49ers Might Be Losing Faith in Smith

In less than two weeks, the Detroit Lions will have the first overall selection in the NFL Draft. Depending on who's telling the story, Matthew Stafford is their guy, although NFL Network draft brainiac Mike Mayock appears to prefer Mark Sanchez.

I mention this to reinforce the importance of the No. 1 pick; get it right and the Lions could emerge from Matt Millen's reign of terror faster than anybody imagined; get it wrong and Detroit's future will look a lot like its recent past.

Last spring, the Falcons drafted Matt Ryan third overall and they went from a four-win outfit to an 11-win playoff team. On the other hand, in 2005, then-49ers head coach Mike Nolan hitched his wagon to Alex Smith, and three-and-a-half uninspiring seasons later, Nolan was canned. And Smith, who has suffered through new coordinators and injuries for most of his career, might have fallen out of favor with the team. Again.

Via Niner Insider's Kevin Lynch:

Within the building, there's been a sublime loss of faith in former overall pick Alex Smith. General manager Scot McCloughan was the leader in the Draft Smith First campaign in 2005 and he's been supportive of him throughout Smith's troubled tenure. But maybe others (read Mike Singletary) don't believe Smith can be a field general.

Smith didn't look sharp in the most recent minicamp and his passes wobbled more than usual. At one point after missing a receiver on a slant route, he doubled over and began shaking his arm. Is Smith fully healthy? Is he recovering from his latest surgery without a glitch? Hmmmm.

In general, I wouldn't put much stock in a few wobbly minicamp passes, but in Smith's case, it's just one more thing to add to the list. New head coach Mike Singletary doesn't seem committed to Shaun Hill, either, which is why most of the mock draft set thinks Sanchez could be in the team's future on draft day.

The 49ers have the 10th overall selection, and while bolstering the offensive or defensive line is high on the to-do list, the club might not be able to pass on the next potential franchise quarterback. Even if he's a junior, like Smith was coming out of Utah in '05.