49ers mailbag: What about the 2nd pick? Will players hate Jones? Will Bosa ease back in?

We’re light on news as we inch closer to the NFL draft beginning April 29. So let’s get right to your questions for this week’s mailbag.

David asks: Who do you think @49ers will target with 2nd pick? CB? WR? OL? EDGE? Guess it depends on value but if you had the same grade on all, what do you think the preference is?

I think it’s most likely to be a cornerback, and it would make sense given how the class is shaping up.

Many evaluators believe there is a strong group of cornerbacks expected to go in Round 2, including Asanta Samuel Jr. (Florida State), Eric Stokes and Tyson Campbell (Georgia), Kelvin Joseph (Kentucky), Elijah Molden (Washington), Ifeatu Melifonwu (Syracuse) and potentially Aaron Robinson (UCF).

There’s also a chance Caleb Farley (Virginia Tech) falls to the second round given his recent back surgery. Farley was considered a slam-dunk prospect for the top half of the first round before news of his back surgery came to light. Would the 49ers be willing to take that risk if he’s available after what the team went through in 2020? I guess it depends what the team doctors say.

In terms of which cornerback they’ll take, your guess is as good as mine. We haven’t gotten to speak with new defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans about what he’ll look for in the position. The 49ers back in 2017 made it clear they preferred the long-limbed cornerbacks like Richard Sherman before signing Sherman a year later.

Players that fit that mold with some 32-inch arms include Stokes (32¾), Joseph (317/8) and Campbell (32), while Samuel and Molden are more similarly sized to Jason Verrett and Emmanuel Moseley.

Does that mean the 49ers would take the smaller guys if they believe they are stickier in coverage? That remains to be seen. Regardless, my bet is they come away with a cornerback in Round 2 to compete for a starting job. Cornerback, to me, is clearly the team’s biggest need at the moment.

Tyler asks: What percentage of the locker room will be lost if John and Kyle make the wrong choice and take Jones at 3?

One reason to cultivate a strong locker room culture is to handle situations like these. I’m sure there will be a few players who don’t love the idea of Garoppolo’s career getting undercut like this, but surely they understand the business of football and don’t want to go through seasons like 2018 and 2020 that were derailed by Garoppolo’s injuries.

In terms of Lynch and Shanahan losing the locker room if the team takes Jones, that appears unlikely. Most players, to a man, regard Shanahan’s football acumen highly; if Jones is the guy, then Jones is the guy.

Regardless of who the pick is, he’ll win over the locker room by performing on the field. The good news for the 49ers is they’re a great destination for a young quarterback to thrive in, whether it’s Jones, Justin Fields or Trey Lance.

Ryan asks: Will we (fans) get to watch the Fields and Lance pro day?

It sounds like there won’t be media allowed, though I’m not sure if that includes NFL Network’s television cameras.

I get the secrecy behind it since they already had their televised pro days, but the ratings would be through the roof (I would also like to watch to write about it).

Kade asks: Will Nick Bosa be on any type of restrictions to ease him back from the injury break to start the year?

I have to think so, although there are reasons to be encouraged based on the videos he put out on Instagram of his progress. He’s doing sprints while pulling a (lightly weighted) sled and doing change-of-direction drills.

Still, I think the 49ers will use caution when it comes to Bosa’s workload in the beginning of the season. This is his second significant knee injury dating back to high school when his career at St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida was ended prematurely because of a knee injury. Then there was his core muscle injury during his final college season in 2018 that he cut short to enter the draft.

Bosa has gotten hurt a lot, which makes his 2019 season even more impressive given he didn’t miss a game.

But Bosa is clearly the team’s most important defensive player at this point. So don’t be surprised if the training staff is extra careful with him come August and September.

A Dubs asks: I think the 49ers should follow the approach the Steelers took with Roethlisberger when he was a rookie. They had a good team and started him immediately. They mostly ran the ball and he didn’t throw the ball a ton. Draft Lance, start him immediately, trade Jimmy.

It’s not a bad point, but there’s a problem with trying to trade Garoppolo right now. His value is bottoming out and the team would likely need to add another quarterback once Garoppolo is moved, anyway. A team with Super Bowl aspirations can’t go into the season with a rookie being backed up by Nate Sudfeld and Josh Rosen.

Which is why I believe what Shanahan and Lynch have said since the trade up to No. 3 was made. They plan on keeping Garoppolo because he gives them the best chance to win, right now, until that rookie proves otherwise.

Albert Breer of the MMQB reported recently the 49ers would trade Garoppolo for a lofty price of a first-round pick, and it’s hard to look around the league and find teams desperate enough to trade for a guy coming off that injury-plagued 2020 season who is making $24.1 million.

Which is why, in my view, the 49ers would be better off holding onto Garoppolo and seeing if he can get back to 2019 levels. That would dramatically improve his trade value while giving San Francisco the necessary depth it needs at quarterback in the meantime, despite the hefty price tag.

Big Nick asks: If Jimmy G were to lead the Niners to the Super Bowl and is the MVP, what happens?

Shanahan and Lynch would spray each other with champagne and book family vacations in Cabo where they’d likely be joined by George Kittle and Co. and perhaps Garoppolo himself.

Put another way, this is a problem everyone involved with the 49ers would love to have. They’d be able to get a big haul in a trade for either of their quarterbacks and they’d have a Super Bowl trophy to show for it.

I’m guessing we’d see a situation similar to what played out during the end of Garoppolo’s time with the Patriots, when it was clear Garoppolo was Tom Brady’s eventual successor but Brady continued to win Super Bowls.

At some point the 49ers would have to make a choice between Garoppolo and the young guy. Who they would pick would involve a ton of factors, none of which we know yet. But I’m confident Shanahan and Lynch would relish the opportunity.