The San Francisco 49ers will need to start getting younger in certain areas of the team, and the 2026 NFL Draft can be the starting point. While the Niners are looking to contend in the 2026 season, they are counting on many veteran players.
Nonetheless, the upcoming draft could see the Niners start finding the young players that can eventually replace guys like Trent Williams. In a mock draft from A to Z Sports published on April 5, the 49ers are predicted to select a young offensive lineman: Former Alabama Crimson Tide offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor.
“Trent Williams’ future is up in the air, and the 49ers signed Vederian Lowe as a low-end alternative,” Wendell Ferreira of A to Z Sports wrote. “With so many edge defenders off the board, including back-to-back ones in Faulk and Howell, Kadyn Proctor offers Kyle Shanahan a top prospect for the future at left tackle.
“Proctor is a huge 6’7, 352-pound tackle with elite athleticism and ability to move bodies in the run game. Last season at Alabama, he allowed only 19 pressures and amassed a 97.9% efficiency rate. Proctor has some technique issues to improve upon, which is natural for a 20-year-old prospect, but the frame and age make his ceiling extremely high.”
Last season for the Crimson Tide, Proctor earned an 85.4 overall PFF grade over 878 offensive snaps.
He posted an 81.8 pass-blocking grade and an 81.6 run-blocking grade. In pass protection, he allowed 19 total pressures, including two sacks and four hits, and was flagged for just two penalties.
49ers GM Comments on Situation With Trent Williams
Williams is facing a cap hit of nearly $47 million after the team chose not to pick up his $10 million roster bonus.
Restructuring his contract could reduce that cap number and potentially add guaranteed money to a deal that currently has none, according to Pro Football Talk. Moreover, the Niners appear ready to ramp up talks to ensure this situation doesn’t linger any longer than necessary.
On March 29, the SF Standard’s David Lombardi shared the latest on the 49ers’ plans to resolve the situation with their veteran offensive lineman.
“John Lynch says that 49ers’ talks with Trent Williams have ‘intensified’ over the past week,” Lombardi wrote on X. “He thinks ‘we’re on the precipice of something good.’”
In 2025, Williams played 996 snaps for the 49ers, allowing four sacks and eight hits while committing four penalties. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 91.5, ranking him third among all offensive tackles.
Furthermore, his run-blocking grade was 92.8, while his pass-blocking grade was 79.9. Williams gave up 32 total pressures in pass protection, including four sacks and eight hits.
Richard Sherman Gets Blunt About Trent Williams Future With Niners
Amid this concerning issue, former 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman weighed in on whether San Francisco would be willing to cut ties with Williams this offseason.
“I think they’ve gotten frustrated, not with Trent Williams, but just with the dead‑money situation that they’ve run into year after year,” Sherman said on the March 26 edition of “The Richard Sherman Podcast.”
“I think they’ve been among the top dead‑money teams for the last few years because of Javon Hargrave’s contract, Deebo Samuel, and so many other guys that they’ve had to part ways with for whatever reason.
“They’re trying to get away from that. I don’t think they want to throw more dead money into the future. I think they’re trying to take their licks now. Again, I haven’t talked to John [Lynch] or Kyle [Shanahan], but I obviously don’t see them getting rid of Trent Williams.”
