With Colin Kaepernick gone and Brian Hoyer in as a potential bridge to the next face of the franchise, a strong argument can be made that quarterback is the 49ers’ most pressing need heading into the NFL draft.

But that doesn’t mean San Francisco should take a signal caller with its second-overall selection. The teams that are most successful in the draft marry their needs with value, according to their draft boards, and often select the best player available regardless.

San Francisco’s new general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan are likely to add at least one quarterback in this draft given they only have two on the roster, Hoyer and Matt Barkley. The key to building the roster the right way is finding the right quarterback at the right time, not simply throwing an early-round pick at the position just because.

The teams that commonly find themselves at the bottom of the standings miss on quarterbacks in Round 1. Examples like Blake Bortles (Jaguars), Johnny Manziel (Browns), EJ Manuel (Bills), Robert Griffin III (Washington), Ryan Tannehill (Dolphins), Brandon Weeden (Browns), Jake Locker (Titans), Blaine Gabbert (Jaguars) and Christian Ponder (Vikings) have haunted organizations in recent seasons, who would have been better off drafting better players at other positions.

Few clubs have proven they can find successful quarterbacks after the first round, because they were able to build their team the right way without grasping for a quarterback out of desperation. The example closest to home might be the Raiders, who took Derek Carr 36th in 2014 after drafting Khalil Mack fifth overall.

Others include Russell Wilson and Dak Prescott, who were third- and fourth-round picks in their respective drafts who joined loaded rosters. Even Kaepernick was a better pick at 36 than Locker (eight), Gabbert (11) and Ponder (12) in 2011.

Here we’ll look at the best-case scenarios for San Francisco in the coming draft, finding the right spot for the right prospects to ensure Lynch and Shanahan construct the best roster possible.

Trade back: Picks 10-15

Mitchell Trubisky, North Carolina
DeShaun Watson, Clemson
Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech

(Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

If the 49ers could find a way to move back from No. 2 in a trade with the Browns to 12, for example, it would be a far more palatable spot to land one of the three top quarterbacks.

The second pick is too high for all three players. But San Francisco could move back 10 spots, land the 33rd-overall pick atop Round 2 (and a few others) and take one of the signal callers to get developed under Shanahan. That way they could address one of their prominent needs while netting additional picks to remake the rest of the roster in an awkward year to have the second-overall selection.

Depending on what happens with the Bears (picking third), Jaguars (fourth) and Jets (sixth), one or two of the quarterbacks could be off the board in this scenario. That wouldn’t be terrible news for San Francisco, who could still land an impact defensive player like Derek Barnett, Charles Harris, Gareon Conley, Hassan Riddick or an elite receiver like Mike Williams or Corey Davis.