SANTA CLARA — At some point, logic suggests Trent Williams will need to rely on his experience and know-how to compensate for a declining skill set in terms of power and explosion.
Yet Williams turned 35 this month and is somehow getting better with age.
When coaches and analysts crunch film and numbers and fellow players gather and ponder who can really play the most violent of games, Williams makes everyone sit up and take notice. He has the respect of his peers and and his credibility is off the charts.
Going into his fourth year as the 49ers’ left tackle, Williams is coming off the first two All-Pro seasons of his career, which seems odd since he’s been named to 10 Pro Bowls.
When Pro Football Focus’ analysts pored over the film and graded ever play and every player in naming the Top 50 in the NFL, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes was No. 1, Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald was No. 2 and Williams was No. 3.
NFL.com names a Top 100 each year and Williams checked in at No. 14 last year based on a player vote (The 2023 list is in a countdown phase and hasn’t gotten to Williams yet).
At 6-foot-5, 320 pounds, Williams can toy with even the most twitchy edge rushers with footwork and agility, while at the same time stone a bull rush with pure power. Tight end George Kittle has said on more than one occasion Williams is the best football player he’s ever seen.
When Williams was the No. 4 selection by Washington in the 2010 NFL Draft his line coach was Chris Foerster. Foerster coached Williams for four seasons before a reunion upon joining the 49ers in 2021.
With Williams in a dispute with Washington over medical care relating to treatment of a cancerous growth on his head that was surgically removed, the 49ers were able to get the left tackle for third- and fifth-round draft picks in 2020 after Joe Staley retired.
What Foerster saw was startling.
“It is amazing. He’s just one of those physical specimens,” Foerster said. “As time has gone on he doesn’t look any different. It just shocks me. He moves as well as he always has.”
How does Williams do it? By never paying for the same real estate twice. Keep moving forward like a road grader, be a beast in the weight room and never stop adding to the tool box of blocking fundamentals.
“You make 10 straight Pro Bowls, a lot of people would say you’ve put together a good resume,” Williams said. “I never really look at it past one year. I look at last year and my whole goal is to be a better player than I was last year. Next year I’m going to look at this year and want to be better.”
Williams understands one wrong step can leave his quarterback flat on his back and No. 71 will be singled out on instant replay as the culprit.
“It’s so easy to feel like you know it all and you’ve got it all and that’s when you get humbled in this game,” Williams said. “For me it’s always been about going forward and not about the rear-view mirror or what I’ve done in the past. It’s a simple blueprint to keep yourself motivated and staying in the now.”
One of Williams’ strategies to keep his mind right is taking young players under his wing, inviting them for offseason sessions where they can pick is brain and inject some 20-something enthusiasm.
“(I like) the hunger. Seeing how hungry they are to learn how hungry they are to get better,” Williams said. “It rubs off on me. I like it because it allows me to stay locked in and it holds me to a higher standard.”
Williams may be even more important to the offensive line than Nick Bosa is to the defensive line. While defensive coaches can scheme up rush, there are no such shortcuts on the offensive line. A weak link at left tackle will break the chain, but having a potential Hall of Fame candidate protecting the quarterback’s blind side makes everybody better.
Which is a good thing where the 49ers are concerned, because the rest of their offensive front remains a work in progress. Colton McKivitz takes over for the departed Mike McGlinchey at right tackle, Spencer Burford is the right guard after splitting time with Daniel Brunskill as a rookie, Jeff Brendel is in his second season as the full-time center and Aaron Banks goes into his second year as a starter after a promising sophomore season.
They will get everything Williams has to offer not only physically, but mentally as well. Although far more accomplished than his line mates, Williams never carries it that way because he understands the difficulties and complexities of life as a blocker.
“When you’re playing o-line, it’s like a roller coaster sometimes because one play can define how people look at you for an entire season,” Williams said. “It’s a very peculiar position to be in. You’re skating on thin ice every play.”
Williams has heard all the talk of the 49ers running out of time in terms of remaining a contender. Not surprisingly, given his own longevity at an advanced age, he disregards it.
“Worrying about when the window closes really does nothing for me right now,” Williams said. “It’s like worrying about when you’re going to die, right? It’s going to close eventually but what’s the point of looking forward to it? Come in every day to get 1 percent better and eventually you want to hold up that trophy. Then you reset, recalibrate and approach it the next year.”