Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
49ers’ Nick Bosa delivered intimidating message to Cardinals ahead of 2019 draft
Apr 21, 2023 at 3:28 PM
•
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
The San Francisco 49ers made defensive end
Nick Bosa the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Arizona Cardinals owned the top pick and went with quarterback
Kyler Murray. Bosa figured that would happen and warned the Cardinals that they might regret passing him over.
Former Cardinals general manager Steve Keim joined
The Herd this week and shared what Bosa told him ahead of the draft.
"When Kliff Kingsbury and I got together to go to see players and have dinners, we went to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and had dinner with Nick Bosa prior to the draft and loved him, obviously," Keim shared. "Our highest-graded guy on the board; amazing in every way. The only thing you had to even say was a negative was probably if he got injured in the future, which you couldn't forecast.
"So we were leaving the dinner, and we're walking out of Mastro's in Fort Lauderdale, and I'll never forget, he puts his arm around me and Kliff Kingsbury, both of us in basically a headlock, and he said, 'I think you guys are probably going to end up taking that little quarterback. And if you do … Steve, I will haunt you for the rest of your career.'"
Bosa went on to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year this past season. He is undoubtably among the league's best defenders and ended up being an excellent selection for the 49ers.
Of course, Keim seemingly has few regrets about the selection of Murray over Bosa. He remembers returning to their hotel, telling Kingsbury, "God, I hope he can't catch [Murray]."
Keim added, "And he really never did, which was a good thing."
Neither Keim nor Kingsbury is still with the Cardinals.
Related News
LISTEN
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
49ers' Nick Bosa: I needed a couple of games to get back into football shape
Nick Bosa hasn't reached an opposing quarterback yet this season after recording an NFL-leading 18.5 sacks last season. Some of that may be the San Francisco defensive end getting warmed up.
Bosa missed all of training camp and the preseason while holding out for a new contract. He finally returned to the 49ers after a six-week absence and just days before the team's Week 1 matchup. The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year has recorded two tackles and two assists in two games.
The 49ers enter a short week. They host the New York Giants at Levi's Stadium on Thursday, the team's home opener. Is the 49ers pass rusher worried about the quick turnaround?
"I'm not too concerned about it," Bosa told reporters after the
49ers' Nick Bosa "getting back into his groove," says Kyle Shanahan
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has had time to review the film from Sunday's 30-23 win over the division-rival Los Angeles Rams. What is his assessment of his now-highly-compensated defensive end, Nick Bosa?
"I think he's getting back into football shape, getting back into his groove," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday via a conference call. "I thought he got better and stronger throughout the game, similar to last week in that aspect. I thought he finished the game real strong and took a step forward from Pittsburgh."
Bosa earned Pro Football Focus' highest grade
Why 49ers Nick Bosa appears "sluggish" through two games
After missing this year's OTA's and Training Camp in a hold out effort for a new contract, San Francisco 49ers All-Pro Defensive End Nick Bosa finally became the highest paid defensive player in NFL history, just days before the team's week one matchup against the Pittsburg Steelers. Bosa signed a five-year $170 million extension with the team.
It's easy to say Bosa's slow start in that week one matchup was due to his holdout and lack of football activity with the team this offseason. However, to say that sluggishness carried over into their week two matchup against their division rival Los Angeles Rams isn't entirely true. Far too often players (especially defensive players) are critiqued on stats alone. While stats help players earn end of the year accolades, they don't
49ers mailbag: Is Christian McCaffrey being overused? Should Spencer Burford be benched? Is Steve Wilkes who the defense needs? When is Nick Bosa going to show up?
The San Francisco 49ers are 2-0 to start off the 2023 season. In 2021, the 49ers won their first two games but then lost their next four. A win Thursday night, in the home opener against the New York Giants, would be the 49ers' first 3-0 start since 2019. That season, the team started out 8-0 before going on to win the NFC West and cruise through the NFC playoffs on their way to a birth in Super Bowl LIV.
I can't seem to remember how that game turned out, though. It's like it's been blocked from my memory.
It doesn't matter, because we've moved on to the current season. And to celebrate the 2-0 start, we've opened up the mailbag to answer those questions burning a hole in your mind. So let's get to it.
Marc, what did ya think of CMC channelling
