A year ago, general manager Trent Baalke went with his instincts, put pass rusher Aldon Smith atop the 49ers' draft board and nabbed him with the No. 7 overall pick.
Alex Smith is absolutely right about one thing. He has been through a lot worse than the 49ers' flirtation with Peyton Manning and his own on-again, off-again, on-again courtship with his franchise.
The opening round of the wide receiver free-agency market saw the San Francisco 49ers waiting patiently on the sideline as big-name players signed big-dollar deals in the first few hours.