What ever happened to the draft picks sent for the best left tackle in NFL history?
The San Francisco 49ers pulled off the impossible during the 2020 NFL Draft. Joe Staley is a lifetime 49er and a sure Hall of Fame candidate. The left tackle position has been well taken care of for a long time lately. Moving on from a Hall-of-Fame left tackle to a surefire first-ballot Hall-of-Famer is no easy task.
The 49ers achieved that task. Moving on from Staley to Trent Williams is somehow an unachievable move, but the 49ers upgraded the left tackle position before the COVID season.
Williams was asking out from Washington, and the 49ers were able to land the “Silverback” left tackle.
Let’s look back at the return and trade for Williams.
Original terms of the trade
The 49ers acquired Trent Williams from Washington in exchange for a fifth-round pick (156th overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
How Washington used the 49ers’ picks
CB Benjamin St. Juste from Minnesota was the pick in the third round of 2021. 2021 was the lowest snap count of St. Juste’s career, with only 318 snaps. St. Juste earned a 79.1 run defense grade with an 80.2 tackling grade. After four seasons in Washington, St. Juste allowed 62.9% of his targets for completions, with 13 touchdowns allowed and an interception. On the bright side, St. Juste broke up 29 passes in his career with Washington.
The Los Angeles Chargers are taking a chance on the former Minnesota cornerback in 2025.
The third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft turned into Keith Ismael from San Diego State. Ismael has yet to log a single snap in the NFL from pick 156 in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Steve Muench of ESPN described Ismael’s skill set from the 2020 draft.
Ismael is a technically sound pass-blocker who works his hands inside and fights to stay in front of his assignments. He’s quick and tends to take sound angles climbing to the second level in the run game. He’s tough and blocks to the whistle, but he fits better in a zone-heavy scheme than he does in a power-heavy scheme. Ismael has some experience playing guard.
Result
How can the 49ers not be the winners from this trade? St. Juste is getting a second chance with Jim Harbaugh in LA. Ismael hasn’t played a down in the NFL.
Williams is the best left tackle in NFL history. Even in the twilight of his career, the 49ers look like the thieves in this trade. One more year of Williams is worth enough to compensate for his contract and the trade terms