Arizona Cardinals
27. Deone Bucannon SS Washington St.
52. Troy Niklas TE Notre Dame
84. Kareem Martin DE North Carolina
91. John Brown WR Pittsburg St.
120. Logan Thomas QB Virginia Tech
160. Ed Stinson DE Alabama
196. Walt Powell WR Murray St.
Immediate Impact: SS Deone Bucannon, TE Troy Niklas
The Cardinals play in a division with the toughest defenses in the league and their defense was really good last year too. They did need to address the strong safety spot because it was the weakness in their secondary. Deone Bucannon will take over for Tony Jefferson and pairing him with Tyrann Mathieu will give them a great set of safeties. Niklas is a work in progress but he immediately becomes the blocking TE and he has potential as a pass catcher and should become a safety valve for Carson Palmer.
Best Value: DE Kareem Martin
Martin is an interesting prospect because he became a better pass rusher his senior year with 11 sacks but never showed that ability consistently before. He is actually a better run-stuffer and he projects as the five-technique DE in a 3-4 which is exactly where Arizona will play him. He adds nice depth behind DE’s Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell. Dockett is 32 so Martin could be his replacement in a year or two.
Sleeper: WR John Brown
Everyone wants to tell you that QB Logan Thomas is the sleeper here because Bruce Arians will develop his talent, I’m not buying it. WR John Brown on the other hand could make some noise. The Cardinals have Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd but they lost slot receiver Andre Roberts in free agency and while they signed Ted Ginn he has never proven to be a productive WR in the NFL. Brown is built for the slot and he will excel there. He is fluid, explosive and a better natural receiver than Ginn.
Overall Analysis:
Bucannon, Niklas, Martin and Brown were a great start to this draft and each one will contribute now and well into the future. Bucannon will bring a nasty demeanor to the back end of the defense meaning he’ll fit right in in this division. QB Logan Thomas has all of the physical markers you look for in a QB prospect but he has never put it all together and my biggest concern is his poor completion percentage. Bruce Arians is one of the best QB teachers in the NFL but I’m not sure even he can mold a competent starting QB out of Thomas. Arians knows Thomas well and that will make Thomas more comfortable but I think his future position might be TE not QB. DE Ed Stinson is a good schematic fit coming from Alabama’s 3-4 defense and while Walt Powell may seem like a long shot coming out of Murray St. the WR depth chart isn’t exactly intimidating. The one thing the Cardinals didn’t do was address the offensive line but with the signing of LT Jared Veldheer in free agency and the return of OG Jonathan Cooper, the rookie who missed all of last year with an injury, it wasn’t as much of need as it has been previously.
San Francisco 49ers
30. Jimmie Ward S Northern Illinois
57. Carlos Hyde RB Ohio St.
70. Marcus Martin C USC
77. Chris Borland ILB Wisconsin
100. Brandon Thomas OG Clemson
106. Bruce Ellington WR South Carolina
129. Dontae Johnson CB North Carolina St.
150. Aaron Lynch DE South Florida
170. Keith Reaser CB Florida Atlantic
180. Kenneth Acker CB Southern Methodist
243. Kaleb Ramsey DT Boston College
245. Trey Millard FB Oklahoma
Immediate Impact: C Marcus Martin
It may seem unusual to have a 3rd rounder as the only immediate impact guy but veteran C Jonathan Goodwin was not re-signed and no one is exactly sure if Daniel Kilgore can actually replace him. Martin only played one year at center for the Trojans but he’s big, he’s physical and he’s nasty. The 49ers have one of the best offensive lines in football but they fell off a bit last year in the run game and Martin will plug right in and be a mauler on the interior.
Best Value: RB Carlos Hyde
Yeah, I know another RB. Hyde is a beast and the 49ers have built their return to glory on the legs of Frank Gore and a power running game. Gore has been fending off father time for a few years and he could lose that battle any day now. He has been a rock and while the 49ers took a chance on the injured Marcus Lattimore last year no one knows if his knee will ever hold up so the 49ers hedged their bet. Having Gore along with Kendall Hunter, LaMichael James and possibly Lattimore it is conceivable that they don’t need Hyde this season but Gore is aging, Hunter is a free agent at the end of the year, no one thinks James is a workhorse and Lattimore is an unknown. Hyde is the future of the position.
Sleeper: WR Bruce Ellington
The 49ers have Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin and they traded for Stevie Johnson from Buffalo during the draft. They expect Quinton Patton, last year’s rookie, to step up this year but look out for Ellington. He is small but athletic and he has the speed they are lacking at the position. Former first round Chiefs bust Jonathan Baldwin and veteran Brandon Lloyd shouldn’t expect to make the team.
Overall Analysis:
It’s hard not to like a draft with 12 picks but GM Trent Baalke hit on more than his fair share here. S Jimmie Ward doesn’t look like a need but he can be the nickel corner for now and he is insurance for 30 year old free agent signee Antoine Bethea. Eventually Ward will team with Eric Reid to make an outstanding safety combo. Hyde is the power back they need to replace Frank Gore assuming Gore isn’t actually immortal (I’m not convinced he isn’t). Martin fills their biggest weakness on offense. ILB Chris Borland was a great pickup given Navorro Bowman’s late season knee injury. Borland can fill in and he’s a tackling machine. OG Brandon Thomas is just like the Lattimore and Tank Carradine picks last year, a guy with an injury that needs a year to rehab and can be stashed on injured reserve. Thomas can be a stud and has the flexibility to be a guard or a tackle and the 49ers aren’t going to be able to pay all of their great offensive linemen so Thomas is an investment in the future. Ellington will surprise and that makes six draft picks to make this team (five really since Thomas will go on IR). It will be tough for more than that to make this very deep 49er roster but I can see two that just might. DE Aaron Lynch has all the talent in the world but he lacks discipline which is something Jim Harbaugh can provide. If Lynch keeps his weight at about 250 he could be an OLB and he would give the 49ers some coverage given Aldon Smith’s murky future. If he bulks up to 270 or so he could play DE the way Justin Smith does and Justin Smith isn’t getting any younger. The other player that could make the roster is FB Trey Millard. Being one of the few teams that still employs a true fullback the 49ers have a good one in Bruce Miller but if Millard can contribute on special teams he can make the team doing that and being the backup fullback. The 49ers lost some depth at the CB position this offseason so they threw some darts at the board and they are hoping that one of their three late round picks; Dontae Johnson, Keith Reaser or Kenneth Acker, will surprise them and make the team. At the very least they provide camp competition. I would be shocked if DT Kaleb Ramsey makes the roster.
Seattle Seahawks
45. Paul Richardson WR Colorado
64. Justin Britt OT Missouri
108. Cassius Marsh DE UCLA
123. Kevin Norwood WR Alabama
132. Kevin Pierre-Louis OLB Boston College
172. Jimmy Staten DT Middle Tennessee St.
199. Garrett Scott OT Marshall
208. Eric Pinkins S San Diego St.
227. Kiero Small FB Arkansas
Immediate Impact: Probably no one.
It shouldn’t be surprising that the Super Bowl Champions don’t need to rely on any rookies to help them this year but it also shows that they drafted guys that need some time to develop.
Best Value: WR Kevin Norwood
Overshadowed on an Alabama team with many draft prospects and an underclassman WR like Amari Cooper Norwood was certainly under-the-radar. He is experienced enough to contribute and since the Seahawks are counting on oft-injured vets like Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice they may need Norwood this year. He is more physically prepared to contribute than 2nd rounder Paul Richardson who has some filling out to do.
Sleeper: DE Cassius Marsh
Marsh also played with more heralded teammates like Anthony Barr, Jordan Zumwaldt and underclassman Myles Jack but he was a good productive player. The Seahawks lost veterans Chris Clemons and Red Bryant at DE in free agency so there is an opening and Marsh will make the most of the snaps he gets.
Overall Analysis:
I’m not crazy about the Paul Richardson selection especially considering guys like Davante Adams, Cody Latimer and Allen Robinson were available. Richardson is a speed demon and playmaker but he is skinny as a rail and I think he is going to struggle against physical corners like the ones in the Seahawks division. OT Justin Britt fills a need and he might win the RT job but he felt like a bit of reach. He was only taken with the last pick of the second round so it wasn’t a major reach but I like Morgan Moses and even Billy Turner better and both were still available. Marsh and Norwood were the two best picks in this draft and they should contribute as backups this year at least. The Seahawks have been building this team for years and it’s a tough roster to make so the last five guys will struggle to do so but as they have proven in the past they do very well in the later rounds finding fits for them so it’s tough to doubt them.
St. Louis Rams
2. Greg Robinson OT Auburn
13. Aaron Donald DT Pittsburgh
41. Lamarcus Joyner S Florida St.
75. Tre Mason RB Auburn
110. Maurice Alexander S Utah St.
188. EJ Gaines CB Missouri
214. Garrett Gilbert QB SMU
226. Mitchell Van Dyk OT Portland St.
241. CB Bryant S Ohio St.
249. Michael Sam DE Missouri
250. Demetrius Rhaney C Tennessee St.
Immediate Impact: OT Greg Robinson, DT Aaron Donald, S Lamarcus Joyner, RB Tre Mason
Robinson is the left-tackle-in-waiting but how long he has to wait and where he plays in the meantime are up for debate. For now the Rams are hoping that Jake Long returns quickly off his injury and that Joseph Barksdale can hold down the RT spot leaving Robinson to line up at LG. This would be the Jonathan Ogden approach to development allowing Robinson to get his feet wet before eventually replacing Long. However it turns out Robinson improves the offensive line immediately. Aaron Donald will slide in at DT next to Michael Brockers and give the Rams arguably the best defensive line in football. The pass rush generated by Donald on the inside and Robert Quinn on the edge will keep offensive coordinators up at night. Joyner is St. Louis’ version of Tyrann Mathieu and he will team with TJ McDonald to solve the defense’s back end problems. Mason replaces the recently released Daryl Richardson as Zac Stacy’s new running mate in the backfield and Mason is big play waiting to happen every time he touches the ball.
Best Value: RB Tre Mason
Mason is a steal in round 3 and teaming him with last year’s rookie find Zac Stacy is going to make life much easier on Sam Bradford especially with an improved line in front of all of them.
Sleeper: CB EJ Gaines
The Rams have starter Janoris Jenkins returning and Trumaine Johnson is expected to take over for the departed Courtland Finnegan but after that it’s a crapshoot. Many believe Lamarcus Joyner will be a CB but I think he ends up at safety (he will be the nickel corner either way). The rest of the depth chart is less than impressive meaning Gaines has a shot to step in. He’s a tough and experienced player that could surprise.
Overall Analysis:
Robinson, Donald, Joyner and Mason are going to make this a successful draft no matter what and of all of the bigger draft classes this is my favorite. The Rams addressed their defense’s weakness not only with Joyner and Gaines but with safeties Maurice Alexander and C.B. Bryant giving them options and competition. Mitchell Van Dyk and Demetrius Rhaney give them some developmental players on the offensive line and QB Garrett Gilbert will give Austin Davis a run for the 3rd QB spot. The Michael Sam pick was obviously a historic pick and it has been covered on that level by many, from a football standpoint I understand it completely. As good as the starting front four on defense look given the addition of Aaron Donald there isn’t a lot of depth at DE. New defensive coordinator Greg Williams is the aggressive type and sending an extra edge blitzer is his style and being a nickel rusher is Sam’s exact position. He isn’t big enough to be an every down DE but his natural pass rushing skills are built to come off the edge on third and long and Williams will find the best way to use him. Some will argue there were better prospects left but Sam was in the group and was just as deserving to hear his name called as anyone. I’m not sure Sam will make this team but I won’t be surprised if he does.
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