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The countdown to the 2019 NFL Draft has ticked to two days. On Thursday, the 49ers will add a top prospect with the No. 2 overall pick, or if they trade down, potentially two players in the first round.
Draft talk has filled the NFL landscape throughout the past three-plus months. Namely, for the 49ers, the burning topic is whom they will select with the No. 2 overall pick, a major decision as John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan enter Year No. 3 of the current regime.
The Athletic‘s Matt Barrows joined KNBR’s Murph and Mac Tuesday to discuss the upcoming draft. When asked what the 49ers would do if the Arizona Cardinals select Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray at No. 1 overall, Barrows said the process would be “simple.”
“The 49ers would certainly listen to trade offers, but it would have to be something that really, really blows them away in order for them not to take that guy at No. 2,” Barrows said. “And the guy I think they are eying at No. 2 is Nick Bosa.”
Yes, Barrows projects the 49ers select the player that a vast contingent of 49ers fans have lobbied for. Bosa, an Ohio State defensive end, has been widely considered the draft’s top prospect throughout the past year.
But there are still several ways this could shake out.
One scenario: the Cardinals take Bosa. He would fill a need and equip Arizona with another game-changing pass rusher across from Chandler Jones. Last year, the Cardinals took quarterback Josh Rosen in the first round. Maybe they hold tight and entrust Rosen with the righting the ship instead of drafting Murray, a dual-threat option better suited for Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s offense.
In that case, the 49ers would certainly receive trade offers from teams coveting Murray or another top quarterback. Two years ago, the 49ers traded the No. 2 overall pick to Chicago for its No. 3, No. 67, No. 111, and 2018 third-round pick. The Bears selected quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, whom the 49ers weren’t likely to select, anyways.
Barrows said potential trade offers would be “tempting” for the 49ers, who would likely land multiple high draft picks, at minimum.
If the Cardinals select Murray, Barrows said the choice should be Bosa because he addresses a bigger need than Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams would. Barrows cited a “glut” of interior defensive linemen as to why San Francisco should hold off on Williams. Bosa, a polished, power rusher, would complement Dee Ford nicely on the opposing side. Barrows explained that the drop-off between 49ers defensive end Ronald Blair and Bosa is larger than that of the current interior defensive linemen with Williams.
Two more days.
Listen to Barrows’ appearance on the Murph and Mac podcast below.