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's gonna be hard to come to an agreement before the NFL Draft.
The more time that passes, the harder it will be to come to a resolution, especially since both sides refuse to give in. But 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's only a matter of time before he gets his money.
We have seen this story before: he'll hold out for more money, John Lynch will give it to him, and 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 LT.
Drafting Caleb Lomu is the perfect way for the San Francisco 49ers to cover their bases with Trent Williams
With Williams entering his age-38 season, it's unclear how much longer he'll sustain this level of play, especially with his injury history. So for that reason, OT is a need the 49ers must address early on in the 2026 NFL Draft, but they need to handle it in a way where they're drafting a Day 1 starter at 27.
And the path forward is obvious. If Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu is available, he has to be the pick. While he played left tackle in college, Lomu has the skillset to kick inside to guard at the NFL level, where he could start his career hopefully playing alongside Williams if they get a deal done.
However, just because Lomu would start his career off as a guard doesn't mean he would finish his rookie contract as one. The 12-time Pro Bowler's does not have unlimited time left, so he would probably be entrenched as the Niners' starting left guard until Williams retires or does not return.
The league's best front offices use the NFL Draft as an opportunity to address needs before they surface, and that's exactly what drafting Lomu would do in San Fran. He'd start at one position on the the offensive line, and then reverting back to his college position is how to get the most out of him.
In a loaded tackle class, it's no guarantee that Lomu is still available at this point, but if he is, he presents the 49ers with the safest way to navigate the Williams saga.
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