I'm talking making the pick with your gut, who do you honestly think is the best player in this draft? So many people here including myself want a trade down.. so obviously Hutchinson is not everyones favorite choice.. what would you do?

I've made it clear that my favorite player in this draft is Sauce Gardner.. it would be extremely difficult for me not to pull the trigger there.. I'm just curious, value/need aside.. what guy would you be over the moon excited to draft?

Another guy i've absolutely fallen in love with recently is Jameson Williams, and honestly if he hadn't had that knee injury I think i'd want him at 1.

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Jameson Williams, Jordan Davis, Ahmad Gardner or Tyler Linderbaum.

In that order. I keep hearing Carolina and Dallas are interested in trading up.

I would start that conversation tomorrow if I were Baalke.

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"What do I know of cultured ways, the gilt, the craft and the lie? I, who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky. The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing; Rush in and die, dogs - I was a man before I was a king."

Jameson Williams, Jordan Davis, Ahmad Gardner or Tyler Linderbaum.

In that order. I keep hearing Carolina and Dallas are interested in trading up.

I would start that conversation tomorrow if I were Baalke.

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Dallas would be interesting.. tho being pick 24 I'd like to think we'd get quite a nice haul in return. Would love 24 + 56 + CeeDee Lamb. The maybe get George Karlaftis at 24, Linderbaum at 33, Pickens/Metchie at 56

Still get a good edge rusher, Get your Center and get a #1 WR in Lamb and another weapon in Pickens or Metchie. That'd be pretty dope.

I know there's like a 0 percent chance of that trade involving Lamb, but imagine..

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Resign.

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If I'm Trent Baalke right now what I would do is ask Doug Peterson which player he wants. And then pick that guy.

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If I'm Trent Baalke right now what I would do is ask Doug Peterson which player he wants. And then pick that guy.

Pederson is as biased toward his preferred position group (zone blocking OL) as Shuey is toward wanting Hutch and Buckner is toward wanting Walker. Taking Ekwonu #1 would be malpractice.

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I'm talking making the pick with your gut, who do you honestly think is the best player in this draft? So many people here including myself want a trade down.. so obviously Hutchinson is not everyones favorite choice.. what would you do?

I've made it clear that my favorite player in this draft is Sauce Gardner.. it would be extremely difficult for me not to pull the trigger there.. I'm just curious, value/need aside.. what guy would you be over the moon excited to draft?

Another guy i've absolutely fallen in love with recently is Jameson Williams, and honestly if he hadn't had that knee injury I think i'd want him at 1.

What I would do is governed in large part by what I can't do.

Like you, my preference is to trade down.  However, I don't see it happening.

As I've said many times over the past 6 months, I would seriously consider Jameson Williams with the 1st overall pick had he not torn his ACL so late in the season.  In fact I was sickened by the injury, and all of my draft hopes went down the tubes with his injury.

If we're going with the gut, I'm thinking it would be Ikem Ekwonu at #1.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Do we really believe its not gonna be Hutch? It's gonna be Hutch

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If I'm Trent Baalke, I wanna prove everyone wrong and show them I actually do know what I'm doing. That means not screwing up the first pick. I don't believe I'm getting any trade offers, so that is likely off the table, even though it would be my preference. I have the two "safest" players at the top of my board, Hutchinson and Gardner. On one hand, Hutchinson fills a huge void and has a very high floor. He has an excellent motor and if I draft him I believe he can be a centerpiece of the team going forward. I will face very little criticism, because most people view him as one of the top 2-3 players in the draft.

On the other hand, I have "Sauce" Gardner who may very well be the best overall player in the draft. My gut tells me to select him, but we already have 3 very good starting CB's, so I will likely face a ton of backlash if he is the choice. If anything at all goes wrong, like if he gets injured and is out for a significant period of time his rookie season, I could lose my job before he has a chance to prove that he is the best overall player. On top of that, I would likely have to trade one of my current CB's. We would save a ton of cap money after the 2022 season if we cut or trade Shaquill Griffin, so Gardner could be his immediate replacement in 2023. That is enticing, but with optics being what they are, Gardner likely would get limited playing time in 2022 and given he would be the #1 overall pick, fans might view that as him being not as good as what he actually is. Again, my job might be at risk.

With all things being equal, I probably select Hutchinson #1 due to the need, his very high floor and the view that he is a very safe pick with a very low "bust" factor, even though I really want Gardner. Taking Hutchinson will make the team better and should let me keep my job.

With the first pick out of the way, I package several of our picks/players to trade up into the 16-20 range to make sure I get my #1 receiver. IMO, this should be the first priority. Our offense was non-existent last season and much of that had to do with the lack of a running game and the complete lack of talent at WR. We've done very little to improve this area other than over-paying for a average slot receiver. We have to find a WR who can create big plays and the very best ones in this draft should be gone fairly early in the first round. If I could come out of this draft with a premier pass rusher and a very good #1 receiver, not only should I add 3-4 wins to next year's total, but I would definitely improve my standing with the fans and media.

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Do we really believe its not gonna be Hutch? It's gonna be Hutch

I do think it's Hutch, but my question was essentially who is the player in this draft that you specifically really want on the team. Regardless of need/position.

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If I'm Trent Baalke, I wanna prove everyone wrong and show them I actually do know what I'm doing. That means not screwing up the first pick. I don't believe I'm getting any trade offers, so that is likely off the table, even though it would be my preference. I have the two "safest" players at the top of my board, Hutchinson and Gardner. On one hand, Hutchinson fills a huge void and has a very high floor. He has an excellent motor and if I draft him I believe he can be a centerpiece of the team going forward. I will face very little criticism, because most people view him as one of the top 2-3 players in the draft.

On the other hand, I have "Sauce" Gardner who may very well be the best overall player in the draft. My gut tells me to select him, but we already have 3 very good starting CB's, so I will likely face a ton of backlash if he is the choice. If anything at all goes wrong, like if he gets injured and is out for a significant period of time his rookie season, I could lose my job before he has a chance to prove that he is the best overall player. On top of that, I would likely have to trade one of my current CB's. We would save a ton of cap money after the 2022 season if we cut or trade Shaquill Griffin, so Gardner could be his immediate replacement in 2023. That is enticing, but with optics being what they are, Gardner likely would get limited playing time in 2022 and given he would be the #1 overall pick, fans might view that as him being not as good as what he actually is. Again, my job might be at risk.

With all things being equal, I probably select Hutchinson #1 due to the need, his very high floor and the view that he is a very safe pick with a very low "bust" factor, even though I really want Gardner. Taking Hutchinson will make the team better and should let me keep my job.

With the first pick out of the way, I package several of our picks/players to trade up into the 16-20 range to make sure I get my #1 receiver. IMO, this should be the first priority. Our offense was non-existent last season and much of that had to do with the lack of a running game and the complete lack of talent at WR. We've done very little to improve this area other than over-paying for a average slot receiver. We have to find a WR who can create big plays and the very best ones in this draft should be gone fairly early in the first round. If I could come out of this draft with a premier pass rusher and a very good #1 receiver, not only should I add 3-4 wins  to next year's total, but I would definitely improve my standing with the fans and media.

I've repeatedly stated one of the few areas I trust Baalke in (to th extent I actually do trust him) is building the trenches.

In San Francisco, these are some of the players he's drafted in the first round:

2011 Aldon Smith, 7th overall-As a pure talent, he was an absolute terror rushing the passer, and was instrumental in the 49ers reaching the Super Bowl.

2015 Arik Armstead, 17th overall-teamed with DeForest buckner to form a formidable DT duo.

2016-DeForest Buckner, 7th overall-see above

That said, I will not breathe easily until we have spent our first round pick on someone other than Walker.

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Do we really believe its not gonna be Hutch? It's gonna be Hutch

As long as it's not Walker, I think I'll be okay.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

If i was baalke i think he would use lady luck to decide the picks

Put all names on a wheel and spin

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If i was baalke i think he would use lady luck to decide the picks

Put all names on a wheel and spin

Are you saying Baalke is playing as the thief or the inventor?

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If i was baalke i think he would use lady luck to decide the picks

Put all names on a wheel and spin

Are you saying Baalke is playing as the thief or the inventor?

The riddler

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If I'm Baalke then I'm drafting Jameson Williams. He's coming off an ACL injury so he already fits the mold of Baalke picks and he fills our biggest need.

I've warmed up to the idea of picking Williams #1 recently. I wouldn't actually be upset if it happens. I would love to have Sauce as well, but CB is really not a huge weakness right now and would only make sense if we could get some value out of Shaq. I'm not in love with Neal or Hutch either and would hate picking Walker.

So, right now I've sort of moved off of Hutch or Sauce or bust and am more on the Williams or Sauce or bust.

And all of this is on the condition that we can't trade back, because I would much prefer to do that.

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If I'm Baalke then I'm drafting Jameson Williams. He's coming off an ACL injury so he already fits the mold of Baalke picks and he fills our biggest need.

I've warmed up to the idea of picking Williams #1 recently. I wouldn't actually be upset if it happens. I would love to have Sauce as well, but CB is really not a huge weakness right now and would only make sense if we could get some value out of Shaq. I'm not in love with Neal or Hutch either and would hate picking Walker.

So, right now I've sort of moved off of Hutch or Sauce or bust and am more on the Williams or Sauce or bust.

And all of this is on the condition that we can't trade back, because I would much prefer to do that.

One thing you got to remember when picking a CB or WR, if the guy you take becomes your #1, your current #1 becomes your #2, 2 to 3 etc.. so essentially by upgrading the top spot, you're upgrading the rest aswell. While I don't think we absolutely are in dire need of another CB, I do think Gardner is likely to be the better player overall between him and hutch.

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Try my level best to build consensus within the organization on a draft plan that supports our rebuilding strategy. Now the one thing no one outside the inner circle knows is what that strategy is.

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A new broom always sweeps clean.

I call the Lions to see if they'll part with pick 34 to get Hutchinson. If they say "no," I'd throw in our 4th rounder. I'd then draft Neal with the 2nd pick and hope to get Ebeketie at 33. If the Lions don't trade, I take Hutchinson.

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Right now? I open up my bank account and marvel at the current balance. Once I stop hyperventilating, I understand that the darft isn't for another 80-ish hours, so I ain't broadcasting my hand to any of the other GMs out there.

You know, like he's doing.

Now on Thursday? I'm either taking Hutch or taking a little less in trade value to move back. If we move, my primary target is Jameson.

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I call the Lions to see if they'll part with pick 34 to get Hutchinson. If they say "no," I'd throw in our 4th rounder. I'd then draft Neal with the 2nd pick and hope to get Ebeketie at 33. If the Lions don't trade, I take Hutchinson.

That’s not unreasonable at all. I still want to sure of the Olon early. But it’s not going to happen I don’t think. But if we go edge at one and a premium guard at 33, that accomplishes the same basic thing.

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