Acquiring Trent Williams was 49ers' Best Move During the Draft

For Super Bowl aspirations to remain alive, the 49ers needed to have a relatively strong draft.

They succeeded in doing so by finding adequate replacements for DeForest Buckner (Javon Kinlaw) and Emmanuel Sanders (Brandon Aiyuk). The 49ers also were successful in finding depth at tight end and interior offensive line.

San Francisco had a strong draft in the end with multiple sound moves. However, the best move the 49ers made was not a player they drafted.

Acquiring offensive tackle Trent Williams was the 49ers' best move during the draft.

San Francisco traded a fifth-round pick and a 2021 third-round pick to Washington for the services of Williams. Acquiring a superb talent like Williams at such a low cost is a resounding win for the 49ers.

It becomes exponentially significant once it was revealed that Joe Staley would end up retiring. That is why the best move that occurred throughout the entire draft was the acquisition of Williams.

In a way, Staley deserves to be the MVP of the draft for keeping his announcement on the low and whispering it to the 49ers brass. Otherwise, the 49ers hand would have been forced at pick 13 to draft Tristan Wirfs.

The 49ers would have been left in a pinch had they entered the 2020 season without a capable left tackle. Now, I know Justin Skule performed sufficiently well while Staley was out last season, but there is concern with immediately handing Skule the reigns.

Plus, I never got the sense that Kyle Shanahan fully trusted Skule. Whenever Shanahan would mention Skule in a postgame presser, Shanahan always sounded skeptical, as if he felt fortunate that Skule had a good game. And during games, Shanahan would give Skule extra protection.

Skule just isn't ready to be a full-time starter. For a team that is capable of a Super Bowl run, having question marks surrounding left tackle would have been their downfall.

Daniel Brunskill would be another player the 49ers could have considered there. He did perform exceptionally well all over the offensive line, but the 49ers best bet is to give him a true shot at right guard.

With Williams now in the ranks, the 49ers offense does not have to worry about skipping a beat. Better yet, the offense will be a bit improved. Williams is a much better player than Staley. The 49ers got a top-tier player who is five-years younger and much faster than the current version of Staley.

Best part of all is that Williams took the entire 2019 season off. That may be a point to use against him as he could be rusty, but I believe that one-year layoff benefits him tremendously. Remember, he's an offensive lineman. Those guys go to battle every week during the season, so they're constantly battered. A year off for Williams will do him wonders, and help a 49ers offense that loves to attack laterally on the ground.

Williams will fit the offense like a glove.

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