The San Francisco 49ers may very well have to postpone their very desperate needs for both a wide receiver and a pass-rusher when their number is first called in the 2026 NFL Draft this April.
General manager John Lynch probably wouldn't have preferred it that way. But, thanks to troubling developments surrounding future Hall of Fame left tackle Trent Williams, Lynch and the Niners may have no other choice.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, San Francisco is preparing itself to release Williams if the two sides can't come to an agreement on his 2026 contract figures, which include a $39 million cap hit.
Exactly how much of Schefter's report is truth versus agent/front office chatter is anyone's guess, but the situation is certainly concerning from the 49ers' perspective.
Especially if it ultimately leads to the soon-to-be 38-year-old Williams suiting up elsewhere next season.
One of the ramifications of that would-be scenario directly impacts Lynch's plans for Round 1 of the draft, and it might not necessarily be in the Niners' best interests.
Trent Williams' dilemma just made 49ers' NFL Draft plans a lot messier
San Francisco didn't have a succession plan in place for Williams, but if he indeed planned to delay his inevitable retirement for a little while longer, it wasn't a huge issue.
Now, Lynch and the 49ers may have to swing into emergency mode to find Williams' heir apparent via the draft, likely using the No. 27 overall pick on someone who can anchor the left side of the offensive line for the foreseeable future.
Recognizing the ESPN ties, perhaps that's why Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest mock draft had the Niners using their first-round pick on Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor instead of one of the several still-available wide receivers and defensive linemen.
It'd be one thing if San Francisco wasn't faced with serious wide receiver shortages this offseason, or if the pass rush finished nearly anywhere else but dead last in sacks a year ago. If either one of those realities was different, using a Round 1 pick on Williams' replacement wouldn't be as big of a deal.
But it is a big deal, and Lynch will ultimately have to figure out an adequate way around it.