Trent Williams Hails Kyle Shanahan’s Play-Calling As ‘Best In The World’

San Francisco 49ers’ All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams has been in the NFL since 2010,  so he’s seen a few things. Having played for Washington and now San Francisco, Williams knows when a player has the skillset to become elite at their position or if they’ll turn out to be a bust. But it might surprise people that the person he most raves about, is undrafted rookie left guard Jason Poe.

“Yeah, I definitely see his athleticism, his strength. I’ve seen it this offseason, seeing his work ethic. He has that, what they call ‘that dawg in him.’ Stuff you can’t teach and I think if he continues to stay on the track, I think he’s gonna be a good player in this league for a long time,” Williams said after Tuesday’s practice.

Poe, a four-year starter out of Mercer University, has already impressed in both preseason games of 2022. In the Minnesota Vikings exhibition, the rookie guard showcased his versatile run blocking accompanied by his quick feet and agile movements to stop his matchup. But while only listed at 6’1″ (a relatively small stature for a traditional lineman), Williams elaborated further on how Poe gets of his mark so quickly.

“He just continues to win his matchups and he plays like his hair is on fire,” Williams jokingly said. “[He’s] 6’1″ or whatever, but that naturally gives him leverage. And he’s explosive, he’s a very quick guy. If you get him he always has a chance to recover, which is not common coming from offensive guard position. Usually, those guys don’t have a lot of room to recover when they do have a chance to recover, but you just never really see that type of athleticism coming from the guard position. And I think that’s why he’s been successful because he uses his attributes to his strength.”

Trent Williams on Jason Poe: "He's strong as an ox and quick as a cat."

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) August 23, 2022

It’s not just Poe though, as all of the team’s youngsters, from first year rookie to fourth-year veteran, have impressed Williams during training camp, giving recognition to general manger John Lynch and the 49ers’ front office.

“We have a lot of talent, first year, second year, third year, even fourth year. I mean, they did an incredible job building this roster from top to bottom,” Williams said. “The majority of my time here, I always see younger guys continue to see them blossom, and they continue to make strides and they continue to take [details] to the coaching and they continue to develop. You know, I think it’s just hats off to the front office because they continue to do an amazing job.”

Despite the team’s undefeated record in the preseason, the All-Pro lineman still believes there’s work to do in order to be ready week one in Chicago. But with an excellent front office and head coach Kyle Shanahan calling the plays, they’ll be ready sooner rather than later.

“I mean it’s still a work in progress. We haven’t made it by any stretch of the imagination, but you know, we got a play-caller that’s the best in the world. So our game plan and how we execute is a huge deal for this offense,” Williams said.

Speaking of best in the world, the Texas native is expected to receive another accolade by the end of the week, a spot on the NFL’s Top 100 players list.

If #49ers Trent Williams isn’t top 2 on the #NFLTop100 we riot 😤

🎥 @49ers || #FTTB pic.twitter.com/lZVUB4AQQM

— 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙎𝙁𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 (@TheSFNiners) August 23, 2022

Williams said individual awards are important for non-skill position players because they allow them to gauge their progress and how they’re viewed across the league.

“I’d be lying and say [I don’t care]. Because we don’t score touchdowns, we don’t have passer rating, we don’t have rush yards or receiving yards to keep up with,” Williams said. “So yeah, getting those accolades are important because it kind of gives you an idea of where you at and what your peers think about you. Not just in this building, but outside of the building…So yeah, it is extremely important to me, every year it’s on my list of goals, especially Pro Bowl.”

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