3 reasons why SF 49ers must re-sign Trent Willams in 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: SF 49ers’ options in 2021 NFL Draft could be limited
It seems now the 4-5 Niners aren’t realistically looking at the playoffs this season, instead shifting their focus to an offseason roster reconstruct. Free agency could be one way San Francisco addresses a possible Trent Williams replacement.
The only problem, though, is the 2021 free-agent class at offensive tackle is awfully top-heavy with names who’ll either cost just as much as Williams, if not more, or players who are tabbed as backups at best.
No problem, right? There’s always the NFL Draft, and the SF 49ers currently have eight picks at their disposal with a possible ninth coming by the way of a compensatory pick for losing wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders to free agency last offseason.
Yes, the 2021 draft class is awfully deep for the offensive line. And there are a good deal of names available at offensive tackle, too, although the majority of the players up front likely to go on day two or day three of the draft are more on the interior.
The Niners have draft needs there as well.
There are the well-known offensive tackle prospects like Walker Little of Stanford, Oregon’s Penei Sewell, Liam Eichenberg out of Notre Dame and Alabama’s Alex Leatherwood. But all of those names could go in Round 1 or early in Round 2, putting themselves potentially out of range of the team’s first two picks.
Especially because of the next scenario.