I'm labeling this as a rumor (which I cannot stress enough) because it's tough to separate fact from fiction this late in the pre-draft process.
Most expect the Arizona Cardinals to select former Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray on Thursday with the No. 1 overall pick. If that becomes a reality, most expect former Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa to go to the San Francisco 49ers with the next pick.
There is a possibility that Murray is not the first overall pick in the draft. Charley Casserly of NFL Network joined FOX Sports Radio on Wednesday night and shared what he has been hearing. Casserly told Jason Smith that a team informed Bosa he would be the No. 1 overall pick.
Here is the tweet from Smith:
From @CharleyCasserly w/us on @FoxSportsRadio - 'I was told by a team that Nick Bosa was told he'd be the first pick in the draft. We'll see about that one.'
— Jason Smith (@howaboutafresca) April 25, 2019
"We'll see about that one," said Casserly.
Even he doesn't sound too convinced by his own rumor. That's why you should take this with a grain of salt. The quote provided by Smith lacks a great deal of information, like who told Bosa he would be the top pick. Was it the Cardinals? Was it a team looking to trade up?
The rumor could also be a clever smokescreen and last-ditch effort by the Cardinals to convince another team, like the 49ers, to trade up. Arizona has long been rumored to be trying to persuade San Francisco to move up one spot from No. 2.
RELATED Allbright: Cardinals using Nick Bosa as a smokescreen to get 49ers to trade up
General manager John Lynch convinced the Chicago Bears to make a similar move in 2017, which was his first offseason with the 49ers. Chicago moved up one spot from No. 3 to select quarterback Mitchell Trubisky while San Francisco gained three extra picks in the process and never had any intention of selecting Trubisky.
"The Cardinals are trying to get the Niners to move up one spot the same way the Niners got the Bears to move up one spot for a quarterback a few years ago," NFL insider Benjamin Allbright said on Monday during a radio interview. "I suspect that (Cardinals general manager) Steve Keim is not going to out-Lynch John Lynch."
It's impossible to know what to believe at this point. In less than a day, we'll know for sure how this shakes out. The draft cannot get here soon enough.
H/t to Levin T. Black for the find.