ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay is making his rounds around Radio Row this week at Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He joined the "Murph & Mac" show on KNBR and briefly discussed the San Francisco 49ers.
With the quarterback position addressed, McShay can see the 49ers landing a pretty good player with their top selection at the nine or ten spot. San Francisco's actual draft position will be determined by a tiebreaking coin flip against the Oakland Raiders at the NFL Scouting Combine later this month.
"[Alabama DB] Minkah Fitzpatrick, I think, would be a steal if he's still available," McShay said during the interview. "I think [Ohio State CB] Denzel Ward is the best pure cover corner in this draft and has a chance to be elite. I mean, he's an exceptional athlete with the speed and explosiveness. Those two guys make a lot of sense and [Notre Dame's] Quenton Nelson the guard? He's worth it man. He's the best offensive lineman in this draft."
While the 49ers have solid outside anchors along the offensive line, the interior could use an upgrade. The team will invest heavily in quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo soon and will need to protect that investment. Nelson could go a long way toward accomplishing that. Will he be available at the nine or ten spot in the first round?
"There's a chance," McShay answered. "The [Tampa Bay Buccaneers could select him] maybe. My guess is he'll be still on the board at nine, ten, that range."
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Speaking of Garoppolo, McShay loves the potential of the new 49ers quarterback, who was acquired via a trade with the New England Patriots on October 30, 2017. There have been a lot of reports and rumors surrounding why that deal took place, but San Francisco is reaping the benefits of it.
McShay lives in Boston, so he closely watched the story develop and talked to people with the Patriots.
"It wasn't just, 'Hey, this guy's pretty good. We want to get some compensation,'" McShay said. "They truly believed that he was going to carry the torch [in New England] and that they could continue to win at a very high level. They absolutely loved him. Believe whatever rumors and however he got [to San Francisco], but I think we got to see, very quickly and in a short sample, what he can be.
"He's got that 'It' factor. He's a little quiet. He's not as boisterous, but he carries himself with confidence. He's in control. He's mobile. He gets the ball out quickly. I thought he was a really good player coming out and I knew from talking to guys with the Patriots that he just kept getting better and better watching [Patriots QB] Tom [Brady], how he works, and just doing the little things to continue to improve his game."
You can listen to the entire interview with McShay below.