FanHouse Nate Davis

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Rookie quarterback Nate Davis, a San Francisco 49ers fifth-round draft pick in 2009, had an uncomfortable conversation several times in recent days with 12th-year quarterback Damon Huard. It wasn't about mentor-pupil anymore. How's this for awkward: Only one of them would make it through the week on the 49ers' roster.

So the conversation was about survival.

Mandatory roster cutdowns were imminent on NFL teams and the 49ers were carrying four quarterbacks. Shaun Hill had earned the starting job; former No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith was idling in neutral at No. 2. That meant a final spot came down to Davis or Huard.

"We always stayed positive with each other and said, 'We hope that we're both here,'" Davis says of his many heartfelt talks with his most direct competitor for an NFL job.

Here's the deal: Upper Deck got a bunch of NFL rookies together and offered up a free autographed Michael Jordan jersey to the guy with the best touchdown celebration.

Random, sure. But also worth the four minutes you would otherwise spend staring at an Excel spreadsheet while thinking about taking a smoke break.

When asked about San Francisco's quarterback situation on Monday, Niners head coach Mike Singletary responded: "We've got a ways to go. Alex [Smith] and Shaun [Hill] have to continue to compete, not so much against each other but against the best quarterbacks in the league, because that's what it's going to take to win."

I read that as saying that both QBs need to improve between now and the season, but that neither is guaranteed the starting job. Niner insider Kevin Lynch of SFGate.com had a much more definitive take on the declaration.

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

With the 10th overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft, the San Francisco 49ers had the good fortune of having one of the best (if not the best) players fall into their laps.

There are a number of theories as to why Michael Crabtree was still available at the No. 10 spot, ranging from his lack of a 40 time, to the alleged "diva" attitude he displayed in St. Louis and Cleveland during his visits, leading to an hilarious battle of wits between Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach and Browns coach Eric Mangini.

We've already given a single post to each of the seemingly most relevant fantasy football impact players from the NFL Draft -- we say seemingly because bust-hood is always a possibility in this business -- but those are by no means the only players who might matter in this coming season. With that in mind, here are the rest of the guys who's impact will be felt:

LeSean McCoy, RB, Eagles (Round 2): If you end up with Brian Westbrook, you absolutely must have McCoy. The shifty stud from Pittsburgh is exactly the type of back Westbrook is, which means he can thrive in this offense.

Last summer, as Nate Davis prepared for his junior season at Ball St., some scouts thought he had the potential to be a first-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He got off to a fast start but shaky showings against non-MAC teams -- including Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl -- raised questions about his productivity.

Then, at the NFL Combine, Davis measured only 6'1", struggled through the passing drills, and that was the beginning of a tumultuous few months. In March, only one team attended his pro day, and the news that he might suffer from a learning disability further lessened his draft value.

Nate Davis has had a rough few months. After an impressive junior season at Ball State -- one in which some folks had him pegged as a possible first-round pick -- the MAC quarterback has experienced a series of setbacks that will cost him millions of dollars, and perhaps the opportunity to play professional football.

ESPN.com's Jeffri Chadiha wrote earlier this month that Davis "... seemed destined to follow Ben Roethlisberger, Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich as the next great Mid-American Conference quarterback to enter the NFL," although now he's more likely to be lumped in with Bruce Gradkowski, Charlie Frye -- or worse -- Omar Jacobs.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

For all the good that Mike Holmgren did in Seattle (and everywhere else he coached), it's hard to argue that the first year of the Jim Mora Era hasn't already started out better than the Holmgren Farewell Trainwreck Tour. The Seahawks traded Julian Peterson, but they signed T.J. Houshmandzadeh and managed to pick up Colin Cole. Sure, it's not that impressive, but it's still better than what happened to Holmgren and Co. last year.

If you're a prospective NFL draftee, there's are few experiences more nerve-wracking than waking up on the day of your pro day. You know that with a good performance, you're draft stock could skyrocket, but with a bad day, you could cost yourself millions of dollars.

For Ball State quarterback Nate Davis, his Pro Day ended up being a disaster, but not because of anything he did. Instead, the issue was that only one team showed up to watch him work out, and that was the Colts, who only had a short drive to get over to Muncie. For a quarterback who opted to leave school early to enter the draft, it's hard to imagine a worse fate. The draft may be still a month away, but Davis has already been stood up.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

John Fox and Marty Hurney headed into 2008 with their jobs on the line after an underwhelming 2007 that featured a whole lot of Mittens and not a lot of excitement in Charlotte. They decided to throw caution to the wind and play for "now" by trading their 2009 first-round pick for a chance to pick up both Jeff Otah and Jonathan Stewart in the first round of the draft.

With a healthy Jake Delhomme, Julius Peppers finally deciding to care, a road-grading offensive line and a rejuvenated Smash and Dash running game that featured DeAngelo Williams and Stewart, the Panthers surprised some people by winning the NFC South and looking like a Super Bowl-caliber squad.