The No. 1 question- Who will 49ers pick?

NEW YORK -- Aaron Rodgers thinks he has figured out the San Francisco 49ers' approach to using the first pick in the draft.

Rodgers, Alex Smith and Braylon Edwards are the three players the 49ers are considering when they open proceedings today. The Cal quarterback, who grew up a Niners fan and even wore a T-shirt with Joe Montana's picture on it under his jersey as a kid, is surprised the 49ers haven't agreed to a contract with one of them.

"The leverage of the first pick for a team is in signing your pick before the draft," Rodgers said Friday. "If the 49ers want to do good business, I believe they need to sign their pick.

"Being they are not doing it, it seems to me they are trying hard to get out of that spot. Why else would they be doing it this way?"

Good question, although not every top overall pick is signed, sealed and delivered before the draft. Last year, Eli Manning didn't get a contract done until the summer -- and with the Giants, not the Chargers, who drafted him, then dealt him to New York an hour later.

But the previous two top picks, quarterbacks Carson Palmer (Cincinnati) and David Carr (Houston) had deals before the draft.

"I definitely think we could get something done," Rodgers said.

Utah quarterback Smith seems to have moved past Rodgers in many evaluations. But the only decision that counts is the one by new 49ers coach Mike Nolan and his staff.

Like Rodgers, Smith has had frequent contact with the Niners. Like Rodgers, he's uncertain where things stand -- a common feeling throughout this draft

"Hopefully it didn't come down to the dollars," Smith said.

For their part, the 49ers claim they simply aren't certain which quarterback -- or Michigan wide receiver Edwards -- is the right building block.