No. 1 overall selections in the NFL draft three years apart, Alex Smith and David Carr are now competing to be the No. 1 quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.
That competition began in earnest Monday when the 49ers conducted their first organized team activity practice of 2010. The team went to work without departed general manager Scot McCloughan, who left last week in what 49ers president Jed York called a “mutual parting.”
As the incumbent quarterback, Smith clearly is in the early lead, with Carr in the background becoming familiar with his new surroundings but also preparing for a shot at the job.