Originally posted by CatchMaster80:
I read the article about why the 49ers can't ignore the projected early round picks even though they don't have a pick until round 3. The article mentions that they need to do their homework in case a team wants to trade a high draft choice a year or two later. That makes sense.
They also need to be prepared in case a player starts to slide in the draft. It could present an opportunity to get a guy in the 3rd round who was projected to be a late 1st or or 2nd rounder. They could also jump on the opportunity to trade up to the middle or late par tof the 1st round or into the 2nd round. Point is they need to be ready.
I dont think any team "ignores" any of the top picks regardless where they pick. You build your big board the same every year and your scouts will scout all the players in their region regardless of what the teams draft position is. You use this data for years after the draft too. The only thing teams may not do is have personal 1 on 1 interviews with the players.