The 49ers look primed to have Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa fall into their lap at the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft. Heavy pre-draft speculation has the Arizona Cardinals taking Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray No. 1 overall. It won’t be as easy as that though according to ESPN’s Todd McShay.
McShay said on the Russillo Show, an ESPN podcast, that the 49ers drafting Bosa was the strongest rumor he was hearing. He then speculated that Arizona is trying to bait San Francisco into a trade up to the No. 1 pick to ensure they get the draft’s top pass rusher.
“Part of the reason all these things are leaking, if it turns out Arizona just stays home and takes Kyler, I think the reason they’re leaking is that Arizona is trying to get (the 49ers) to move up to just get an extra pick to move back a spot to take Kyler,” McShay said, referring to rumors that the Cardinals were souring on Murray and looking to go another direction.
This sounds a lot like the move 49ers general manager John Lynch pulled on the Bears in his first draft in 2017. He convinced the Bears to move up from No. 3 to No. 2 in order to ensure they got North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. San Francisco picked up a third-round pick, a fourth-round pick and a third-round selection in 2018 to move back a spot and still draft Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas.
It stands to reason the compensation would be relatively similar for the 49ers to swap with the Cardinals. Perhaps without next year’s pick if Arizona desires only one additional pick this year.
Lynch has been aggressive moving around the board in his two drafts, so we can’t entirely rule out that he’d unload an extra pick or two – in a year where he has only six to work with – to ensure he landed Bosa.
Two problems arise for the Cardinals in this scenario.
First, the 49ers’ list of needs isn’t confined to edge rushers. They have a variety of roster holes, and unloading even one of their five other picks could severely hamper their ability find quality players on Days 2 and 3 of the draft. It’s hard to imagine San Francisco unloading valuable assets for one player.
The second issue for Arizona is that Lynch has been adamant the 49ers don’t want to pick a position as much as they want to pick the best player available. Trading up for one specific player flies against the notion of going with the best player on the board, especially when the best player available for San Francisco would be Alabama defensive lineman Quinnen Williams if Bosa goes No. 1 overall. San Francisco would be happy to walk away from the first round with Williams and their other five picks intact.
It makes sense the Cardinals would do everything possible to move back one spot knowing the player they want, Murray, will surely be available at No. 2. San Francisco just doesn’t have the resources to comfortably make that jump, and the other players available in the top two are good enough that the 49ers don’t have to do anything drastic.
San Francisco is in a good spot with the No. 2 pick, and it’s hard to imagine they’ll move up out of that position to get the first pick and ensure they get the player they most highly covet. If Arizona offers to swap places for a sixth-round pick, the 49ers might pull the trigger. Beyond that, they’re very likely happy picking either Bosa or Williams with the second pick.
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