NEW YORK -- Alex Smith was the first pick in the NFL draft
Saturday by the San Francisco 49ers, who couldn't find a team
willing to trade for the top choice when there was no clear-cut No.
1 player.
The 49ers had narrowed their choices to Smith, California
quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Michigan wide receiver Braylon
Edwards, but chose the Utah passer despite not being able to sign
him before the draft.
They had also looked to trade and stockpile picks, though the
49ers were unable to finding a willing partner.
The 6-foot-4 Smith led Utah to an unbeaten season as a junior,
passing for 2,952 yards and 32 touchdowns with only four
interceptions.
Smith is the fifth straight quarterback to be taken first
overall and seventh in the last eight years. He follows Manning,
Carson Palmer, David Carr and Michael Vick as top selections since
2001.
The 49ers, who won five Super Bowls with Hall of Famers Joe
Montana and Steve Young at quarterback in the 1980s and '90s, went
2-14 last season and picked first overall for the first time since
1964, when wide receiver Dave Parks of Texas Tech was the top pick.
The Miami Dolphins had the No. 2 selection, followed by the
Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.