We wrap up our draft grading process as we always do, with the NFC West. By the end of last season, the NFC West flipped with the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers as the hottest teams and the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks in transition.
Did the 2018 NFL Draft make any difference for this year? Let’s take a look.
Arizona Cardinals
The haul: Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA (Round 1, Pick 10), Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M (Round 2, Pick 47), Mason Cole, Center, Michigan (Round 3, Pick 97), Chase Edmonds, RB, Fordham (Round 4, Pick 134), Chris Campbell, CB, Penn State (Round 6, Pick 182), Korey Cunningham, OT, Cincinnati (Round 7, Pick 254)
Grade: B-
I’m not sure what made Kirk the option at wide receiver in Round two. He might turn out fine, but I definitely liked James Washington and Anthony Miller better as pro prospects. Rosen, of course, makes the draft but I can’t count him as a starter since, barring an injury to Sam Bradford (make your own jokes), he won’t see the field.
I like the Mason Cole pick in the third and he definitely has starter potential, pushing the Cards’ grade up to B- territory.
Los Angeles Rams
The haul: Joseph Noteboom, OT, TCU (Round 3, Pick 89), Brian Allen, Center, Michigan State (Round 4, Pick 111), John Franklin-Myers, DE, Stephen F. Austin (Round 4, Pick 135), Micah Kiser, ILB, Virginia (Round 5, Pick 147), Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, OLB, Oklahoma (Round 5, Pick 160), Jamil Demby (OG, Maine), Sebastian Joseph, DT, Rutgers (Round 6, Pick 195), Trevon Young, OLB, Louisville (Round 6, Pick 205), Travin Howard, ILB, TCU (Round 7, Pick 231), Justin Lawler, DE, SMU (Round 7, Pick 244)
Grade: B
With no first or second round picks, it was going to be tough for the Rams to get a B, yet they did it anyway. Noteboom and Allen are back ups this year unless something goes terribly wrong, but the B grade come from starters taken in the fifth. Micah Kiser will be the best inside linebacker on Los Angeles’ roster the second he signs his contract. Okoronkwo had a first round grade on some boards (and a second on mine), so nabbing him in the fifth is outrageous. He’s the perfect outside linebacker for Wade Phillips’ system wand will deliver an instant impact.
San Francisco 49ers
The haul: Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame (Round 1, Pick 9), Dante Pettis, WR, Washington (Round 2, Pick 44), Fred Warner, OLB, BYU (Round 3, Pick 70), Tarvarius Moore, Safety, Southern Miss (Round 3, Pick 95), Kentavius Street, DE, N.C. State (Round 4, Pick 128), D.J. Reed, CB, Kansas State (Round 5, Pick 142), Marcell Harris, Safety, Florida (Round 6, Pick 184), Julian Taylor, DT, Temple (Round 7, Pick 223), Richie James, WR, MTSU (Round 7, Pick 240)
Grade: B-
Pettis is another wideout I felt went ahead of some of the top guys, but Kyle Shanahan knows what he’s doing. McGlinchey will eventually take over at one of the tackle spots. He might even be a Day One guy. My favorite pick is Warner in the third. I feel like this kid was seriously underrated coming out of BYU as a pure OLB and a pass rusher.
Seattle Seahawks
The haul: Rashaad Penny, RB, San Diego State (Round 1, Pick 27), Rasheem Green, DE, USC (Round 3, Pick 79), Will Dissly, TE, Washington (Round 4, Pick 120), Shaquem Griffin, OLB, UCF (Round 5, Pick 141), Tre Flowers, Safety, Oklahoma State (Round 5, Pick 146), Michael Dickson, Punter, Texas (Round 5, Pick 149), Jamarco Jones, OT, Ohio State (Round 5, Pick 168), Jake Martin, DE, Temple (Round 6, Pick 186), Alex McGough, QB, Florida International (Round 7, Pick 220)
Grade: B+
Penny might have been a reach that early in the draft, but he’s definitely an NFL starter and has no one really ahead of him on Seattle’s depth chart. Green was a steal in the third round and is probably why the team cut Cliff Avril last week. Tre Flowers was severely undervalued and will step in as a starter if and when the team decides to move on from Kam Chancellor or Earl Thomas. Both those guys seem to always be on the trading block.
