[Philip Arola]

You will need some cohesive, specific design if you want a world class robot. When my team has put CAD into the backseat of design, we fail. Now, as you point out, paper is perfectly acceptable. All you need is whatever works for your team, and stick with it. CAD is just extra convenient because you can import common parts. I would ask design or shop teachers if they want to help. Even if they can't help directly, they might be able to have a class with CAD.