The conventional wisdom as to why the 49ers can’t seem to get above .500 when finishing a season is they have lacked a franchise quarterback and had an inexperienced head coach.  The latter was settled, so we hope, with the hiring of Jim Harbaugh.  The former is stalled with the NFL lockout.  The lockout won’t be resolved by April’s draft which means the 49ers will draft with David Carr as the only signed quarterback.  If you are like me the thought of selecting another quarterback in the first round and hoping he develops into a franchise QB makes me cringe. Good thing for the 49ers is they have the Panthers (#1), Bills (#3), Bengals (#4) and Cardinals (#5) all drafting before their seventh spot.  All four teams are in need of a quarterback and could select one with their picks.  This would be great if they did because the players drafted would most likely be Blaine Gabbert, Cam Newton, Jake Locker or even Ryan Mallett.  This would make the decision of whether or not to select a quarterback easier for the 49ers because the rest of the pack are not sure fires.  So why waste the seventh pick on someone you might be able to get with the same quality in the second or later rounds.  Even if one of those quarterbacks are available I am for selecting either a defensive linemen or a cornerback.

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