{"id":780242,"date":"2026-02-27T16:32:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T16:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/780242\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T16:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T16:32:13","slug":"golden-nuggets-news-of-49ers-meeting-draft-prospects-are-starting-to-roll-in-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/780242\/","title":{"rendered":"Golden Nuggets: News of 49ers meeting draft prospects are starting to roll in\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Trent Williams standoff, same story: He owns all the leverage (paywall) <\/a>
\u201cFor starters, the 49ers aren\u2019t well-positioned to play take-it-or-leave-it hardball because they\u2019ve neglected a succession plan as Williams has aged. The 49ers haven\u2019t drafted an offensive tackle since they selected since-departed Jaylon Moore in the fifth round in 2021, meaning journeyman Austen Pleasants, 28, is the next man up on their current roster.<\/p>\n

The 49ers also lack leverage because, if Williams is slipping, it\u2019s not to the point that he can\u2019t reasonably demand to be paid at or near the top of the market. He can stand his ground after he was a first-team All-Pro last season who played in 18 of 19 games and ranked third among offensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus\u2019 grading system.<\/p>\n

The 49ers could release Williams. But doing so would trigger a $34.15 million dead-money charge, less than $5 million than the $38.8 million cap charge Williams currently carries that the 49ers want to decrease. And if they part with Williams? They\u2019ll have to spend significant resources in free agency or the draft to find his replacement during an offseason in which wide receiver and edge rusher are screaming roster needs.<\/p>\n

The 49ers don\u2019t appear to be in a good place to negotiate with their blindside protector. And that should feel familiar.<\/p>\n

In March 2021, after Williams\u2019 first season with the 49ers following his trade from the Commanders, he was poised to accept a free-agent contract from the Chiefs. Before doing so, however, he made good on his pledge to call head coach Kyle Shanahan to give the 49ers a chance to counter any offer.<\/p>\n

The gist of Williams\u2019 no-nonsense message to Shanahan as he stood outside a Houston restaurant: Tell chief contract negotiator Paraag Marathe to give me more money \u2014 and make it snappy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard the same thing from NFL sources this week that I heard in the weeks and months before ESPN reported that Williams and the 49ers were struggling to come to an agreement, which the report heavily implied could lead to the 49ers releasing Williams before they\u2019d have to make a $10 million up-front payment.<\/p>\n

Kawakami: Trent Williams\u2019 inevitable 49ers money, why negotiations get weird, and more (paywall)<\/a>
\u201cUmm, no, my NFL sources said. Unless something crazy happens, the 49ers intend to add more guaranteed money to Williams\u2019 deal and Williams, who turns 38 in July, intends to be with the 49ers through the rest of his career.<\/p>\n

Certainly, the financial terms have to be figured out. Definitely, there could be, as there almost always is with the 49ers and high-profile players, some tension during the back and forth. The player wants more. The team wants to pay less. And guaranteeing future money gets riskier as players age. ….For this negotiation, maybe the 49ers\u2019 negotiators tossed out a big-bluff, \u201chey, we don\u2019t have to pay you anything, starting with that $10 million.\u201d And the ESPN report easily could\u2019ve been the Williams camp\u2019s loud retort \u2014 yeah, go ahead. Because they\u2019d know the 49ers were just bluffing. It\u2019s part of the process, I guess.\u201c<\/p>\n

Ten prospects for the 49ers to watch this week, including Omar Cooper and Kenyon Sadiq (paywall)<\/a>
\u201cRaheem Morris\u2019 arrival as defensive coordinator means the 49ers will likely consider more small, speedy edge rushers than they\u2019ve scouted in the past. There are a lot of those in this year\u2019s draft, including Oklahoma\u2019s R Mason Thomas and Texas Tech\u2019s Romello Height.
[Texas AM DE Cashius] Howell might be the best of the sub-250-pounders, finishing with 11.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss last season. Howell\u2019s GTFO time \u2014 a 49ers calculus that determines a lineman\u2019s explosion \u2014 ought to catch defensive line coach Kris Kocurek\u2019s eye in the run-up to the draft.<\/p>\n

49ers meet with safety, defensive tackle, linebacker at NFL Combine<\/a>
\u201cAccording to Chase Senior of Chat Sports, the 49ers conducted a formal interview with former Ole Miss defensive tackle Zxavian Harris\u2026\u201cHe is 6\u20197\u201d, 320 lbs. Had three sacks and three passes defended in 2025,\u201d Senior wrote\u2026.He delivered his most productive season in 2025, recording 58 tackles and three sacks while anchoring the Rebels\u2019 defensive front.<\/p>\n

Senior also reported that San Francisco held an informal meeting with former Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher. The 49ers previously connected with Boettcher during Senior Bowl week.<\/p>\n

\u201cOregon LB, Bryce Boettcher, who was drafted in the 13th round of the 2024 MLB Draft as a center fielder, has met informally with the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles,\u201d Senior wrote.<\/p>\n

Additionally, Senior noted that the 49ers met with former Texas safety Michael Taaffe at the Combine.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe went from walk-on to becoming a star player, All-American, and key leader for Texas,\u201d Senior wrote.\u201d<\/p>\n

49ers meet with Georgia CB Daylen Everette at NFL Scouting Combine<\/a>
Everette (6-0, 193) spent four seasons at Georgia, developing into one of the SEC\u2019s top defensive backs. Over his collegiate career, he recorded 150 total tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, five interceptions, and 19 passes defensed, along with two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, according to Sports Reference.
In 2025, Everette finished with 50 tackles, one interception, and a career-high 10 passes defensed. He also returned a fumble for a touchdown and earned first-team All-SEC honors.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New Trent Williams standoff, same story: He owns all the leverage (paywall) \u201cFor starters, the 49ers aren\u2019t well-positioned…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":780243,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2026],"tags":[52307,7,1137],"class_list":{"0":"post-780242","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"tag-49ers-links","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-san-francisco-49ers-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116143557880562525","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=780242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780242\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/780243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=780242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=780242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=780242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}