​ESPN’s annual survey of NFL executives, coaches, and scouts didn’t place San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams at the top of his position for 2026, but Williams still secured the No. 2 spot in one of the most hotly debated rankings on the list. Detroit’s Penei Sewell captured the top overall ranking, while Williams collected votes ranging from first place to unranked. That wide spread likely reflects lingering questions about his age, since he will turn 38 in mid-July. Yet the numbers reinforce Williams’s case. In 2025 he posted a 92.2% pass-block win rate, and his 79.5% run-block win rate was the best among the top-10 tackles and sixth-best overall, according to ESPN.
Evaluators were divided on how much the mileage matters. One NFL coordinator noted that Williams “takes him a while to get going early in the season, but he’s still producing at a high level,” while several scouts argued that age has kept him from being viewed as the league’s best tackle purely on longevity. However, one NFC defensive coach pushed back on the aging narrative, saying he doesn’t see a meaningful drop-off: “I don’t see a lot of drop-off — he still operates without the need for any help in pass protection, he still mauls people, he’s still got light feet for his size, and he still has the capacity to dominate.”
The ranking arrives amid questions about Williams’s future with the 49ers. San Francisco declined a $10 million option bonus in March, and negotiations stretched into the spring before the two sides agreed to a two-year, $50 million extension in April, ending the stalemate just days before the draft. The deal includes $37 million guaranteed and keeps Williams under contract with the franchise through the 2027 season.
The extension underscored how crucial San Francisco believes Williams remains. In eight games without him, the 49ers are 1-7. In the 40 games he has played, they’re 31-9—a stark contrast that illustrates just how essential the four-time first-team All-Pro is to Kyle Shanahan’s offense and to providing Brock Purdy with sturdy protection up front.
Age concerns notwithstanding, Williams remains among the league’s best at his position, and the 49ers ensured he’ll be protecting Purdy’s blind side for at least the next two seasons. This article originally appeared on Niners Wire, with the headline noting Williams was left off the No. 1 spot in ESPN’s OT rankings for SEO considerations.