49ers might roll the dice on a QB at No. 2

The San Francisco 49ers widely aren’t view as a team ready to grab a quarterback with the second pick in the 2017 NFL draft.

Mired in one of the league’s most extensive rebuilds, the common thought is the 49ers should go best player available no matter what. In a weak quarterback class, that wouldn’t be a quarterback.

But Kyle Shanahan might have other ideas. The man responsible for getting the most out of quarterbacks, including Matt Ryan last year, might want to find a potential franchise quarterback at No. 2, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport:

According to several sources with knowledge of the team’s thinking, the 49ers are still strongly considering taking a quarterback second overall. That would be somewhat of a surprise, considering they signed presumptive starter Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley in the offseason — and they have Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins potentially as an option for 2018. Taking a quarterback high would likely end any chance at Cousins.

This would throw a wrench in more than a few mock drafts, though it would help teams like the Chicago Bears at No. 3 get a better-than-expected prospect.

Or it could be a giant smokescreen.

After all, as we’ve noted in the past, the 49ers have been surprisingly open about their willingness to trade down, which confirms the idea the team needs as many picks as possible to get the roster turned in the right direction.

In other words, this is draft season as usual.