If they truely believe in this 'best player on the board' mantra then surely they won't go for Oher. Unless they're really high on the guy, i feel that picking him at 10 will be more out of need.

I still think that even though we have Marvel Smith, an OT like Oher would be a good pick. Marvel Smith has a history of injuries. Getting Oher in a rotation would be wise. (In My Opinion) All good teams have quality depth. If we could get Oher, then our Offensive line would be strong in the present and for the future!

The 49ers have so many "need" spots to fill, the best player available philosophy will probably work out fine for them. Then again, that makes too much sense for management that would have spent a fortune on an old QB who doesn't truly fit their scheme and couldn't have bonded and matured with all their young players. If they haven't got the guts to take Sanchez, if he's available, maybe they'll trade him and move down for more picks. Not a bad idea if they can get true value in the amount of picks/player they'd get.

There is no way in hell this guy is worth a #10 pick. I would be extremely disappointed and shocked if we had any interest in this kid at 10.

I like this kid. taking him at #10 may be a reach, but had we had a better season, and picked between 20-25, we would be lucky to get him. When you have 55 sacs the last 2 years i don't blame them for reaching here at #10 if Andre Smith is already taken. Still hoping for Raji though.

I still tend to become perplexed when people speak negatively of Michael Oher. He's not a PERFECT football player but who is? Many people consider him to have the most talent of any OT in the draft. Many people believed he would be a top pick last season. He has been hyper-analyzed because of his exposure in the book Blindside. He can have inconsistent focus in his technique which has kept him from dominating defenders that he should but it has never been such a breakdown for him to give up a sack this season. I believe he has only given up 2 sacks in the last 2 seasons in the SEC. If that is tremendous ability, I don't know what is.

"Tell me where you sit and I'll tell you where you stand." This is a profound quote which is rarely wrong. I find it highly interesting that when workhorse Patrick Willis was asked who he would select if he was picking, he said, "my old teammate, michael oher."

I would be perfectly fine with the niners picking him at 10. It fills a need and the guy doesnt carry much, if any, of the baggage that Smith carries, who would really be the only other OT the niners have a shot at. And isnt he relatively new to football as well?

But lets remember that stat Matt pointed out, only one guy who interviewed last year was drafted, so just because they are bringing him in doesnt mean its a lock.

If OT at#10 is to replace Staley,this is an insane priority for a team that desparately needs playmaking explosiveness that yields mismatches,double- teaming and the inability of opponents to game-plan .Raji would also be good because he's a two-gapper who would provide a new dimenson.T.J. Lang,Watkins and Britton can be drafted in the 3rd and 4th for RT.It would be more prudent to get two of these promising tackles than squander a #10 If we don't get a great playmaker in the draft I guess we will continue to acquire them with a year or two left in the tank,e.g. Bruce. ..............................................................................................w

Assuming the Scouts' Inc ratings account for a legit standard, guys like Harvin actually grade a little better then a guys like Everette Brown.
Andre Smith is probably a very likely guy to slide to us at 10 if we were to seek an OT.
He Grades equally with Knowson/Maclin/Sanchez and malcolm Jenkins using that scale.
Raji / Maybin rank a tick higher.
Should be interesting - Harvin is a notch down too.
Comes down to the position of most interest I'd suspect, and though he concerns me somewhat, Andre having Marvel to mentor is not a terrible thing.

Allow me to correct myself, Harvin is a tick behind Everette Brown. Point I attempted to make was that the 2 guys are close in ranking, but obviously split the ticket on which position would make more sense from the Teams' value point.

Oher's a quality OT...if picked, he wouldn't be drafted to replace Staley (have no idea where that came from), but to replace M. Smith. If it was me pulling the trigger, I'd have to go Raji (if avail) or best pass rusher (Brown, Cushing, Ayers) on the board, then get an OT later on.

Thanks for the info Marc.I think Harvin is the most explosive player in the draft.I've heard the Giants had him in twice,once to work out,and the Pats are apparently interested as well.Wish the niners would grab him.but I can understand why he will land with an elite team.

Hey Frank,it came from my belief that paying #10 money for a tackle who isn't guarding the QB's blind side would be a rare nfl move and an extravagant one for any team.Since the niners are not prone to extravagant spending,I think it's reasonable to deduce that Staley must enter this picture.

Hey Marc-I know you follow Rutgers ...what's your take on OLB P.Malast I'm seeing him rise a bit on the boards -is he a late rounder worth consideration? I've got my eyes on Frantz Joseph as a ILB prospect (apparently so does the Big Tuna) in later rounds...a year or two down the line after tutoring from Takeo and he and P.Willis would be daunting in the middle!

TP, Scotty Mac has come out several times and stated that a draft pick that could play better than Staley at LT would simply move him back over to RT, where he played pretty well his rookie year. No one is benching Staley, and he would have to be outperformed in order for the move to RT to happen. Staley is a bit of a contradiction, since he has the feet and agility of a LT, but he tends to have the more aggressive mentality of a RT. He will be fine on either side.

Oher would be a great pick at #10. We would be on the road to having one of the best OLs in the NFL. All of the skill players would benefit. Raji would be a pretty good pick, as well. Some mocks have them both gone by #10, some have them both available.

Matt,

I have a question. Let's assume that Oher is the 4th best OT available in the draft & the 49ers decide to pick BPA other than Oher. I know you're not a scouting expert but would like your take, how much of a drop off in quality from Oher to say the next 4 OT's behind him?

Ya know Franchise had a great idea a few articles ago. Since this is the time to bring in potential prospects why not bring in Sanchez to put the pressure on teams that are interested in him like the Jets & Bucs to trade up with the 49ers to get more picks?

I hope they bring Stafford in for a visit; I don't care what the team shrink thought of him.

Matt, assuming we take either Oher or A.Smith at 10, what will be the on-the-field implications of that? Will it turn into a rotation, or does one get primary bench duty?

Kevin,

What would the point of bringing in Stafford other than to waste an Air-fare ticket? The guy is going to be gone by the 4th pick.

The knock on Oher is his mental game along with short arms. If you study his game tape a lot of plays leave you scratching your head as to why he did what he did. Also his strength is questionable. We should draft the BPA through 5 rounds IMO.