The Ute Question
 

kool, no one else near top 16 pick talent at lb. scanning boards that i follow the consensus would be something like-

crowder- lower first round or upper second

burnett- first round at best, upper 2nd more likely

morrison- solid 2nd rounder, surprise first possible

thurman- 2nd round, possibly at saint pick #40

blackstock, mitchell, ware- 2nd possibly 3rd round

i didnt list merriman cuz he is only a 3-4 lb or more likely a de.

any beside dj would be a stretch up in the first round. at pick #40 i think a best buy will be a top 6 cb still on the board.

at this point the most likely best need pick more likely to be availablein the first is thomas davis or travis johnson. i\'d love to jammal brown fall there as a good deal too.

[Edited on 24/2/2005 by LKelley67]

The Ute Question
 

I would love that too, but noone in their right mind will give us the third pick for howard. Howard and our 16th for #6.......maybe.

The Ute Question
 

Thanks for the info LK.

What do you think about a Smith pick?

I suppose, I\'m not opposed to trading down and getting Crowder (maybe we can get another LB in the second round that way?). I\'ve heard Crowder\'s got some off-field issues; is there anything to that?

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Frequent board viewer....not so much a frequent poster

If Alex Smith is on the board at 16, I don\'t see how you can NOT take him, if for nothing else than trade bait. I believe that AB has as much potential as anyone in the NFL right now, but as they say, u can\'t buy groceries on potential. At such a critical time for the franchise, I can\'t see how some people can be as complacent as they are on the AB issue. I don\'t think we should dump him but at the same time I think we should bring someone here to light a fire under his toosh. If he is the player that most of his supporters say he is then he will rise to the challenge. If AS came in here and took his spot, then obviously he\'s good enough to keep it. I would see it as a can\'t-miss.

Of course that would be contingent on the Saints being able to secure the teams\' needs through free agency, which would be contingent on the front-office savvy of the Saints\' organization, which historically has been lacking. :)

Post-Jim Finks era, of course...

The club has been known to be in denial about what the \"experts\" say our weaknesses are, so I wouldn\'t be surprised if our \"needs\" aren\'t met.

When\'s the last season all....or even the majority....of our team needs were met with any satisfaction?

All that being said I don\'t even think Haslett would pass up on A. Smith at #16

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I believe the 49ers will take him with the 1st pick overall. Should they? If I was the GM, I\'d say no, I\'d go with a more sure thing like Braylon Edwards, but hat\'s just me.
Remember this- regardless of where QB\'s are projected after the season ends, they seem to always find a way to climb up the boards. I keep referencing Rivers from last year, who many had talked about being selected in the middle of the 1st round, and he made his way up to the 4th overall pick.
Teams can fall in love with players, especially at skill positions. The 49ers have a need for a QB. This is one of those years where there\'s no clear cut #1 pick.

[/quote:44acf968e8]Also, Darren Howard has shown to be injury prone.[/quote:44acf968e8]

He has shown he can be injured, not injury proned. If he was injury proned, he wouldn\'t have started all 16 games for three straight years.

[/quote:44acf968e8]Who are the top three LBs in the draft? I mean, after Johnson, is there anyone else with overall top 16 talent?[/quote:44acf968e8]

If you would consider moving Thomas Davis to linebacker, like a few scouts already have, then he would be your next pick.

The Ute Question
 

i\'m about like golden tomb kool- i think it would be a pick ya couldnt refuse but i don\'t have high hopes for this front office to address needs in free agency.

i specifically think we need a veteran stud lb pickup. if ya figure we have two second year guys as our most viable lb\'s i do not see adding another rookie, even if studly, the answer for the coming season. thus my reasoning that a veteran stud like hartwell would not only have dynamics of performance but to be an on-field mentor for the younger guys. we have veterans that can help them like ruff or rogers but they are limited in their range of performance. allen seems to still be learning himself and has erratic performance at best.

right on bnb, whether thomas shakes out a ss or lb, both are areas of significant need.

The Ute Question
 

Welcome GoldenTomb and nice work. I agree whole-heartedly.