Nick Bosa is the NN consensus for now

The NFL free agency tampering period wraps up later today, with the official signing period starting at 1 p.m. PT. In the meantime, Alex, Greg, and Josh are back with their latest mock drafts. We’ll have at least two more, one in early April and one right before the draft. Here’s a look at their previous mock drafts.

• Feb 4, post-Super Bowl
• Jan 14, underclassmen declaration day
• Nov 6, halfway point of NFL season
• October 24

For the time being, we have a consensus between the three mock drafts. The Arizona Cardinals select Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 pick, and the San Francisco 49ers select Ohio State edge rusher Nick Bosa with the No. 2 pick. Here’s what the three of them have to say about their choice, followed by the full first round mocks.

Alex Eisen

At this point in the draft process I suspect one of two things will happen. 1: The Cardinals will trade Josh Rosen and select Kyler Murray. 2: The Cardinals will trade out of the first pick, and whoever moves up will select Kyler Murray. Either way, the biggest winners will be the San Francisco 49ers who will have the undisputed number one rated prospect Nick Bosa fall right into their laps. Nick Bosa will instantly upgrade the entire 49ers defense, and will finally fill in that pass rushing void that has been vacant for far too long. Bosa offers a dominant presence along the defensive line. He consistently created disruption and havoc in the opponent’s backfield throughout his collegiate career. Bosa has a strong, well-built frame that scouts and evaluators seek at the next level. He has an impressive blend of hand and core power that are effective and allow Bosa to attack from the edge.

On tape, Bosa has demonstrated his ability to effectively defend against both the pass and the run. Bosa is a blue chip, plug-and-play, three-down starter who is a seamless fit in this 49ers defense. The 49ers might get multiple calls offering to trade out of that second pick. The only thing general manager John Lynch needs to say is “No Thanks” and make the easiest decision, and select the best player this draft class has to offer.

Greg Valerio

With Arizona selecting Kyler Murray, Nick Bosa is pushed down into the welcoming arms of the 49ers - tremendous excitement ensues. A true edge defender the 49ers have always needed (and the fans have yearned for), Bosa utilizes fantastic speed to power conversion to get in the backfield, along with quickness and flexibility to side-step opponents on his way to the quarterback (has a good array of pass rush moves). He displays superb burst and explosion off the line of scrimmage with a quick, heavy, and violent punch at the point of attack, sound leverage utilizing his length, excels at converting speed to power, and the versatility to be disruptive from off the edge and on the inside.

Always running hot with a relentless motor, Bosa dominates in the run game with great fundamentals (superb hand technique), agility, and pure power. He effectively stack and sheds nicely and has tremendous awareness disengaging and attacking finishing with explosion, as well as the athletic ability and balance to defend against back-side blocks taking advantage of his blazing motor chasing down the ball carrier. A man amongst boys, Bosa is an all around complete player with excellent technique, adept in all facets of the game whether rushing the passer, wreaking havoc in the backfield, or as a stout run stopper.

Josh Eccles

The draft is six weeks away but, despite that, there is still rampant speculation that newly-appointed Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury has a not-so-secret crush on the now-former Oklahoma Sooner starting quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray. As you may well know, Murray was also selected in the 1st round of the 2018 MLB Draft back in 2018 - to put it lightly the man has skill. It could all be a smokescreen put on by Arizona in order for some other team to fall in love with the two-sport star (we’re looking at you, Jon Gruden) but the way I see it right now is that the Cardinals are in dire need of a franchise quarterback and if Kliff Kingsbury thinks he can do more things in his offense with Kyler Murray than Josh Rosen the, well, that bodes very well for San Francisco because it would guarantee that Nick Bosa (!) falls into their laps, all but ensuring that they will finally have the pass rusher that they have sorely lacked and needed over the last half decade.

Nick Bosa, I think, barely edges out Kentucky’s Josh Allen as not only the best option at EDGE but also as the best overall available prospect in this year’s draft. The Niners’ number one need heading into this offseason was to address the defensive end position and adding Nick Bosa to an already up-and-coming defense provides the team with (hopefully) one of the final foundational blocks - one that will contribute to what many hope turns out to be playoff pushes year in and year out. If Kyler Murray goes number one overall then my one hope - please, for the love of all that is holy - is that this selection is not overthought and the San Francisco walks away with the best prospect in the draft.