NFL draft rumors: Nick Bosa early favorite to land with 49ers at No. 2

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Within the past week, the 49ers sent representatives to the pro days of Alabama, Ohio State, and Kentucky.

The 49ers own the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. If they hold onto that selection, there appear to be only three players who warrant serious consideration:

--Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams met with 49ers general manager John Lynch and vice president of player personnel Adam Peters early in the week in Tuscaloosa.

--On Wednesday, Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa had a late lunch with Lynch and Peters in Columbus.

--Two days later, Kentucky outside linebacker and edge rusher Josh Allen spent some time with 49ers area scout Steve Rubio, who also attended Ohio State’s pro day and dined with Bosa.

None of the top players worked out, each opting to stand on his marks from the testing at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last month. Williams, Bosa, and Allen are scheduled to make visits to Santa Clara to meet with the 49ers before the draft.

The consensus opinion at this stage appears to be that Bosa will end up with the 49ers. But a lot can happen between now and April 25, when the first round of the NFL draft is held in Nashville.

First, the 49ers can only select Bosa if the Arizona Cardinals pass him up to choose Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick.

The 49ers could still entertain the possibility of trading back to acquire more picks, but there would have to be a team willing to pay the price to move up.

[RELATED: John Lynch says free agency set up 49ers for the draft]

While in Columbus, Lynch said the 49ers are still in the preliminary stages of their draft evaluations. He said the team filled holes in free agency, which enables the 49ers to select the player they evaluate to be the best in the draft, regardless of position.

“We’ve done a lot of work on those guys,” Lynch said. “We’ve done a lot of work on the entire draft class, but it really gets hyper-focused now. We’ve condensed a lot of information. Now the coaches come up and we put it all together.”

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