Could BYU’s Zach Wilson fall into the 49ers’ lap? Here is why you can’t rule it out

It’s widely assumed, both in and out of NFL circles, the first two picks in next week’s NFL draft can be written in Sharpie.

Trevor Lawrence is going to the Jacksonville Jaguars first overall. Second? All signs point to Zach Wilson heading to the New York Jets.

That much has been assumed for most of the last two months. But as we’ve seen, strange things happen leading up to the draft, and everything we think to be true can change at the whim of an NFL general manager.

Take the 2018 draft with the Cleveland Browns holding the No. 1 overall pick as an example. The media’s coverage leading up to the draft pegged Cleveland with a difficult decision: Take Wyoming’s Josh Allen or Sam Darnold of USC?

But Browns general manager John Dorsey took a hard left turn few saw coming.

Instead of taking one of the consensus top-two quarterbacks, he tapped Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, a somewhat undersized prospect (6-1, 215) with off-the-field concerns who had just won the Heisman Trophy. Mayfield was the unexpected move because Dorsey kept his decision close to the vest. Mayfield wasn’t strongly connected to the first overall pick until two days before the draft, when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported he would be heading to the shores of Lake Eerie.

Could something similar happen with the Jets on Thursday, bypassing Wilson for Ohio State’s Justin Fields, Alabama’s Mac Jones or North Dakota State’s Trey Lance? And would the 49ers jump on the chance to take Wilson or do they feel so strongly about another prospect that they’d stick to their guns?

“There’s no question in my mind if they could figure out how to get Zach, that’s their number one first choice,” former 49ers quarterback Steve Young said on KNBR radio March 31.

Young, of course, is close with Kyle Shanahan’s father, Mike, who is believed to be playing a role in the 49ers’ evaluation process. He’s also a BYU alum with inside knowledge of the program.

“The Jets have committed to Zach and recruited the family,” Young continued. “I don’t know how that gets rundown, but look, a lot can happen.”

Wilson might prefer 49ers

A lot can happen. Wilson is from Draper, Utah, a long way from New York City. There’s a feeling his family might prefer to have Wilson to play closer to home, like in the Bay Area, which is a quick two-hour flight. Douglas during his pre-draft media obligations this week would not commit to Wilson as the pick, which is common and unlikely to offer a clue as to his decision.

“I think Zach would love it, the family would love it, nothing would make anyone happier for the 49ers. That’s their unstated first choice,” said Young.

But Wilson has an injury history the Jets might be concerned about given his slight 214-pound frame. He had surgery to repair a labrum injury to his right throwing shoulder in January of 2019. He also had thumb surgery that caused him to miss four games as a sophomore.

Wilson also has a mesmerizing skill set. He can whip passes from any angle off any platform. That type of arm talent is generally limited to the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers, and it’s a primary reason Kyle Shanahan’s close friend Chris Simms ranked Wilson as the best quarterback in the draft, even ahead of Lawrence, a consensus generational prospect often compared to Andrew Luck.

“When the (49ers) moved to three, that’s what I was thinking about,” Young said of San Francisco’s March 26 trade moving up nine spots from pick No. 12. “I know they would love to have Zach. Three gets them close. It’s not done. But what does that mean with (Robert) Saleh on the other side … is something already in the works? No, I don’t think so. It feels like, speaking with some of the coaches on the Jets, they’re pretty committed to Zach.”

Shanahan said after making the trade the 49ers felt comfortable drafting at least three quarterbacks, providing logic to moving up for the third pick ensuring they would get Wilson, Jones, Fields or Lance. The last three have been widely discussed as the 49ers’ most likely options, with fans preferring Fields while many media members have projected Jones as the pick, to fans’ dismay.

“The way we looked at it is, to move up to three, we had to feel good that there’s three guys we’d be comfortable with leading our team for a long time,” Shanahan said. “We couldn’t make that decision before there was three guys, so we had to feel that way with three. Now, I think there’s a chance to get there with four and five. There’s a chance. There are five guys that are kind of at this party a little bit and people are talking about them going everywhere.”

Is Wilson getting bypassed by the Jets likely? Perhaps not. But the Browns deciding to take Mayfield didn’t appear likely a week before the 2018 draft either.

Regardless, the 49ers sound like they’re prepared for such a scenario.

Another former Raiders defensive lineman added

A day after signing defensive end Arden Key to a one-year contract, the 49ers agreed to terms with another former Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman.

San Francisco on Thursday agreed to terms with defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr., a former fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft from Michigan. Hurst, 25, is an intriguing addition to add depth to the defensive front that already includes two former first-round picks, Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw, and D.J. Jones, free agent addition Zach Kerr, Kevin Givens, Kentavius Street and Darrion Daniels.

Hurst had just half a sack in 11 games in 2020, but is otherwise a useful player. He has eight sacks and 17 quarterback hits in 40 games, including 17 starts. Some observers considered Hurst a first-round talent before the draft before a congenital heart condition was discovered beforehand, playing a role in his drop to the fifth round.

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