This is some 3D chess from John Lynch.

The San Francisco 49ers have a major disaster on their hands with the Trent Williams contract dispute. As long as Williams is still playing, he is one of the best tackles in the NFL. He deserves every penny the 49ers will give him, but it was always going to be hard to come to an agreement before the NFL Draft.

The more time that passed, the harder it became to reach a resolution—especially since both sides refused to give in. Yet the weird part is that Williams is set to make almost $33 million in 2026, so even if he doesn’t have a new extension set in stone yet, it was only a matter of time before he got his money.

We have seen this story before: he’ll hold out for more money, John Lynch will give it to him, and then he’ll get hurt. It’s a tale that Niners fans have become quite accustomed to over the years. But even if San Francisco pays the 37-year-old what he wants, they still need to find his long-term successor at left tackle.

With Williams entering his age-38 season, it’s unclear how much longer he can sustain this level of play, especially given his injury history. That is precisely why offensive tackle was a need the 49ers had to address early in the 2026 NFL Draft—and they had to handle it in a way that delivered a Day 1 starter at pick 27.

The path forward was obvious, and on draft night the 49ers executed it to perfection. If Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu was available, he had to be the pick. They didn’t just take him—they stole him. The 6’5″, 314-pound “Lomu-Motion” is the Williams clone nobody saw coming, and San Francisco just landed the perfect bridge to the next era of their offensive line.

While Lomu played left tackle in college, he possesses the rare skill set to kick inside to guard at the NFL level. That versatility gives the 49ers immediate flexibility: he could start his career playing alongside Williams if the two sides finally reach a deal. Yet just because Lomu would begin his rookie campaign as a guard does not mean he would finish his rookie contract there. The 12-time Pro Bowler does not have unlimited time left, so Lomu would be entrenched as the Niners’ starting left guard until Williams retires or does not return. From that moment, the 49ers can slide their massive rookie back outside to the left-tackle spot he dominated in college—the exact position where his long-term value lies.

The league’s best front offices use the NFL Draft as an opportunity to address needs before they surface, and that is exactly what drafting Lomu accomplishes in San Francisco. He starts at one position on the offensive line, then reverts back to his college position to get the absolute most out of him. In a loaded tackle class, it was no guarantee that Lomu would still be available at this point. The fact that he was—and that the 49ers pounced—gives San Francisco the safest possible way to navigate the entire Trent Williams saga.

This isn’t just another draft pick. It’s a calculated, forward-thinking masterstroke that secures the present while locking in the future. Trent Williams gets the money he’s earned, the offensive line stays elite, and a 6’5″, 314-pound clone nobody saw coming is now wearing scarlet and gold. Draft night in San Francisco wasn’t just successful. It was robbery—and the rest of the NFC West is already feeling the aftershocks.