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Any poker player could relate to the 49ers.

They started with what seemed like a promising hand. They placed a significant amount of chips toward the center and stuck it out even when the hand appeared less promising. They finally realized there was little sense in folding based on how much they had already invested and how little more they stood to lose.

They were pot-committed.

Quarterback Alex Smith is that once-promising hand. There's little sense in folding at this point. If anything, the odds for success improved after Smith finished last season with 18 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions playing basically half the season.

But what if the 49ers could ditch this hand in favor of a more proven one? What if the price were not prohibitive? What if they could acquire Donovan McNabb from the Eagles for, say, a second-round choice in the 2010 draft?

The 49ers already have two first-round choices. They could draft the offensive tackle they need and still get a potential starter at another position. The Eagles already have an extra third-round choice. An additional second-rounder would leave them with five choices in the first three rounds, tied with the Browns for the most in the league.

Let's look at this deal from an NFC West perspective. Would the Cardinals, Seahawks and Rams rather face the 49ers with McNabb or the 49ers with Smith and whichever player San Francisco drafted in the second round? I think they'd rather take their chances with Smith and the 2010 second-rounder.

Take a look at the last 10 players the 49ers have drafted in the second round: Chilo Rachal, David Baas, Justin Smiley, Shawntae Spencer, Anthony Adams, Jamie Winborn, John Engelberger, Jason Webster, Jeremy Newberry and Marc Edwards.

Some became good players. None could affect games the way good quarterbacks affect games.

Some Eagles fans are tired of McNabb. They think Philadelphia has gotten as far as McNabb can take them. They're ready for a change. The 49ers can have no such complaints. They haven't been a playoff team since 2002. They would gladly "settle" for multiple playoff appearances and a quarterback with a 92-49-1 (.651) regular-season starting record, according to Pro Football Reference.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

HOUSTON -- Top 49ers free-agent acquisition Brandon Jones is among the players inactive for San Francisco against the Texans in Week 7.

Fellow receivers Jason Hill and Micheal Spurlock are also on the inactive list.

It is Michael Crabtree's time, in other words. Crabtree, Isaac Bruce, Josh Morgan and Arnaz Battle are the receivers for the 49ers.

Also inactive for the 49ers: offensive lineman Cody Wallace, defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois, safety Reggie Smith, safety Michael Lewis and quarterback Nate Davis, who did not make the trip.

Inactive for the Texans: safety Nick Ferguson, receiver Glenn Martinez, cornerback Fred Bennett, linebacker Jamie Winborn, guard Tutan Reyes, tight end Anthony Hill and defensive tackle Frank Okam. Dan Orlovsky is the third quarterback.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The premise: Criminal profilers develop rich character sketches to help identify unknown suspects. Couldn't we use similar tactics, though vastly simplified, to anticipate how NFL teams might view college prospects? With your help, I think we can do some amateur profiling of teams and their general managers.

In focus: Rams general manager Billy Devaney and the linebackers his teams have drafted since 1994.

Would the Rams consider drafting Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry with the second overall choice this year? An offensive tackle appears more likely in that slot, at least in my view, but new coach Steve Spagnuolo also needs to strengthen the Rams' defense.

Draft Rd. Pick Devaney's Team Linebacker College Conference 2001 2 47 49ers Jamie Winborn Vanderbilt SEC 1996 2 50 Chargers Patrick Sapp Clemson ACC 2002 3 69 49ers Saleem Rasheed Alabama SEC 1997 3 74 Chargers Michael Hamilton N.C. A&T MEAC (I-AA) 1995 3 98 Chargers Preston Harrison Ohio St. Big Ten 1995 4 100 Chargers Chris Cowart Florida St. ACC 2007 4 109 Falcons Stephen Nicholas S. Florida Big East 2000 6 184 Chargers Shannon Taylor Virginia ACC 1998 7 194 Chargers Jon Haskins Stanford Pac-10 1994 7 207 Chargers Zane Beehn Kentucky SEC 2001 7 209 49ers Alex Lincoln Aburn SEC 1997 7 218 Chargers Toran James N.C. A&T MEAC (I-AA) 2008 7 228 Rams Chris Chamberlain Tulsa C-USA 2008 7 252 Rams David Vobora Idaho WAC

The chart shows every linebacker Devaney's teams have drafted since 1994, ranked by how early his teams selected the linebackers. Seven of the top 11 were from teams currently affiliated with the SEC and ACC (all conference listing reflect current affiliations).

Devaney's teams selected none of the 14 higher than 47th overall. Going back further, Devaney was with the Chargers in 1990 when they selected Junior Seau with the fifth overall choice. Also going back to 1990, Devaney's teams have selected three linebackers from North Carolina A&T: Michael Hamilton (74th overall in 1997), Kevin Little (131st in 1992) and Toran James (218th in 1997).

Spagnuolo, meanwhile, was with Philadelphia as linebackers coach when the team selected five linebackers, all in 2005 and 2006. One of them, fifth-round choice Trent Cole, became a pass-rushing defensive end. The others: Chris Gocong, Omar Gaither, Matt McCoy and David Bergeron. The Eagles drafted none earlier than 63rd overall (McCoy, 2005). Gocong was the 71st player chosen in 2006. The others were 146th or later.

The Rams waited until the seventh round before selecting a linebacker last year. They will almost surely draft one earlier this year. The team also might need a starting receiver. The defensive line could also use reinforcements even though St. Louis has used high picks for Chris Long and Adam Carriker in recent seasons.

Steve Muench of Scouts Inc. is going to help us fill in the gaps on which college players might fit our profile.

Muench on the Rams and a linebacker: They might fill that in the middle rounds because Spagnuolo can coach them up. We should look for guys who can pressure the QB. That is why they might take an end, because they might want to build their pressure.

The linebacker I was looking at for the Rams was Jason Phillips from TCU. They had a great defense at TCU. He's a middle linebacker, team leader, blue-collar kind of guy. He is not the most athletic guy to match up in coverage, but he is fast, so he can blitz. He has a torn meniscus in his left knee that could scare some teams, but I don't think it's an issue at all. He is so smart that I think he will pick it up anyway.

I think Spagnuolo would love a kid like that. Maybe play him behind Chris Draft for a year, if that. He could play situationally on third down. He is going to spend all that down time [while rehabbing the knee] in his playbook and the film room. The other thing that is interesting about the inside linebacker class, unless they trade out, they don't really have a good option in the first tw
o rounds.