We are firmly in smoke screen season now, with the NFL draft just days away, so it should come as no surprise that the teams with the top picks in the draft are suddenly reportedly very interested in taking quarterbacks. We heard about the Cleveland Browns' reported interested in Mitch Trubisky at No. 1 last week, and now it's the 49ers that apparently have great interest in taking a passer with the No. 2 pick.
According to several sources with knowledge of the team's thinking, the 49ers are still strongly considering taking a quarterback second overall. That would be somewhat of a surprise, considering they signed presumptive starter Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley in the offseason -- and they have Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins potentially as an option for 2018. Taking a quarterback high would likely end any chance at Cousins.
But the team does not yet have a long-term answer at quarterback, and those who know coach Kyle Shanahan well insist North Carolina QB Mitchell Trubisky would best fit what he does on offense. Trubisky is considered by some to be the top QB in the class, though evaluations at this position differ more greatly than any other spot in this draft.
Quarterback is the position that teams further down on the draft board are most likely to trade up for, so it's a no-risk, all-reward move for teams at the top to leak that they're interested in the top passers. It gives off the impression that anybody hoping to draft their preferred QB needs to surrender excess value in order to move up and get their man.
Considering John Lynch recently came right out and said that his team is "open for business" when it comes to potentially trading the No. 2 pick in the draft, it seems fairly transparent that this latest QB leak is an attempt to drum up interest.
