Former Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa will meet with the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night. He is the consensus best pass rusher in this year's draft class and has been expected to go No. 1 overall to the Arizona Cardinals. That would have left the 49ers, who are reportedly fond of the Buckeye product, going in another direction.
The draft landscape can quickly change.
Buzz at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this week has the Cardinals entertaining the possibility of selecting Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the top pick despite the team using the No. 10 overall pick on UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen in 2018. That was, of course, a different coaching staff. Is it a smokescreen? Perhaps. But it makes for entertaining pre-draft news.
Bosa believes passing on him would be a big mistake on the part of the Cardinals. The draft prospect stepped up to the podium in Indianapolis on Saturday and was asked about the 49ers potentially selecting him.
"I think I'd fit in very well," Bosa said via Brad Almquist of KNBR. "They got really good interior guys right now. They just need help on the edge is what they told me. I think I would be a true defensive end there, hand in the dirt. That's something I like about them, for sure."
Nick Bosa: John Lynch fan pic.twitter.com/zDh7akGLWm
— KNBR (@KNBR) March 2, 2019
Bosa's comments mimic what he said about the 49ers last month during the week leading to Super Bowl 53.
"I would be lucky to get picked by them," Bosa said during a KNBR interview. "The roster, for a team that's picking No. 2, is a really stacked roster. They had the injury at quarterback that obviously allowed them to get this high in the draft so I think it would be cool, definitely, to go play for a team that is closer than most people think to being a contender."
Bosa, the younger brother of Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa, finished the 2018 season with four sacks through three games after recording 13.5 sacks in his previous two years. His season was cut short after deciding to undergo surgery due to a core muscle injury.
Bosa later announced that he was leaving school to focus on preparing for the draft.
The 49ers are in desperate need of a dominant pass rusher, and this is a good draft to find one.
"We've got a number of good defensive linemen," general manager John Lynch told Colin Cowherd this week. "It has felt like we're missing that perimeter edge guy. Fortunately, I'll tell you, Colin, and it's not like I have a unique perspective, this is an incredibly talented defensive line class in this draft. And not just the outside guys (but the) inside guys. It's as good as it's been in years.
"I think that's a need for us. It's a need for a lot of people. When you say a need, you usually think you're really bad. I just look at it as that's just one piece that's missing from an area where we can become a tough team to deal with."
Still, despite his fondness for the 49ers, Bosa hopes to hear his name called when the Cardinals make the No. 1 pick.
"It's a dream come true," Bosa said via NBC Sports Bay Area when asked about potentially being the first player selected. "That would obviously mean so much to me to be thought of as the best player in the draft."
