Arizona Cardinals
24. DJ Humphries OT Florida
58. Markus Golden DE Missouri
86. David Johnson RB Northern Iowa
116. Rodney Gunter DT Delaware St.
158. Shaq Riddick OLB West Virginia
159. JJ Nelson WR UAB
256. Gerald Christian TE Louisville
Immediate Impact: OT DJ Humphries, RB David Johnson
I’ve made no secret that I have little faith in DJ Humphries becoming a great OT in the league and I didn’t think he should go in the first round. I hate him here even more. Humphries is an athletic guy that lacks power and isn’t a drive blocker in the run game but the Cardinals already have Jared Veldheer at LT so Humphries is going to have to play the right side. He’ll be a better pass blocker for Bruce Arians offense but if they want to improve the run game this won’t help. I love the Johnson pick. Johnson is bigger than Andre Ellington and can be a far better between the tackles runner. He will hold up carrying the ball better than Ellington and while Ellington is a good pass catcher and an outside runner Johnson can do those two things when Ellington get hurt. Johnson is actually a fantastic receiver out the backfield and if you don’t believe me just ask any Iowa Hawkeye defender from last season, they’re still trying to tackle him.
Best Value: RB David Johnson
I can’t sing his praises enough and he’ll really upgrade their running game. He’s a starting RB for them since Ellington is best used situationally, he may not actually start to start the season but once Ellington goes down in week 3 or so he’ll take the job and not give it back. Your new starting RB in round 3 is pretty good value.
Sleeper: DE Shaq Riddick
Riddick is 6’6 242 lbs. so he’s skinny as a rail and needs to add size but he struggled to produce last year at West Virginia because he played on the line instead of as a rush OLB like he should be. He’s going to need some work and he has to hit the weights but he’s got a far higher ceiling than their 2nd round pick Markus Golden because he’s a superior athlete.
Overall Analysis:
Absolutely love the David Johnson pick but it’s probably not a good sign that I like their last three picks better than their first two. I’ve said my piece about Humphries but Golden is a different story. The second round was too high for an athletically limited player that tries hard but lacks great pass rush ability. Golden might be better if he dropped down to 245-250 lbs. range and played ILB. It’s also too high when better pass rushers like Eli Harold and Lorenzo Mauldin were still available. WR JJ Nelson is a tiny speed demon that had one of the fastest 40 times at in combine history at 4.25. The Cardinals have their top 3 WRs in Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown but Nelson might make the team as a return man. TE Gerald Christian was the final pick of the draft and while that isn’t always optimal for the player Christian could make this roster at TE because with the recent retirement of John Carlson there is room to move on this roster.
San Francisco 49ers
17. Arik Armstead DE Oregon
46. Jaquiski Tartt SS Samford
79. Eli Harold OLB Virginia
117. Blake Bell TE Oklahoma
126. Mike Davis RB South Carolina
132. DeAndre Smelter WR Georgia Tech
165. Bradley Pinion PT Clemson
190. Ian Silberman OG Boston College
244. Trent Brown OG Florida
254. Rory Anderson TE South Carolina
Immediate Impact: DE Arik Armstead
The 49ers have Darnell Dockett and they might still have Justin Smith at DE but Dockett is 33 years old and he’s the young one of those two. Whether Armstead starts or not he’ll see plenty of playing time and he’s a fantastic fit in the 49ers defense. He’s still a bit raw but playing the five-technique in a 3-4 defense doesn’t have to be all that complicated and he should have some good veterans around him and his head coach Jim Tomsula knows a thing or two about defensive line play.
Best Value: OLB Eli Harold
Harold earned a reputation during the scouting process as being soft and while that’s not completely untrue it’s a bit blown out of proportion. He’s a speed rusher that really has no power move, he isn’t going to bull rush anyone. If a strong blocker gets ahold of him he’s done. He needs to gain functional playing strength and learn how to use leverage to beat power. The 49ers have had edge rushers like this for a while and new defensive coordinator Eric Mangini had them in his previous stops so they will teach him some new tricks. The good news is he won’t be called on to do anything except speed rush unless the 49ers have numerous injuries at OLB.
Sleeper: WR DeAndre Smelter
This kid is going to be a real sleeper because he tore his ACL late in the year and I would say there is a better than average chance he spends this season on injured reserve. Smelter played WR at Georgia Tech which means you can’t base his projection on his college production because Georgia Tech runs the triple option. Smelter is a strong physical WR and while he isn’t big like Calvin Johnson he is big like Dez Bryant. Smelter has a lot to learn about the WR position so he should take the year, heal up from his injury and learn everything he can from veterans Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith.
Overall Analysis:
Armstead and Harold are good players that fit the 49ers system and should help in time. SS Jaquiski Tartt wasn’t my favorite safety on the board (Eric Rowe went one pick later) but he brings a physical presence to the position even more so than the guy he will eventually replace Antoine Bethea. RB Mike Davis could actually stick on the roster because while he isn’t big he is a power runner and current backups Reggie Bush and Kendall Hunter are not and having a player similar to starter Carlos Hyde isn’t a bad idea. The two TEs Blake Bell and Rory Anderson might actually end up making the team and Bell is a nice addition considering Vernon Davis’ production fell off a cliff last year. I have no idea if the punter they took is any good and it’s unlikely we ever hear from their late OG picks.
Seattle Seahawks
63. Frank Clark DE Michigan
69. Tyler Lockett WR Kansas St.
130. Terry Poole OL San Diego St.
134. Mark Glowinski OG West Virginia
170. Tye Smith CB Towson
209. Obum Gwacham DE Oregon St.
214. Kristjan Sokoli DE Buffalo
248. Ryan Smith-Murphy S Oregon St.
Immediate Impact: TE Jimmy Graham
I know this is a total cop out but on a team that just went to back-to-back Super Bowls it’s hard for draft picks to have much impact. It’s even harder when you trade your first round pick to get a veteran. It’s even harder still when you throw away your late second round pick on a guy that has as much chance of ending up in jail as he does getting a second NFL contract. Graham becomes the #1 playmaker in the passing game and I’m just glad they didn’t have him in the Super Bowl because he makes that catch and no one ever knows who that Malcolm whatshisname is.
Best Value: WR Tyler Lockett
Lockett is the only player they drafted that I can actually say I like. It’s unfortunate that they had to draft him because they drafted virtually the same player in the second round last year WR Paul Richardson. Richardson tore his ACL in the playoffs and it will be a miracle if he doesn’t spend the season on injured reserve. I think Lockett might actually be a better WR which is good because Richardson had little effect on the offense last year and Lockett is a dynamite return man.
Sleepers: CB Tye Smith, S Ryan Smith-Murphy
Tye Smith is from a small school but he has great athletic ability and Ryan Smith-Murphy is from Oregon St. and he’s 6’3 214 lbs. so he has the size the Seahawks like. I’m not real familiar with these two prospects but I am familiar with the Seattle coaching staff and if they like these two guys I’m not going to doubt them.
Overall Analysis:
The Seahawks have always marched to the beat of their own drummer but the Frank Clark pick is atrocious. Clark has a checkered past to say the least and he was kicked off the Michigan team because of a domestic violence incident. The charges were reduced by the witness statements paint an ugly picture and the prosecutor acknowledged they were probably accurate. Unlike the extensive background check the Buccaneers did on Jameis Winston the Seahawks did not do their due diligence. When this pick comes back to bite them they will have no one to blame but themselves. As an on the field note I don’t think Clark was worth the 63rd pick. The two offensive linemen they got in the middle rounds are nice depth but they needed to do better than depth on the offensive line. Marshawn Lynch is going to find it hard to find room to run after the interior of the Seahawks o-line was decimated in the off season. It’s safe to say I’m not impressed with this draft.
St. Louis Rams
10. Todd Gurley RB Georgia
57. Rob Havenstein RT Wisconsin
72. Jamon Brown OL Louisville
89. Sean Mannion QB Oregon St.
119. Andrew Donnal OL Iowa
201. Bud Sasser WR Missouri
215. Cody Wichmann OG Fresno St.
224. Bryce Hager ILB Baylor
227. Martin Ifedi DE Memphis
Immediate Impact: RB Todd Gurley, RT Rob Havenstein
Jeff Fisher is building a team in the mold of the Seahawks with an outstanding defense and a great running game. Gurley is a beast with both exceptional power and outstanding speed. Anybody that thinks you shouldn’t draft a RB this high hasn’t watched Gurley play. He may not have a 10-12 year career because of his running style but he will be one of the best RBs in the game for the six years or so. I think last year’s RT Joe Barksdale won’t be returning because Rob Havenstein just took his job. Havenstein is never going to win a bodybuilding competition but he is a road grading RT and he will be Gurley’s favorite teammate.
Best Value: RT Rob Havenstein
Getting your no doubt starting RT at 57th overall is a steal. Havenstein isn’t pretty to watch but after starting for three years at Wisconsin he knows what he’s doing. He has better footwork than you would think looking at him and Melvin Gordon seemed to do just fine running behind him.
Sleeper: OL Andrew Donnal
This isn’t even a homer pick for me Donnal is just the guy no one is talking about. He can back up four positions on the offensive line and I wouldn’t count him out as a center except he’d be a damn tall center. He’s not the most athletic player but he understands technique and uses his hands well and he always plays hard. Donnal will make the roster because he offers great positional versatility but I actually like him better than their second round pick Jamon Brown.
Overall Analysis:
If there was any doubt about where the problems are for the Rams this draft pointed directly at them. The Rams had nine picks and the first seven were spent on offensive players and out of those seven four were offensive linemen. The law of averages says that they will find somebody to help their offensive line out of Havenstein, Brown, Donnal and Cody Wichmann. Their other 3rd round pick QB Sean Mannion was a serious reach and I actually don’t see him beating out Austin Davis or Case Keenum for a roster spot behind starter Nick Foles. They probably won’t have a hard time slipping him onto the practice squad if they want to, no one else is going to want him, but that’s a high price to pay for a fourth QB. The Rams WR corps is not exactly top-notch but I don’t see Bud Sasser making big splash and their two later round picks on defense face an uphill battle to make this roster. They didn’t really address their need for a #1 WR but with Todd Gurley on board they may not need one.
The Hott Read 