Latest news with #TrentWilliams
USA Today
4 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
San Francisco 49ers LT Trent Williams has dominated the Arizona Cardinals
San Francisco 49ers LT Trent Williams has dominated the Arizona Cardinals PFF made a list of the highest-graded player against each NFL team. Against the Cardinals, 49ers LT Trent Williams dominates. The Arizona Cardinals, playing in the NFC West, regularly play some dominant players. PFF put together an interesting list of the highest-graded player against every team since 2020, provided they have played against them at least twice and have logged at least 100 snaps. If you had to guess who that player might be against the Cardinals, you might say former LA Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald. Good guess, but that isn't correct, although Donald does come up on PFF's list as the top-graded player against two other teams. Thet player to absolutely dominate the Cardinals is San Francisco 49ers tackle Trent Williams. Williams has made a habit of mauling everybody in front of him, and the Arizona Cardinals are likely awaiting the day he retires. Across nine games against the Cardinals since 2020, Williams has recorded an unreal 96.9 PFF overall grade and a 97.5 PFF run-blocking grade. Arizona certainly has its own run defense to at least partially blame, but Williams is a freight train the team just can't stop. Williams has been arguably the best tackle in the league for years. That, combined with a lack of impact pass rushers since 2020 outside of Chandler Jones and generally a weak run defense, is a recipe for dominance. Jones also struggled against Williams. Williams comes up twice on this list as he is also the highest-graded player against the Detroit Lions as well. No Cardinals playerGet more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts. is on this list. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
USA Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Rams OLB Jared Verse reveals his 'Welcome to the NFL' moment –\u00a0and who gave it to him
Rams OLB Jared Verse reveals his 'Welcome to the NFL' moment – and who gave it to him Verse shared the funny story behind his failed rep against Trent Williams It was a rookie season to remember for Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse, who was named Defensive Rookie of the Year and selected to the Pro Bowl. He wasted no time becoming one of the best defenders on the team in just his first year, setting the bar high for the coming seasons. He did have a 'Welcome to the NFL' moment, though – as most rookies do at some point. It's not as if he got steamrolled by a lineman or knocked on his back by a blindside block. His moment came when power met power and he lost, which almost never happens for the incredibly powerful edge rusher. Verse talked about his 'Welcome to the NFL' moment on 'The Adam Schefter Podcast' this week, recalling the time 49ers left tackle Trent Williams put the clamps on him and wouldn't let go. 'Trent Williams, I didn't get to go against him too much but I'll lowkey say he kind of gave me my 'Welcome to the NFL' moment,' Verse said when asked about which linemen were the toughest he faced. 'It wasn't anything where I got thrown to the ground like some dudes get. I've always been the strongest dude around, so I've never had to worry about getting thrown around or this, that, the third. I do an inside move – we're running a blitz on the outside so I'm getting into the B-gap – they run an outside zone, whoever their running back was was bouncing to the outside. I get to the B-gap, he seals me off and I'm trying to rush, I'm trying to get off the tackle. So usually, I can just lift their hands up no problem. I'm just a lot stronger than everybody. I tried to lift Trent's hands up and they didn't budge. They didn't move one bit. I'm trying to move them, I'm chopping them down. I'm like, 'Bro, let go of me!' Trent's got a deep voice and I'm like, 'Trent, let go of me!' He's like, 'Ha ha ha, Verse. You're funny as hell.'' When the Rams were watching film the next day, Verse got called out for failing to get off Williams' block and there wasn't much he could say besides, 'I'll be better.' He wanted to flat-out tell his coach how strong Williams is but he held back. 'The next day, we're watching film and Coach is like, 'Jared, you've got to get off this block,'' Verse recalled. 'And I'm like, 'Yeah, Coach. I'll be better.' I lowkey wanted to just say, 'I tried! Like, I couldn't! The dude's strong!'' Williams is an 11-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro for a reason. He's one of the best left tackles of this generation, earning first-team All-Pro selections three times between the ages of 33 and 35 – a remarkable feat for a player his age. Even after 14 seasons in the NFL, Williams remains a premier left tackle so it's hardly surprising he was the one who really showed Verse that the NFL is a different animal than college. Follow Rams Wire on X, Facebook and Threads for more coverage!
New York Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Vikings' sneakiest big move of the offseason? The late-night trade for RB Jordan Mason
The game had just ended, and here Jordan Mason came, weaving through the tunnels toward the San Francisco 49ers' locker room. A massive 'SC Top 10' pendant dangled from his neck. One of the television cameramen filming this walk lobbed a question: 'How does it feel? Week 1, and you got the dub.' 'I feel great, man,' Mason responded. 'I feel blessed. I've been working for this moment.' Advertisement Next to him, a teammate hollered, 'That boy a dog!' The camera panned to future Hall of Fame tackle Trent Williams, who was minutes removed from an on-field interview filled with praise of Mason. Last fall, the third-year running back started the regular-season opener in the place of the injured Christian McCaffrey. Mason posted 147 rushing yards on 'Monday Night Football' against the New York Jets. Williams swore it wasn't a fluke, and the next week validated his opinion. Jordan Mason in his first career start ⬇️ 147 Rushing Yards 5.3 Yards per Rush 3.2 Yards Before Contact per Rush 3.1 Yards After Contact per Rush 1 Rushing TD % of Rushes for 5+ Yards: 50% — The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) September 10, 2024 The 49ers flew to Minnesota and squared off against one of the NFL's best defenses. San Francisco lost that afternoon to the Vikings, but Mason made an impression. He ran for 100 yards on 20 carries, pressing the edge constantly, then hop-stepping his way into cuts in ways that had the Vikings players and staff raving about the performance afterward in the locker room. Who is that dude? Where did he come from? Why hasn't anyone heard of him until now? It's no wonder the Vikings sprang at the opportunity to trade for him in March. Minnesota finalized the move late Saturday night after a whale of a week to open free agency. The team had spent more than $100 million on new players for the trenches, and rightfully, the signings of guard Will Fries, center Ryan Kelly and defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave occupied the headlines (along with the quarterback conversation). The Vikings didn't need to spend meaningful resources on another running back. They had re-signed veteran Aaron Jones, and the NFL Draft class provided plenty of intriguing prospects. If Mason, then a restricted free agent, had not surfaced as a possible option, the Vikings would've likely prioritized a late-round running back. His availability intrigued Minnesota's brass for reasons beyond his performance in Week 2. Advertisement First, there are the advanced statistics. Next Gen Stats developed a metric using player-tracking data to assess the degree to which running backs generate more yards than expected. In 2024, Derrick Henry ranked first, followed by Saquon Barkley. Who trailed them at No. 3? Mason. He forced missed tackles at a rate comparable to Henry. His rushing yards after contact reside among the league's best. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has said that running back production is about as difficult to parse as at any position. The ground game hinges on offensive line success. Scheme and run-game design are integral, too. However, Mason checks all the data boxes to determine the future impact. Then there's everything else — the answers to these questions: Who is that dude? Where'd he come from? Why hasn't anyone heard of him until now? It seems impossible these days, but some talent still slips through the cracks. Maybe evaluators are too focused on speed over feel. Maybe coaches rely too heavily on prospect camps. Mason grew up in the heart of the South, about 30 minutes north of Nashville. Yet for a time, the only Division I college offer he received came from the University of Texas-San Antonio. Andy McCollum, who in the late 2010s recruited small-town Tennessee high schools for Georgia Tech, couldn't understand. He pulled Mason out of a cooking class at Gallatin High. Mason 'yes, sir'-ed his way through questions in the hallway. Teachers later confirmed that the well-mannered youngster was a solid student in addition to his exceptional football abilities. McCollum relayed the report to then-Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson, who peppered him. 'Who else is recruiting him?' Johnson asked McCollum. 'Well, nobody.' 'Why not? What's wrong with him?' 'Nothing.' Johnson almost grunted, not satisfied with the responses. It wasn't enough that Mason ran for 2,050 yards and 23 touchdowns as a high school senior despite defenses putting nine defenders in the box against him. It wasn't enough that the only player to beat him out for Mr. Football was a rangy receiver named Tee Higgins. It wasn't enough to hear stories about Mason running for more than 200 yards while sniffling between plays with the flu during one game for Gallatin, then visiting an urgent care afterward to receive an IV. Advertisement It wasn't even enough after McCollum convinced Johnson to sign Mason. First, Georgia Tech recruited Dontae Smith, then it coveted Jamious Griffin. As if those two weren't acceptable, even as Mason ran for 899 yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry as a sophomore, the Yellow Jackets went after another running back, Jahmyr Gibbs. Indeed, even current Georgia Tech coach Brent Key considers it close to embarrassing that a team with Mason and Gibbs in the backfield finished 3-9. 'Them two jokers together were unbelievable,' said Tashard Choice, then Georgia Tech's running backs coach. As the 2022 draft approached, Key, Choice and others begged NFL coaches and scouts to take a chance on Mason. Go back and watch a Thursday night game from early in Mason's career, they'd say. It was fourth-and-2. Georgia Tech had called a timeout. Amid a huddle near the sideline, Mason urged the coaches: 'Give me the ball.' He took an up-the-middle carry that initially looked stonewalled, but Mason churned his feet and somehow wiggled his way across the first-down marker. Go back and watch a Duke game from later in Mason's career, they'd say. Mason noticed a linebacker creeping toward the line of scrimmage. He shouldered pass-protection responsibilities for the play, and in practice, coaches challenged the running backs to wave at the blitzers pre-snap as a display of confidence. So Mason did it. The linebacker nodded. They collided in the 'A' gap, Mason flattened him, and they dapped up after the play. Coaches like Key and Choice raved about Mason's vision and processing. The only way to describe it was to think of a putt-putt course with a windmill. The putter has to hit the ball at the perfect time for it not to get sideswiped, just as the running back has to hit the hole while defenders float toward him like a tidal wave. The best backs don't just see the hole, but they cut and climb at the precisely correct times. Mason had a knack for this, they said. Yet nobody in the NFL seemed to care. They asked about his 40-yard dash time. It maddened Choice, who at least took solace in the fact that Mason landed at arguably the best place an undrafted running back could land. Mason played sparingly in his first couple of seasons, but eventually McCaffrey dubbed him 'Mariano Rivera,' the 49er whose sheer presence meant the victory had been secured. Advertisement Last year's opportunity, combined with growth that both Mason and legendary 49ers running backs coach Bobby Turner talked about at length, caught the attention of teams like the Vikings. They viewed the exchange of a fifth-round pick for a 26-year-old with minimal tread on the tires as a no-brainer. Still, the deal was overshadowed by everything else the Vikings had done. Even now, the focus is elsewhere, but Mason couldn't care less. He knows it won't be long before he's ripping through another defense. It won't be long until his team's most accomplished players are left to do the talking for him afterward, hollering some iteration of what those who get to watch him daily always come to believe: That boy a dog!
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
San Francisco 49ers 11-Time Pro Bowl Star Trent Williams Misses Voluntary OTAs
San Francisco 49ers 11-Time Pro Bowl Star Trent Williams Misses Voluntary OTAs originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Every San Francisco 49ers star is present for the team's voluntary organized team activities except for one. Star offensive tackle Trent Williams. Advertisement Williams is entering his 15th season in the league after being selected with the No. 4 overall pick in 2010 by the Washington Redskins. The team doesn't appear to be alarmed about Williams' absence, as head coach Kyle Shanahan told the media on Thursday that he's "been around" the facility already this offseason. 'He's been around,' Shanahan said. 'He was here at the beginning of — not OTAs — but Phase One [of the offseason program]. He hasn't been here in a couple of weeks but expect to see him soon.' The former Oklahoma Sooner missed out on Pro Bowl honors last season for the first time since 2011. Williams did not play in 2019 due to a medical disagreement with the Redskins at the time. He played in just 10 games last season due to an ankle injury. Advertisement The fact that Williams was at the team facility during the early portion of the offseason surprised many, since he normally skips that. Williams is working out at his home gym in Houston, preparing for the team's mandatory minicamp this offseason. Williams is widely considered one of the greatest offensive linemen of all time, as an 11-time Pro Bowler and has been named First-Team All-Pro three times and Second-Team All-Pro once. Related: Shanahan 'Won't Understand' Another Losing Season Related: 49ers' Top Rookie 'Thanks God' for Brock Purdy This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trent Williams not present for start of OTAs
Left tackle Trent Williams is the only veteran star not present for the start of the 49ers' voluntary Organized Team Activities. Williams is working out at his Houston gym before next month's mandatory minicamp. Advertisement "He's been around," coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday, via David Bonilla of "He was here at the beginning of — not OTAs — but Phase One [of the offseason program]. He hasn't been here in a couple of weeks but expect to see him soon." The surprise was Williams' participation in the start of the offseason program, something he doesn't typically do. Williams, 36, did not make the Pro Bowl in 2024, the first time that's happened in a season he's played since 2011. (He did not play in 2019.) Williams played only 10 games last season, with an ankle injury sidelining him for the final seven games.
