Well if you nail my foot to the floor, I would opt for the best player available. Because sometimes the best player available is going to become a Hall of Fame star for your football team, someone the franchise is identified by the way it was identified by Montana or Lott or Rice. I want that type of player on my team. And I actually think that Baalke thinks that way too, given how persistently he has gone after first-round picks via trades and FA signings as well as through the draft.

Looking specifically at the 49ers situation this offseason, I would argue that it may not require as much draft capital as we might think to fill the defensive needs that concern us.

I would argue that Ian Wiliams and Glenn Dorsey will form a stout interior on the line, and that the return to health of Manny Lawson will bolster the outside. If that happens, Baalke only needs to find one solid DE in this draft to groom as Smith's eventual replacement.

And if the draft is indeed as deep as reputed, it ought to be possible to select three or four secondary players in the middle rounds who will fight for starting spots at the safety positions.

Neither Tarell Brown nor Chris Culliver may be Einsteins in terms of social intelligence, but they could form a more than adequate starting CB duo for the team.

With 14 picks in hand, the team could afford to use a couple of high rounders to move up for Allen, then use the remaining 12 to position for four or five picks in mid rounds on defenders and a TE, and still have a couple left over to trade for picks in next year's draft, as the experts are recommending.

Maybe it's irresponsible, but that's how I work when I go shopping: if I'm looking for a Toyota SUV but happen to spot a Maserati at a great price, I'll go for the Maserati every time.