I'm sure you've all seen the Kawakami article posted this morning. In the piece, Kawakami says that not only should the 49ers take Clausen at 13, but that they should TRADE UP for him!
Either the 49ers are going overboard with their pre-draft deception, or they're damn serious about taking Clausen at #13 -- and this is an effort to get buy-in from the fans (or guage fan reaction) before making a decision.
Kawakami also made some good points, such as cashing in two mid-teens picks for a Top 10 and a 2nd rounder -- that makes sense to me.
But not for Clausen; if we trade up, it needs to be for an elite OT or Eric Berry...either of which makes pretty good sense. If we move up for Berry at #5, we give them both #1s and we get the #5 and the #50...or both #1s and our 3rd for the #5 and the #36 (that might make more sense to get an OT).
I am starting to think that the 49ers are serious about taking Clausen at 13, but I don't think that they're willing to trade up for him. Either that, or Baalke is a genius.
On Clausen, I do think that he is a very good prospect and I think that he will have a better career than Bradford (Clausen plays in a pro-style offense and has played under pressure), but I would still choose to go with Smith and take a QB in the deep deep 2011 class if Alex Fails.
IF we took Clausen at 13 or 17 (especially at 17), I would not be throwing things at the television (like I would with a Dan Williams pick).
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2010/04/20/jimmy-clausen-and-the-49ers-trade-up-get-a-qb-now-or-never/
[ Edited by nickbradley on Apr 20, 2010 at 1:59 PM ]