Defensive end is a given. It has to be our first pick. But after that, we were goign back and forth of "Do we take a running back of linebacker." Linebacker or running back. Linebacker position is covered, although we need one more solid back up. We have Jeff Posey, who is no starter, but a good sub. We can get the other back up later in the draft. I think we use that second pick to get a running back. Maybe pull a deal where we move down a few spots in the first round and yank someone's second round draft pick. Some names we'll see to start the second round are Anthony Thomas..aka A-Train. He'd be a good pick up. Or Lamont Jordan or Derek Combs should be around. Another possibility that looks better every day is Garner coming back to the Niners. The Browns want a running back by committee. Garner wants to be the featured back. That option is dead. Next is the Raiders, who now have Kaufmann, Wheatley and now have Terry Kirby. They don't need him. Next is the Chie! fs, who have a couple of decent running backs and have always been a running back by committee, besides are concentrating on quarterback right now. The Bears and Cardinals have the money to throw around, but Arizona has Michael Pittman.

For not having money, rumors are circulating that tie free agents in with the Niners. I've been excited for weeks about Smith coming to the Niners, as my good Niner buddy can vouch for. Another name running around is bringing Dana Stubblefield back. He wants to come back and play for his hometown and will play for less, but I read an article that says that the preliminary numbers the niners gave him were too low. He'd help that line be a force again, like back in the last Super Bowl we won. But even if he plays for less now, he'll demand more later and we'll be back to kicking him out the door. We've had a few unknown names visiting, including an Offensive Lineman. Terry Kirby was looking to come back, but signed with the Raiders, thank goodness. We were also looking at Leon Lett (gulp) to come in. But after Walsh went to sleep that night, he invisioned the headlines: "Lett misses first game of season, arrested in Tijuana for drug possession."