More and more draft analysts are starting to predict that the Arizona Cardinals will select former Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick in next month's draft. That will leave the San Francisco 49ers able to choose the best player on their draft board. If that is former Ohio State pass rusher Nick Bosa, they can snag him. That's a scenario that didn't seem possible just over a week ago.
Three well-known draft analysts predicted a Murray-to-Cardinals scenario within their post-Combine mock drafts released on Tuesday. That left the 49ers free to select Bosa, which is exactly what they predict.
ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay had the 49ers selecting Josh Allen at No. 2 in his last mock draft. That was because he had the Cardinals going with Bosa. That has changed in his latest mock. McShay, like others, now has the Cardinals going with Murray and Bosa heading to Santa Clara. Still, he isn't quite ready to declare Murray-to-Arizona a sure thing.
McShay on the Cardinals selecting Murray:
"We can't deny the rumblings here, and we know new coach Kliff Kingsbury recruited Murray in college. I'm not all-in on Arizona taking him just yet, though -- the Cards could be trying to generate trade interest among the QB-needy teams. Still, the just-tall-enough Murray is a perfect fit to help Kingsbury transition the Air Raid offense to the NFL, and this pick makes sense from a scheme standpoint with all Murray's athleticism."
McShay on the 49ers selecting Bosa:
"The Niners will be hunting for pass-rushers this offseason, and getting the best overall player in the class at No. 2 would be a fantastic start. Bosa has length, speed, and power from the edge, and it's fathomable that the Buckeye paces San Francisco's defensive line in sacks as a rookie. He's that good."