The San Francisco 49ers looked to revamp their pass rush entering draft day, doing so with a first-round selection of Mykel Williams. Coaches and players have raved about his production since he arrived, especially his presumed defensive edge complement Nick Bosa.
But a hamstring injury put a temporary hold on the hype train, forcing Williams to sideline rehab work through initial OTA practices and then through minicamp this past week.
As of now, this setback is not too alarming yet certainly notable since he does have an injury history from his time at Georgia. This combined with Yetur Gross-Matos' absence from spring programs does add some worry to potential cuts into the team's depth.
To alleviate those concerns, Niners insider Grant Cohn proposed what would be a shocking and unprecedented trade. He has urged San Francisco to acquire Cincinnati Bengals rookie Shemar Stewart.
Stewart has not signed his rookie contract due to disputes with some of the language in the deal. If the two sides cannot come to a resolution, Cohn believes the Niners should look into a deal for him.
"And the 49ers might need Stewart.... A team never can have too many defensive linemen, and the 49ers currently don't have enough. They're thin at the position. Don't be surprised if they call up the Bengals and make an offer for Stewart."
No team has failed to sign their first-round pick before trading them, making this scenario one without much previous context. Injury concerns or not, such a move would give the Niners two of the best pass rushers from the 2025 draft class.
However, this scenario is far from one likely enough to actually play out. The injury setbacks are a frustration for the Niners who want Williams on the field and acclimating to an NFL system. But they've already done the work in finding some depth to help their cause after trading for Bryce Huff.
Williams will be one of the core tenets of Robert Saleh's defense through the coming years. As long as the injury issues don't graduate to anything more severe, efforts are better focused letting him grow and building around his skills with capable veterans which the Niners have installed.
Meanwhile, they can let the Bengals clean the mess they have made and find a way to get Stewart onto the field.
