If both available, should 49ers draft Smith or Edmunds? To Greg Cosell, it's a no-brainer

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The 49ers own the No. 9 overall pick in tonight's NFL Draft.

With Reuben Foster's future up in the air, it's possible that John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan take a linebacker with that selection.

[MAIOCCO: Disclosure in Reuben Foster case should not impact 49ers' draft strategy]

If both Roquan Smith and Tremaine Edmunds are available when the 49ers are on the clock, who should they take?

"I would draft Roquan Smith without even giving it a second thought because I did not love Tramaine Edmunds on tape," Greg Cosell said on KNBR 680. "Roquan Smith is a great prospect. In some ways, he's very similar to Foster, and who knows what's gonna happen there but it's not likely to be good.

"But Roquan Smith, to me, there's not a lot of mystery to his game. He's a great athlete, he's got the speed and range you look for -- he plays sideline to sideline. He sees things quickly and clearly, so he's got the kind of key and diagnosis that we love to see in linebackers. I love him as a prospect."

So what's wrong with Edmunds?

"You're drafting on what you think he could become," Cosell explained. "He's obviously a great athlete, but he's not anywhere near a really good football player at this point in time. So you're hoping you can take that athleticism and you can cultivate it and develop it. But he's got a ways to go. 

"He doesn't see the game real well. He's a splash player, who has great size and great athleticism. But a long way to go to be a really good football player."

Well 49ers fans -- you don't have to wait much longer as the draft starts at 5pm PT...

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