The San Francisco 49ers grabbed Ohio State EDGE Nick Bosa shortly after the Arizona Cardinals took Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray No. 1 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. And this sets up a nice little NFC West rivalry for the immediate future.
Before too long, fans will be able to watch the newest member of the San Francisco 49ers, EDGE Nick Bosa, chase around the top pick from the 2019 NFL Draft, now-Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, on Sundays.
The Niners benefited from the Cardinals' selection of Murray, essentially letting arguably the draft's top prospect, Bosa, fall right into their collective lap. An elite pass-rusher, Bosa shouldn't have too much difficulty getting some lofty stats right away on a 49ers defensive line already boasting four former first-round picks, DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas, Arik Armstead and the recently acquired Dee Ford.
Meanwhile, Murray is entering a Cardinals team amid a total rebuild and boasted an offensive line that ranked 26th in pass protection a year ago, according to Football Outsiders.
Despite some offseason changes there, it's pretty safe to say Bosa and the Niners pass rush should be in for some enticing matchups with their NFC West rivals for the foreseeable future.
For now, the Cardinals still have another quarterback on their roster, Josh Rosen, who'll likely be the subject of trade talks between now and the time any deal happens. There's almost zero chance Arizona keeps both heading into training camp, especially considering the number of other teams shopping for quarterbacks in the draft.
So this sets up what should be a nice little rivalry between Murray and Bosa, two new members of the NFC West, whose history will forever be linked by having gone in spot Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.
And for the safe bet, let's just bank on Bosa winning the majority of those pass-rushing battles from here on out.
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Written by:Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
