Kyle Shanahan may have tipped off what the 49ers are looking to do with the No. 2 overall pick

San Francisco could be looking at another defensive lineman in the first round

The San Francisco 49ers clearly came into this offseason with a goal of upgrading their defense. 

In the early days of free agency, the Niners inked former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Kwon Alexander to a monster, four-year, $54 million contract that contains more than $25 million in guaranteed money. Soon after, the 49ers swung a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, acquiring pass-rusher Dee Ford for a 2020 second-round pick and handing him a five-year, $85.5 million contract. They also added several other defenders throughout the offseason, as six of the eight players they have signed so far are defenders, according to Spotrac. 

The 49ers also own the No. 2 overall pick in this month's draft, and it appears they may be looking for more in the way of defensive help. Specifically, they may be looking at the defensive line, if you believe what general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have to say. 

"You can never have too (many) D-linemen," Shanahan said, per ESPN.com. "They are very hard to find. And when you get guys who are difference-makers, those guys can change the game as much as anyone just on their own by rushing the passer."

Lynch echoed that sentiment. "I think what we want to do, I think you want to be great at something," Lynch said. "You want to have -- there's certain positions. ... You got to have the quarterback and you got to have the guys to knock them down."

What's interesting about this is that the 49ers picked a defensive lineman with three consecutive first-round selections from 2015 through 2017, nabbing Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner, and Solomon Thomas. Add Ford to that group and there's already a bunch of talent along the line. 

At No. 2 overall, however, players like Nick Bosa, Josh Allen, and Quinnen Williams are expected to be available, and San Francisco can turn a solid group into a much better one, and gain the ability to rotate players in and out more frequently.

"Those guys are really good players who I think anybody would be interested in that's picking high," Lynch said of the Bosa-Allen-Williams trio. "So you're right there, but I think we can't just settle in on two, three guys and say these are our guys here. We're looking at a ton of people right there and kind of figuring out, 'If we're here, that's what we're doing. If not, we got to prepare that we understand who are the guys we like that we think can make us a better football team.'"

The quotes from the 49ers' brass here likely don't come as a surprise to mock draft watchers, who have consistently seen Bosa sent to the 49ers over the past few weeks as the idea of Kyler Murray going No. 1 overall, whether to the Cardinals or some other team that trades up, has become cemented.