The 49ers’ dream scenario of Ohio State defensive end falling to the No. 2 pick gets more real every week. Rumors of Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray going No. 1 overall to the Cardinals seemed farfetched before the combine, but they picked up steam in Indianapolis. Now the Murray to Arizona talk is so prevalent the mock drafts from Doug Farrar at Touchdown Wire, Matt Miller at Bleacher Report and Daniel Jeremiah at NFL.com all had Heisman winner landing in Arizona.
The Cardinals just took quarterback Josh Rosen with the No. 10 overall pick in last year’s draft. He had a rocky rookie season, but trading a quarterback after just one year in the league is extremely reactionary. However, they changed coaches and new, offensive-minded head coach Kliff Kingsbury would likely rather handpick his quarterback than inherit one.
Here’s what each mock draft had to say about the potential shocker at the No. 1 pick.
Farrar wrote that compensation in a trade for Rosen will be key to sparking the move:
We know that Kliff Kingsbury loves Murray and that Murray would be an ideal fit for what Kingsbury wants to do. Most likely, this will come down to what kind of compensation the Cardinals could get for Rosen. If it’s higher than a third-round pick, look for Kingsbury and general manager Steve Keim to do some dealing.
Jeremiah was much more simple, citing the new coach in the desert:
The Cardinals fully commit to Kliff Kingsbury and his vision in this scenario, which will lead the team to trade Josh Rosen.
Miller pointed to a previous connection between Kingsbury and Murray:
Then-Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury recruited Murray to be his quarterback out of high school, as he’s the perfect fit for what Kingsbury wants to do offensively. If the Arizona Cardinals are brave enough to hire a head coach whose college alma mater fired him for failing to win games, they have to give him the right pieces to run his offense.
San Francisco isn’t in the clear yet when it comes to acquiring Bosa. There’s always a chance the rumors are an attempt by Arizona to fire up a market for the No. 1 overall pick. Perhaps they feel their perceived desire for Murray will cause a team that does want him to unload more picks to up their offer for the top slot. If that’s the case and a trade never materializes, they could covet Bosa and snatch him before San Francisco ever gets the opportunity.
The fact remains that exiting the combine, the 49ers are ostensibly closer to a potential franchise-altering swing of luck that allows them to land the draft’s top edge rusher.
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