It’s back to old faithful with this mock draft.
We’re a bit late since it’s Thursday and not Monday, but we haven’t talked about Dan Kadar of SB Nation — @MockingTheDraft on Twitter and always a good follow — and his mock draft of this week. This week Kadar has trades, which we’ll get to, but for your first two picks we have….
…well something consistent. He has the Arizona Cardinals taking Nick Bosa and the San Francisco 49ers taking Josh Allen. This is a scenario we’re all familiar with. Here’s what Kadar has to say about the Cardinals taking Bosa:
Trading the first pick in the NFL Draft is rare. It’s only happened three times since 2000, and all of those trades were for quarterbacks (Jared Goff and the Rams in 2016; Eli Manning and the Giants in 2004; and Michael Vick and Atlanta in 2001). It’s unlikely to happen this year because there isn’t a superstar quarterback in the draft.
But would it be in the best interest of the Cardinals to trade the first pick? Probably, considering the needs the team has on the offensive and defensive lines. Still, moving off the top pick is unlikely, so holding and taking Bosa is the most likely course of action.
The pick makes sense. While I’ve argued that Bosa isn’t near a fit for a 3-4 as say, Quinnen Williams, he’s just that dynamic of a player.
Here’s what Kadar had to say about Allen to the 49ers:
It will be hard for San Francisco to trade back, the same way it will be for Arizona. Because of that, the 49ers could be stuck at No. 2 taking Allen. That’s not a bad thing, though. He’s an exceptional athlete on the field and can do everything. He’ll have to adjust some playing with his hand down a little more, but he should be fine.
There’s not much to say about Allen that hasn’t been said about him going at this spot. I’ve seen a few comments that appear disappointed the 49ers get Allen. Remember, this isn’t going from a first round pick to a fifth rounder. Josh Allen is a special player in his own right.
What’s interesting is this mock draft has trades, and at No. 3, our trade has the Jacksonville Jaguars giving up pick Nos. 7 and 38 and a 2020 second-round pick to the New York Jets for the No. 3 pick. They select Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins. So why bring up the trade? Because a lot of the 49ers getting Bosa could hedge on the Cardinals trading that pick away and that’s a rather steep climb. Teams don’t need to go overboard and clinch the No. 1 when they can do it at No. 3.
And once again, I’ll close by saying this all changes with the NFL Combine. If Haskins or Kyler Murray go lights out, there might be a trade to No. 1.
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