According to John Crumpacker (San Francisco Chronicle), the 49ers still have a serious interest in drafting a quarterback this year, but they are prepared to keep that player on the bench this season regardless of which round they are able to select him in.

General Manager Scot McCloughan spoke vaguely of the team’s draft strategy during a Wednesday afternoon press conference, and while he stopped short of indicating exactly where the 49ers were possibly targeting a QB, he did not rule out selecting one in the first round. San Francisco currently holds the tenth overall pick in this year’s draft, and depending on how things play out in front of them, they could end up with one of the top two players at the position still on the board when they go on the clock.

“It’s not like we’d draft a guy and have him compete for the starting job,” McCloughan said of a rookie quarterback. “You can’t force the issue. I have no problem going into training camp with those two (Shaun Hill and Alex Smith) battling it out. I would love to add some competition. I’d like to get better at the position.”

If the 49ers choose to wait until the later stages of the draft to select a QB, several solid players could be available. That being said, none would provide the immediate capability to play well that Mark Sanchez or Matt Stafford can, so San Francisco would likely be drafting for depth if they end up taking a pass in round one.

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