out,” general manager John Lynch said. “I think it’s always an advantage when you get someone in the building, on your roster. Now you’ve got a chance. We’ll get a really good look at him. We’ll see where the rest of our team is at, but right now we are just ecstatic that we were able to pull it off at a really opportune time.

“You’re losing a great player like Joe at a very critical position, to be able to have everything line up that he was available right then and for us to be able to land him, I think very fortuitous for us, and we’re very excited about that.”

Regardless of Williams’ contract status, the move is a boon for San Francisco in the immediate. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo needs both a clean pocket and a terrific ground game to succeed, and Williams obviously helps in both those regards. Additionally, head coach Kyle Shanahan runs intricate schemes. Williams is a smart veteran who understands leverage and technique.

Trying to repeat as NFC champs — and then taking it one step further — will be difficult for the 49ers to attain. Yet landing one of the game’s best for Garoppolo’s blind side is a significant step in the right direction.