The New York Jets who are now Favre-less might just want to move up to the #10 spot in the NFL Draft and select USC’s Mark Sanchez? In exchange, let’s say the Niners get the Jet’s number one @ #17, and the Jets #3 pick, or maybe their #1 and their #4 and #5? Would you (the Niners) do it? The Jets can’t think Sanchez will fall to them @ #17, and it’s pretty clear that going into the season with either Kellen Clemens, Brett Ratliff, or Eric Ainge at the helm is not going to scare the AFC East, or anyone, for that matter. I think it’s quite possible that the Jets, or someone else, is gonna come after the Niners pick. Here is where I wish Bill Walsh could return for a day from up above, and help the current Niners “brain trust.” I don’t think there is going to be an absolute ”have to have” player @ #10. Not Michael Oher, not Brain Orapko, not Everette Brown, not Rey Maualuga. The Niners are four or five players away from being really good, and this year’s draft might provide them an opportunity to close that gap. They had what many (including yours truly) thought was a very questionable draft last year, which included the forfeiture of their number five pick for tampering. This year’s draft also needs to be strong because the Niners’ free agent signings have been quite modest, to say the least. Can the Jed-Mike-Scot show pull off a great Niner draft in 2009? We’ll see soon enough, won’t we?
MN
March 29, 2009 at 8:17 pm
I have been mulling around these scenarios for the past several weeks. My first option regarded the Lions. With the Lions’ first pick they could take Jason Smith and have either Stafford or Sanchez waiting at #10. In exchange we swap our second rounders and get the Lions’ 4th rounder.
The next option would be the Jets and your scenario. Another team in the mix could involve the Bucs. The Niners could dangle that pick to either the Jets or the Bucs for leverage in a possible trade. The Jets have shown that they can be active on draft day (see Darrell Revis) which helps us if we decide to trade down.
Depending on how the first nine picks go will determine the value of our pick at #10. I agree that gaining an additional pick or moving up in the second round could make this a memorable draft for the Niners.
March 29, 2009 at 9:58 pm
I wish 49er fans could get past Bill Walsh. I’ve been a fan for 30 years, but it’s time to let Walsh go. He was one of the greatest, but if we keep looking back, we’ll never move forward. We keep saying “If Bill Walsh” ir “If Joe Montana” or “If Jerry RIce.” We have to move on. Forget the past, we have what we have.
March 30, 2009 at 12:43 am
Yeah Mike…….that’s a fair comment. But the point I was really trying to make, as an astute guy like you is well aware of, is that I am quite apprehensive of the overall skill set of the Jed-Mike-Scot triumverate. That’s why I was hoping they might ask Holmgren in, as a consultant, and a guy to bounce things off, especially player evaluation.
March 31, 2009 at 3:35 pm
I will agree that Jed-MIke-Scot are a scary tandem. Their moves so far this season have been questionable, to say the least. But Iwould caution against Holmgren. He’s a great offensive guy, but, if you look at the numbers, he didn’t fare well in Seattle when he was in charge of talent. I don’t think he’s a great judge of talent. But, I do agree we need someone with experience to help in the offseason. What we have now is scary.