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The 49ers have been waiting all offseason to hear from veteran defensive end Justin Smith about his plans for playing in the 2015 season and they insisted in recent days and weeks that the uncertainty would not play a big role in their own plans for the draft.
Then they wound up trading down two spots before selecting defensive end Arik Armstead, which predictably led to questions for General Manager Trent Baalke about whether Smith’s situation played any role in their decision.
“We gave Justin liberty and I said this to many of you the last time we met,” Baalke said.