How do you expect the CBA situation to affect the draft?

I know most expect a crazy run on QBs, and teams doing lots of trading to secure specific players of need.

That's the war cry from the "experts", pretty much across the board.

I have a strong hunch though, that most teams will stick to their boards and BPA and things will fall more like any other draft. Of course, some teams will make need picks, and there will be some players taken early and others who fall. But I don't that it will be significantly different from a normal draft.

The uncertainty with draft picks, in terms of them being any good or when/if they can practice or play in 2011 is as bad or worse than FA.

At least with a FA, you more or less know what you are getting, and they can step in and play in the NFL with a possibly shortened training camp and off season activities.

Rooks, you can ensure you get a certain position, but you never know what you're really getting, and without enough practice and time with the playbook, even the best rookies might not make much of an impact early or at all in 2011.

One way or another there WILL be a FA period. Whether happens right after the draft, in August or next year. And until that happens, you can't sign rooks or have them practice anyway.

It could actually make FAs more valuable because they will be less affected the shortened off season.

The argument is that you can guarantee a certain player in the draft. But it's the same for free agents. If you "spend" enough in the draft (use a high pick/trade picks) on a certain position, you can get a top option. Otherwise, you can still get one, but maybe of lesser caliber.

Same with FA/trades. If you "spend enough" (money, trade of players/picks), you can pick who you land for the most part. If you can't or don't get the prime target, there are definitely other options at any position, even if they aren't surefire top level starters.

It's kind of push overall as to if either is the biggest gamble. Given all that, and the history of how teams draft, I'll actually be pretty surprised if this draft turns into the feeding frenzy many are predicting where teams are tripping over themselves to assure (over) drafting need positions.

This lockout would make it more logical to wait until next year to draft your franchise quarterback for teams like the 49ers who don't have one. If the lockout lasts until August, you lose all of the off-season development you would normally have, and there is zero chance you have a rookie starter(not that I want one). If the lockout is going to last until August, I want the 49ers to draft defense, projects, and role players and bomb the season in order to get a top pick in next years draft and an entire off-season for Harbaugh to work with the future quarterback.

Originally posted by 23zack80:
This lockout would make it more logical to wait until next year to draft your franchise quarterback for teams like the 49ers who don't have one. If the lockout lasts until August, you lose all of the off-season development you would normally have, and there is zero chance you have a rookie starter(not that I want one). If the lockout is going to last until August, I want the 49ers to draft defense, projects, and role players and bomb the season in order to get a top pick in next years draft and an entire off-season for Harbaugh to work with the future quarterback.

I don't want us to bomb the season. I say if Harbaugh is high on a pick this year than grab him. that QB can still learn the system as we play the season. he would also have the following offseason to work on what he learned in his first year. I keep saying that we should grab the best players available in certain positions that Baelke and Harbaugh are confident in and then I would be ok if we traded picks away for more picks next season. If we got an OLB, QB, NT and FB this year and traded the rest of the picks I would be stoked. We get key impact positions this year to start learning the system but we set ourselves up with plenty of ammunition for next year to make a big splash. Harbaugh will know the team better after his first year and he will know where the weaknesses are. It's exactly what New England did last year and now they have a ton of picks in the first 3 rounds...