The first and second picks shouldn’t change much, but mock draft landscapes will change after free agency begins.
I know you’re tired of mock drafts producing the same results, or rather the same three results. The musical chairs of Nick Bosa, Josh Allen, and Quinnen Williams may have gotten a bit redundant, but the good news is today is when free agency begins! After players find new homes, it’s a safe bet that the mock draft landscape will change.
Well, the San Francisco 49ers may still look into Bosa even if they get a pass rusher, but things will certainly be shaken up. What will happen after free agency is we can get a better idea of what the 49ers will look at in the later rounds. If they don’t get centaur-safety, they will most likely be targeting one in the early rounds. If they do win the Earl Thomas sweepstakes, safety is something to take at the very end.
Today’s mock draft comes from USA Today’s Nate Davis. Davis has joined the recent rush of the Arizona Cardinals taking Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray. This in turn has the 49ers getting Bosa.
Here’s what Davis had to say about the Murray/Cardinals pick:
By most accounts, the Heisman Trophy winner ”won” the combine without breaking a sweat (or even taking off his sweats) by merely measuring 5-10, 207 pounds. New Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury is obviously enamored of the thought of deploying Murray in his Air Raid offense, and GM Steve Keim opened the door on his current quarterback’s footing by saying, “Is Josh Rosen our quarterback? Yeah. He is right now, for sure.” Rosen remains an excellent prospect — and potentially excellent trade bait for the rebuilding Cardinals (NFL Network reported Tuesday he’s already on the block) — but lacks the upside of the dynamic Murray, who has a better arm and is in a different universe athletically. And why make Kingsbury begin “adapting” (his word) the playbook to Rosen if Murray could be a plug-and-play solution? All the buzz coming out of Indy suggests the Cards are ready to make a QB switch. If not, they’ve begun building a billowing smokescreen around the value of their No. 1 pick.
And then here’s what he had to say about the 49ers taking Bosa:
The highest-graded prospect on many draft boards, he looked smooth in his first public workout since a core muscle injury ruined his final season with the Buckeyes. Bosa’s combine numbers were actually slightly better than those of his brother Joey, the third overall pick three years ago and now a Pro Bowler for the Chargers. Nick Bosa could give the Niners a top-shelf outside-inside pass rush combo if teamed with DT DeForest Buckner.
I’ve argued for months the 49ers had a legit shot at Bosa, and I’m more and more seeing that very possibility coming to fruition. I do wonder if Bosa is the best player on the board though. Perhaps if the 49ers do get Justin Houston and/or Dee Ford in free agency/trades, they turn around and spend that pick on Quinnen Williams. Williams with those two guys would make a beast of a line. The issue is that such a pick all but says they made a mistake on Solomon Thomas, and after two years, it’s not time to give up on Thomas just yet. Especially with the 49ers line issues concerning everyone not named DeForest Buckner and Thomas’ personal issues he had to sort out.
Regardless of the player, as long as the Cardinals take Murray, the 49ers are in charge of their destiny and have the board. If the Cardinals take Murray the 49ers basically have the No. 1 pick and do what they want.
And I hope they don’t get another chance like this again.
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