Todd McShay 2019 NFL Mock Draft 3.0: Kyler Murray to Cards, Nick Bosa to 49ers

In his third NFL mock draft, which was released Wednesday, ESPN draft expert Todd McShay predicted the Arizona Cardinals will spurn Josh Rosen and select Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick.

McShay noted that while he isn't "all-in" on the Cards taking Murray, he "can't deny the rumblings," nor the fact that Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury recruited Murray in college while he served as the head coach at Texas Tech.

With Murray off the board, McShay projected the San Francisco 49ers to take perhaps the best overall player in the draft at No. 2 in Ohio State pass-rusher Nick Bosa.

Since Murray walked away from his contract with the Oakland Athletics to pursue football, there has been plenty of talk linking the reigning Heisman Trophy winner to the Cardinals.

For starters, Kingsbury said in October while he was still at Texas Tech that he would take Murray with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft if given the opportunity:

There have also been indications that the Cards may not be sold on Rosen, even though they took him 10th overall last year. Cardinals general manager Steve Keim recently said Rosen is the team's quarterback "right now," which suggests he may be open to a change.

Last week, NFL Network's Kimberly Jones reported that those in the NFL "almost universally" believe Arizona will take Murray No. 1 overall.

Rosen struggled as a rookie by completing 55.2 percent of his passes for 2,278 yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 14 games and 13 starts.

Baker Mayfield had far fewer rookie struggles. After the Cleveland Browns took him No. 1 overall despite concerns with his size and attitude, he rewarded them by throwing for 3,725 yards, 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions on 63.8 percent passing.

Like Murray, Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma, and it was difficult to project whether he could make the leap from a college spread offense to a more pro-style NFL attack.

Murray is shorter than the 6'1" Mayfield at 5'10", but he is perhaps more dynamic after he rushed for 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns last season in addition to his 4,361 passing yards and 42 passing touchdowns.

The Cardinals need some excitement after they went 3-13 last season, and Murray would provide that even if there are questions about his viability as an NFL quarterback.

As for Bosa, he is coming off an injury-plagued season that saw him appear in just three games. Even so, he registered four sacks, six tackles for loss and recovered a fumble for a touchdown. In two previous seasons, Bosa totaled 13.5 sacks and 23 tackles for loss, making him perhaps the most highly sought-after front-seven player in a draft loaded with quality prospects in that area.

The Niners, who pick second, tied for 22nd in the NFL last season with 37 sacks. Bosa would likely give San Francisco a significant boost in that category, much like his brother, Joey Bosa, did for the Los Angeles Chargers when they took him third overall in 2016.

If Nick turns out to be anywhere near as good as Joey has been, then the Niners will finally have the pass-rusher they have long coveted—provided they take him.