For the second time in three years, the San Francisco 49ers are sitting with the second pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Arizona Cardinals sit first and while the quick consensus is to anoint them Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa, while the 49ers evaluate prospects from Kentucky linebacker Josh Allen downwards, the Cardinals could pass on Bosa. If Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams’ stock keeps rising (watch that National Championship) he may be the one to go to the Cardinals.
The 49ers have options at No. 2; whether it’s Bosa, those other names, or a trade back. There’s a few teams that will be in need of a quarterback and one of those is the Jacksonville Jaguars. Locked on Jaguars writer Zach Goodall wrote on what it may take for the Jaguars to trade up into the top five of the NFL draft from their seventh pick.
Goodall makes a note that the Cardinals aren’t likely to trade back, and the 49ers even less likely to, unless the Cardinals took Bosa. If that happens, it opens the door for the Jaguars to swoop in for a trade with the 49ers. If that happens he proposes this trade: seventh overall pick in 2019, a 2019 second-rounder, a 2020 first rounder, and a 2020 fourth rounder. The Jaguars would move up to No. 2 to get Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins and the 49ers would have a shot at Alabama offensive tackle Jonah Williams or Clemson edge-rusher Clelin Ferrell or whoever else.
Here’s what Goodall said about the trade:
The 49ers could use edge pass rushing help more than anyone in this year’s draft, and will have at least one if not two fantastic defensive end prospects fall into their laps at No. 2 in Ohio State’s Nick Bosa and Kentucky’s Josh Allen.
However, much like Arizona, there’s got to be a price that will catch the 49ers’ attention, even though they could be best suited to take a superior prospect at a huge position of need with their current draft slot. At 7th overall, the 49ers could have prospects such as Florida State DE Brian Burns, Florida DE Jachai Polite, Clemson DE Clelin Ferrell, Alabama safety Deionte Thompson, LSU CB Greedy Williams, and so on, available to them.
One thing that could make a 49ers trade possible, at least more so than it is right now, is if Arizona surprises everyone and selects Bosa first overall. While he’s widely considered the best prospect in this class, defensive end isn’t nearly as much a need to the Cardinals as other positions. While Josh Allen is a fantastic prospect, there is a bit of a drop off between the two.
It will be up to San Francisco, like Arizona, if gaining more valuable picks, both immediately and in the future, is worth losing out on the best prospects in the draft at their biggest position of need. Much like Arizona, it probably isn’t likely, but everyone has a price, and Jacksonville is in a desperate situation and could offer the price the 49ers would demand.
I absolutely love this trade, but if Bosa’s available like Goodall thinks (and I think it may happen) I would be shocked if the 49ers executed it. They are never going to get another chance like this to fill their number one need with what may be the number one prospect in this draft. Of course we still have evaluations and combines to figure out if Bosa is worth it and if they can identify a pass rusher on-par with him and get the picks, well then by all means.
What do you think? Would you make this trade even if Bosa is available? What would you trade with the Jaguars for the seventh pick?