We can confidently predict that the 49ers will take a defender in the first round. Well, unless Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson falls to them. Or unless the general manager John Lynch trades back, which he said was an option.
In other words, maybe we shouldn't be so confident, especially when the first eight picks are so cloudy. The two teams picking ahead of San Francisco, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 7 and the Chicago Bears at No. 8, in particular are interesting because they have the same needs as the 49ers and have taken close looks at the same players the 49ers are examining.