Trent Williams athletic enough to play 3-technique, says 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan

There is no doubt that Trent Williams is among the most athletic offensive linemen in the NFL. The tackle joined the San Francisco 49ers via a trade in April and will replace another athletic offensive lineman in recently retired Joe Staley.

It's not often that a team can lose a player like Staley and gain one like Williams. The 49ers offensive line shouldn't miss a beat during the transition, and some might argue that it may have improved with the switch.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan was in Washington when the team drafted Williams and is excited to bring him to the Bay Area. Shanahan knows a good NFL tackle when he sees one.

"I've been so fortunate, just in the places I've been, to be with some of the best tackles in the league," Shanahan told Greg Papa during this week's State of the Franchise event. "From Joe Staley to Trent Williams, being with Joe Thomas, Duane Brown when I was in Houston, I've been with some real good ones.

"To lose one like Joe was crushing. And he had to do it. It wasn't something that he could really have much of a choice on. It was the right decision for him and his family, but it's a player very hard to replace."

Shanahan spoke of Williams' incredible athleticism, something he remembers from their time together in Washington.

"He's a guy who I truly believe could play 3-technique in this league, if he wanted to," Shanahan shared. "He's a guy, if he goes to the basketball court, he's going to play point guard just as well as he plays center. He's that type of athlete.

"It's pretty neat because Joe Staley was like that too, in a similar way. I mean, a tight end in college ... Whenever you can deal with O-linemen like that, who have that type of athletic ability, and some size, it's a huge advantage in our game."