San Francisco’s offensive line succession plan has been stuck in neutral for years. Trent Williams remains elite at 37, but the 49ers have done little to prepare for life without their franchise left tackle.
That changes in PFSN analyst Ian Cummings’ latest seven-round mock draft, where San Francisco selects Clemson offensive tackle Blake Miller with the 27th overall pick.
Why Blake Miller Checks Every Box for Kyle Shanahan’s Scheme
Williams’ contract situation has become an annual headache for the front office. He’s entering the final year of his three-year, $82.66 million extension with zero guaranteed money remaining. The 49ers declined his $10 million option bonus on March 20, pushing his cap hit to approximately $46.3 million.
According to Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom, the two sides “remain far apart” on a reworked deal, and Williams is “acutely aware there is a robust market for his services.”
“Head coach Kyle Shanahan has insisted that the 49ers will find a way to keep offensive tackle Trent Williams around for 2026 and beyond, but even if they achieve a resolution, Williams is entering his age-38 season, and the cliff spares no man,” Cummings wrote in his mock draft. “Eventually, it will come, and San Francisco must be ready.”
“Blake Miller checks every box for a first-round tackle,” Cummings added. “He started 54 games at Clemson. He has stellar size at 6-foot-7, 314 pounds, with 34-inch arms. He tested as an elite athlete at the Combine, and he’s a perfect fit for San Francisco’s scheme that incorporates lots of wide zone and second-level action.”
The departure of Jaylon Moore to Kansas City on a two-year, $30 million deal last March stripped San Francisco of its most reliable swing tackle. Moore started five games at left tackle in 2024 when Williams was injured, allowing just nine pressures across 144 pass-blocking snaps. The 49ers were never going to match that price for a backup, but they haven’t adequately replaced what he provided.
San Francisco added Vederian Lowe from New England and retained Austen Pleasants, but neither is a long-term answer. Miller would change that calculus entirely.
The Clemson product set the school record for consecutive starts by a non-specialist with 54 and broke the record for career snaps from scrimmage with 3,778. His durability is remarkable. He missed only two practices in four years, one of which was solely because his doctors could only perform surgery on a broken wrist that day.
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At the combine, Miller ran a 5.04-second 40-yard dash with a 32-inch vertical and 9-foot-5 broad jump.
Miller’s pass protection improved every season at Clemson. He allowed 25 pressures as a freshman, then 22, then 18, and just 14 in his final year on 529 pass-blocking snaps. That development arc suggests a player who responds to coaching, which is exactly what Kyle Shanahan’s staff would need from a Williams successor.
Whether Williams plays out 2026 in San Francisco or not, the 49ers cannot afford to enter another season without a legitimate contingency plan. Miller provides one.
