2019 NFL mock draft: Full 7-round version
By Joe Romano
2. San Francisco 49ers
Nick Bosa, EDGE, Ohio State
One team’s stupidity is another team’s success. The San Francisco 49ers would be jumping for joy if the Cardinals took Murray. That would leave the draft’s most talented player, Nick Bosa, to fill the team’s biggest need.
The 49ers are in a rare spot where they were a roster expected to compete a year ago. Injuries to their quarterback, running back and a handful of others railroaded those expectations early. Now they are picking second overall with less needs than most others in this position. Their biggest need though is someone to get after the passer.
Despite spending three first round picks on defensive lineman, none of them give San Francisco juice off the edge to strike fear in opposing offensive tackles. Deforest Buckner and Arik Armstead of interior players given their size profiles, despite being drafted to play more of a 5-technique. The most recent pick, Soloman Thomas, still has room to grow as a pass rusher but he is not that type of player Nick Bosa is.
Bosa is a technician with his hips and hands. At Ohio State he showed that he can win with speed, or power on every snap. Like his older brother Joey, Nick may not be the most explosive athlete but the way he pass rushes and strings together counters makes him unblockable at times. San Francisco would be lucky to have him to complete a defensive line that could wreck game plans in a variety of ways.