Arizona Cardinals
(55) Trey McBride TE Colorado St.
(87) Cameron Thomas DE San Diego St.
(100) Myjai Sanders DE Cincinnati
(201) Keaontay Ingram RB USC
(215) Lecitus Smith OL Virginia Tech
(244) Christian Matthew CB Valdosta St.
(256) Jesse Luketa LB Penn St.
(257) Marquis Hayes OL Oklahoma
Immediate Impact: WR Marquise Brown
The Cardinals traded their first-round pick to the Ravens for Brown, an inexplicable move if there ever was one. They did get the 100th overall pick too but this was a short-sighted move by a team with no plan. Brown goes to a team that will throw more and he’ll have to fill in as the #1 WR while DeAndre Hopkins is suspended. He’s a one-trick pony with his speed and they will regret this decision. He will put up some numbers but it won’t be because he’s good.
Best Value: DE Cameron Thomas
I thought Thomas was a second-round worthy and they Cardinals got him in round three. He can rush from multiple positions on the line and they desperately need pass rushing help. He has the size to line up in a couple of different positions on their defense and hopefully they can find him advantageous matchups.
Sleeper: OL Marquis Hayes
Somehow Hayes fell all the way to the seventh round. He’s not a great athlete and most think he will move inside to guard which would be fine if that’s what happens. Justin Pugh will be 32 and Will Hernandez has had an underwhelming career so far, there’s potential to play at OG. However, I wouldn’t count out Hayes at RT either. He has the length to play the position and Kelvin Beachem is going to be 33 this year. Hayes’ biggest issue is he plays too high, that’s a correctable problem with proper coaching.
Overall Analysis
Trading a first-round pick for Marquise Brown was a poor allocation of resources. They already have DeAndre Hopkins (even if he is suspended to start the season) and they will eventually have to pay Brown to keep him. They already pay Hopkins a ton and they have Rondale Moore. Brown is a luxury and he’s not worth as much as they will end up paying him (if they don’t pay him, they traded a first-round pick for a short-term WR). Then they went for another luxury by taking TE Trey McBride after they already paid Zach Ertz this off season. I like McBride but I would like him better on a team where he isn’t the fifth or sixth option in the passing game.
They went back-to-back DEs next with Cam Thomas and Myjai Sanders which fills a huge need. They need to get more pressure on the QB. Thomas is the bigger guy and can play more downs. Sanders is skinny but he has plenty of real pass rush skill and if they use him as a pass rush specialist to start, he will excel. After Sanders they had to wait 100 picks and then they took RB Keaontay Ingram from USC. I’m not sure he’s great but in round six you’re just looking for upside, he’s a great athlete with size. James Connor isn’t always the picture of health and Ingram adds the size Eno Benjamin lacks. OL Lecitus Smith is offensive line depth without the upside of Hayes. Christian Matthew is a bet on a big, athletic corner turning into something. Jesse Luketa is another pass rush specialist they are hoping works out.
Los Angeles Rams
(104) Logan Bruss OL Wisconsin
(142) Decobie Durant CB South Carolina St.
(164) Kyren Williams RB Notre Dame
(211) Quentin Lake S UCLA
(212) Derion Kendrick CB Georgia
(235) Daniel Hardy DE Montana St.
(253) Russ Yeast S Kansas St.
(261) AJ Arcuri OL Michigan St.
Immediate Impact: None
The Rams trade away their top draft picks every year. I suppose I could count Matt Stafford and Von Miller, they already helped the Rams win a Super Bowl, so that’s impact.
Best Value: RB Kyren Williams
Williams was a highly productive RB at Notre Dame both as a runner and a pass catcher. He fell to round five because he ran his 40 time like he was in slow motion. He’s not that slow and on the field and he’s quite elusive. Given the injury history the Rams have at the RB position Williams is great depth. He can be highly useful.
Sleeper: S Quentin Lake
The Rams don’t have a lot of needs right now but S Taylor Rapp isn’t signed long-term and they don’t have a lot of safety depth. Lake was a productive player at UCLA and he has great genes (his father is Carnell Lake). He has some things to work on but he won’t be counted on to be more than some depth this season but he has some upside moving forward.
Overall Analysis
The Rams don’t count on their drafts too heavily so these picks are mostly depth and some developmental guys. They took Logan Bruss, a guard out of Wisconsin, with their first pick in round three. Drafting a Wisconsin offensive lineman is usually a solid choice. He could compete for snaps inside where they lost Austin Corbett in the off season but they have veterans Bobby Evans and David Edwards. They bookended their draft with AJ Arcuri, an offensive lineman who’s gigantic but he isn’t making this roster. RB Kyren Williams was arguably their best pick.
They went heavy on secondary players. Decobie Durant is a tall, thin CB with some upside. S Quentin Lake is a pretty good prospect. CB Derion Kendrick was a potential top prospect who has some off the fields issues and he isn’t perfect on the field either. Now he’ll have a chip on his shoulder which could be a good thing, or a horrible thing. Russ Yeast is an undersized guy who could be a CB or a safety but is going to struggle to stick here. DE Daniel Hardy is a small school athlete who needs plenty of development.
San Francisco 49ers
(61) Drake Jackson LB USC
(93) Tyrion Davis-Price RB LSU
(105) Danny Gray WR SMU
(134) Spencer Burford OL Texas-San Antonio
(172) Samuel Womack CB Toledo
(187) Nick Zakelj OL Fordham
(220) Kalia Davis DL Central Florida
(221) Tariq Castro-Fields CB Penn St.
(262) Brock Purdy QB Iowa St.
Immediate Impact: QB Trey Lance
Well, it won’t be immediate because he was drafted last year. The 49ers traded their first-round pick in this draft to move up last season to take Trey Lance. He played in a few games last year when Jimmy G was hurt and he never looked ready to play. They hope he’s ready this year but they haven’t traded Jimmy G yet, so the jury is still out.
Best Value: WR Danny Gray
Regardless of what happens with Deebo Samuel Gray brings value because he’s not like the other receivers on this roster. Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are the top guys and they are both better underneath and running after the catch. Gray is a deep speed guy who takes the top off the defense, they don’t have that guy. He can help move the safeties back and make more room for the running game, Aiyuk, and Samuel if he doesn’t get traded.
Sleeper: OL Spencer Burford
I think it’s a copout to go with the RB for the 49ers, also I’m not convinced he’s going to be great. Burford is light and mobile and looks like he was built in the Shanahan offensive lineman lab. They need some help at OG and Burford could be a guy they turn into a starter sooner rather than later. He seems like a solid sleeper choice.
Overall Analysis
Their first pick was second rounder Drake Jackson, an edge player from USC. He played a couple of different positions at USC and gained and lost weight depending on how they wanted to use him. Now he can focus on being a defensive end and getting his weight up where it needs to be and staying there. He’s a talented pass rusher who just needs a little consistency from his coaching staff and he should excel. He’s going to be buried a bit on the depth chart but the 49ers will figure out ways to use him. RB Tyrion Davis-Price is tough to pick against considering all RBs excel in Shanahan’s offense. However, I’m not a huge fan and I think they reached a bit. It’s possible his talent was hidden by the dumpster fire that was LSU football last year, but I feel like there were better RBs available. Love the Danny Gray pick, he fills a big need as a downfield guy.
They took a couple of small school offensive linemen; I would have liked to see them grab some guys who might be ready to help sooner. I’m not sure CB Samuel Womack is going to help as much as Tariq Castro-Fields who went about 50 picks later. Castro-Fields played against big time competition in the Big Ten. DT Kalia Davis is going to have a hard time making this team, there’s a lot of talent on the defensive line. QB Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant, was an odd pick considering the team hasn’t traded Jimmy G yet. They have Trey Lance, Jimmy G, and Nate Sudfeld, they must have really wanted Purdy to be their practice squad QB next year.
Seattle Seahawks
(9) Charles Cross OT Mississippi St.
(40) Boye Mafe DE Minnesota
(41) Kenneth Walker III RB Michigan St.
(72) Abraham Lucas OT Washington St.
(109) Coby Bryant CB Cincinnati
(153) Tariq Woolen CB Texas-San Antonio
(158) Tyreke Smith DE Ohio St.
(229) Bo Melton WR Rutgers
(233) Dareke Young WR Lenoir-Rhyne
Immediate Impact: OT Charles Cross, OT Abraham Lucas, DE Boye Mafe, CB Coby Bryant
The Seahawks desperately needed OTs and they went out and drafted two starters. Charles Cross was, at worst, the third best OT in this draft and they took him with the ninth pick. He’s only played LT and now he’ll start at LT for Seattle. They came back around in round three and took Abraham Lucas, a RT from Washington St, who has only played RT, now he starts at RT. I don’t care if they think one of their veterans might hold these guys off, they won’t. I’m pretty certain Boye Mafe won’t start but he might already be the best pure pass rusher on this team. I was never his biggest fan but measuring him against guys like Darrell Taylor or LJ Collier and he becomes a lot better looking as an edge rusher. Bryant is the guy who started opposite Ahmad Gardner at Cincinnati and he took everyone’s best because no one wanted to throw at Gardner. He was so good he won the Thorpe award. He’s not an elite athlete but he’s a really good CB and the Seahawks don’t have a lot of those. Even if he doesn’t start, he’ll play a lot.
Best Value: Bryant
I understand that Bryant doesn’t test out athletically like some of the top CBs but getting him in round four is crazy. He’s a starting caliber CB in the NFL, that’s good value.
Sleeper: DE Tyreke Smith
He’s purely a situational pass rusher for now but this team needs all the pass rush they can get so he’s going to play. He doesn’t defend the run well and he’s not long like you want your pass rushers. However, he can get to the QB and that’s a skill every team needs more of. He’s not all that consistent in what he does but that what coaching is for and if they can unlock his talent a bit, he’s going to be good.
Overall Analysis
I love the fact that for the first time in a long time the Seahawks spent some real draft capital on the offensive line and got two good OTs (Russell Wilson has to be pissed they waited until they traded him to do this). I do love both Cross and Lucas but I do have one major concern. The Seahawks generally want to be a power running team and with Drew Lock slated to start at QB it seems they would want to lean into the even more. The problem is Cross and Lucas are both from pass happy schemes and they have plenty of work to do as run blockers. It’s one of the more puzzling draft fits in recent years. I never like the idea of Mafe as a first rounder but he went in round two and that was about right.
Seattle doubled down on their power running game taking Kenneth Walker III. I don’t think it bodes well for what they think of Chris Carson’s health and Rashaad Penny is on a one-year deal. Walker could be their starting RB in a year. Coby Bryant is the polished, ready to play CB while Tariq Woolen is the uber-athlete who needs a lot of coaching. Woolen is a unicorn if he works out, he’s a 6’4 CB. DE Tyreke Smith has serious upside. If he outplays Mafe I won’t be the least bit surprised. WR Bo Melton is a gadget guy and I might actually take him over D’Wayne Eskridge, the WR they drafted in round two last year (Melton was a seventh rounder). Dareke Young is a huge WR out of a small school, he’s not making this team unless the Seahawks really give up on Eskridge this soon.
The Hott Read 