The 49ers are lucky to be picking No. 2 overall, and their decision on what to do when they’re on the clock Thursday night at the NFL Draft won’t be a difficult one.
There isn’t likely to be a lot of hemming and hawing in the 49ers’ war room. They have their mind set on one player with the No. 2 overall pick – Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa.
If general manager John Lynch’s praise of Alabama defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, the other top player on most draft boards, was enough to throw the scent off the 49ers’ narrowly-focused pursuit of Bosa, Scott Bair of NBC Sports California explained in clear terms what they want to do with their first pick should Bosa fall.
“You’d have to pry that pick from John Lynch’s cold, dead hands,” Bair said on Sports 1140 KHTK in Sacramento on Wednesday. “They want Bosa. Period.”
Pre-draft buzz that the Arizona Cardinals would take Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray No. 1 overall turned into a deafening rattle following the combine. Those rumors mean the 49ers are effectively on the clock, and Bosa will be their pick.
Perhaps it’s all an elaborate smoke screen to try and drum up interest in the top pick. There’s still a chance Bosa, the consensus top player in the draft, goes off the board first to Arizona. That would seemingly make San Francisco’s decision a lot more difficult.
The good news for the 49ers is Williams is a perfectly acceptable pick at No. 2. He’s by far the best player available, and gives them a potentially dominant interior pass rusher to stick next to DeForest Buckner. Two defensive tackles who can get after the quarterback is a fine alternative to getting the draft’s top edge prospect. Lynch may not sprint to the podium to select Williams like he would for Bosa, but he’d do something more than a light jog.
Another scenario involves San Francisco trading back. Despite their very public willingness to make a move out of the No. 2 slot, the only way they’re likely to do so is with a massively one-sided trade offer. Perhaps the Giants panic and want to jump up to grab a quarterback, so they offer the 49ers both of their first-round picks and more. The Raiders also have multiple Round 1 picks and could put together a godfather offer for the No. 2 selection.
In either case, the 49ers wouldn’t need to think much about what they want to do. They’ll gladly accept a lopsided trade in their favor to move down should Bosa be off the board.
San Francisco will have a host of options at their disposal when their turn comes in this year’s draft. That doesn’t mean it’ll be hard to choose. Their answers are pretty well laid out for them, it’s just a matter of what the Cardinals do ahead of them, and what teams offer in the trade market. Overall the 49ers are in an extremely good spot to succeed.
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