That's really not the same thing. Elway was sort of like the Eli thing, but they got it worked out and he didn't miss any time. He didn't cause a team to lose their first round pick for virtually nothing.
Crabtree is looking at sitting out of football for a whole season and then, given his demonstrated difficulty to deal with, because he is too much of a business risk and will probably not be picked in the first round or even on the first day IMO. Teams just aren't going to risk the negotiation that the 49ers just went through.
Look at the dropoff in guaranteed money in the first round and to the later rounds. It evaporates. I think he will play next season, but he will be losing a substantial amount of money. And then, if he has the kind of career like Elway had, we might remember something else. But history says it isn't likely. (Craig Erickson?)