San Francisco 49ers to Gamble Again in NFL Draft?

The San Francisco 49ers track record of taking quarterbacks in the 1^st round, isn't good. In 1997, they drafted Jim Druckenmiller in the first round, making him the first QB taken that year. Jake Plummer was drafted later that same year, by the Arizona Cardinals. Most recently, the 49ers selected Alex Smith with the #1 pick overall. Now, with the 10^th pick in this year's draft, the 49ers may be thinking QB again. I'm not sure if Sanchez or Stafford are ready to end the 49ers' QB drought.

Jay Cutler's name has been associated with just about every NFL team, including the 49ers. Cutler would instantly upgrade the 49ers quarterback position. Cutler is young, with a great arm and he's been durable so far, which is more then can be said for Alex Smith. However, with many teams wanting Cutler and the Broncos temporarily saying they're not trading him, it's doubtful he'll become a 49er.

I hope the 49ers give their current QBs a chance and wait on drafting yet another quarterback. The 49ers have gone through countless offensive coordinators and wide receivers, it's no wonder the quarterbacks have struggled. Things were looking up in 2006, when Norv Turner was offensive coordinator. After the Cowboys passed on making Turner their head coach, 49ers fans breathed a sigh of relief. Then, the San Diego Chargers, hired Turner as their coach and the 49ers offense fell apart. In 2007, Jim Hostler was offensive coordinator. Last year Mike Martz was let go after one unsuccessful season. This year, the 49ers have yet another new offensive coordinator, Jimmy Raye. Raye wasn't the teams first choice, Scott Linehan declined the 49ers offer and signed with the Lions. It's not a comforting sign, when a coach selects an 0-16 team over yours.

What San Francisco needs more then a quarterback in the draft, is stability. It seems, every year they're learning a new offense and throwing to new receivers. Lets hope the new offensive coordinator last more then a year and the newly acquired receiver, Brandon Jones stays more then a year. Ashley Lelie, Antonio Bryant and Bryant Johnson, all came and went, creating a revolving door at the receiver position in San Francisco.

If the 49ers keep going through offensive coordinators and receivers, it won't matter how many QB's they draft, they'll all fail.

http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009/02/15/sour-taste-after-49ers-offensive-coordinator-search/
http://www.sf49ers.com/pressbox/news_detail.php?PRKey=2868§ion=PR%20Newshttp://www.nfl.com/draft/history/fulldraft?teamId=4500&type=team