Do the 49ers have to take a quarterback with the No. 1 pick?

NO--they should take a guy with the potential to be great

Ask me who the 49ers should take with the first pick of the draft, and I'll give you some names. They won't belong to quarterbacks.

There simply isn't a quarterback worth taking with the first pick. It may be true that there is not a player at any position worth taking with the first pick in the draft. But taking a quarterback that high would be especially unwise.

Neither Alex Smith nor Aaron Rodgers has franchise-player attributes. A reasonable hope is that they become good, serviceable quarterbacks who play on a level below the elite passers in the NFL.

As the first pick in the draft, one of these quarterbacks would be perceived as a failure if he achieved anything less than stardom, and the 49ers would be burdened by him. You can hide a receiver who is merely a good player instead of a great one, or a cornerback, or a defensive end. You cannot hide a quarterback. Everything he does will be scrutinized by the Bay-area media and 49ers fans--who have Hall of Fame standards for their quarterbacks.

If I were Mike Nolan and I couldn't trade down, I'd take Shawne Merriman, the Maryland pass rusher who has as much potential as any player in the draft. Go ahead and chuckle, but if you paired that guy with Julian Peterson as the outside linebackers in a 3-4 defense, opposing offenses wouldn't be laughing.--Dan Pompei

YES--spending No. 1 money on anybody else would be nuts

So Peyton Manning or Michael Vick isn't available in this draft. That doesn't mean the 49ers should wimp out and move away from selecting a quarterback. Not only will Aaron Rodgers or Alex Smith be the first player taken in this draft, they should be the only alternatives for this choice.

What are you going to do, pick a receiver such as Braylon Edwards or, as Dan Pompei argues, a hybrid linebacker such as Shawne Merriman? Do you want to pay either one the ridiculous bonus and salary that accompanies the No. 1 pick these days? We're talking about a $20 million signing bonus and a total package in the $54 million range. Even if a nonquarterback might accept slightly less money, anyone taken this high still will expect a handsome income--and forget how it messes up your salary cap philosophy at that position. Edwards probably is the best talent on anyone's draft board, but I simply wouldn't pay him No. 1 money. He's not good enough.

Because there really isn't a superstar in this draft, particularly a pass-rushing defensive lineman who can turn a game with his skills, it makes great sense to focus on stabilizing the most important position on your team. The 49ers have an extensive list of personnel needs, but any hopes of turning this franchise into a consistent playoff contender again rest on fixing their problems at quarterback. So it has to be Rodgers or Smith--and no one else.--Paul Attner

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