Both coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have said the 49ers won't take a quarterback with the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
But what if they did?
That's the premise behind Danny Heifetz' latest on The Ringer, which examines what San Francisco would do if the Arizona Cardinals bucked expectations and picked former Ohio State edge rusher Nick Bosa rather than Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Kyler Murray.
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The 49ers would have three options, as Heifetz sees it: Draft a player other than Murray, trade down or select Murray himself. As he points out, San Francisco has a surprisingly strong financial incentive to pick the third option.
Trading franchise QB Jimmy Garoppolo before June would leave the 49ers with $5.6 million in dead money, and the team would still have just under $30 million in salary-cap space. Plus, drafting Murray would save the 49ers $13.4 million in 2019, $19.1 million in 2020, $17.9 million in 2021 and $16.5 million in 2022.
It's fascinating to think about, but there are plenty of reasons to believe the 49ers would not draft Murray if he was available to them. Beyond Shanahan and Lynch's comments on the position this offseason, there's also Shanahan's insistence that the quarterbacks on the 49ers' roster must fit his offensive system.
Lynch called Murray "electric" and "fun to watch," but his playing style isn't the same as Garoppolo, let alone backups C.J. Beathard and Nick Mullens.
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Still, the 49ers have to be prepared for every possibility, especially in light of Bosa's meetings with the Cardinals. Trading back or bypassing Murray entirely are far more likely options if he is available at No. 2, but that doesn't make the hypothetical any less interesting.