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NFL Draft Grades - NFC West

Still Long On Needs In St. Louis

by CriticalFanatic | >7 days ago8 Comment Comments »
NFL Draft Grades - NFC West Photo Who had the best draft? The most accurate way to grade every team is to say: Incomplete.

But that's no fun.

We obviously won't be able to judge for several years, but in terms of addressing needs and getting players of value, here's some of my thoughts on the NFC West, but I'm more interested in yours.

(Just including top 5 picks, but grade based on total draft)

Arizona Cardinals
1 (16) - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
2 (50) - Calais Campbell, DE, Miami-FL
3 (81) - Early Doucet, WR, LSU
4 (116) - Kenny Iwebema, LB, Iowa
5 (149) - Timothy Hightower, RB, Richmond
The Buzzsaw could have used some investment in a beer bong upgrade to Matty Leinart, but settling for a top cornerback isn't half bad. No concerns about the small school factor, he was easily one of the best players at the Senior Bowl. Early Doucet was pegged as a 1st rounder before his injury plagued senior season began. B+

San Francisco 49ers
1 (29) - Kentwan Balmer, DT, North Carolina
2 (39) - Chilo Rachal, OG, USC
3 (75) - Reggie Smith, DB, Oklahoma
4 (107) - Cody Wallace, C, Texas A&M
6 (174) - Josh Morgan, WR, Virginia Tech
SF is on its way to having one of the best defenses in the NFC, but how about filling some offensive needs? And no, Josh Morgan isn't the answer. B-

Seattle Seahawks
1 (28) - Lawrence Jackson, DE, USC
2 (38) - John Carlson, TE, Notre Dame
4 (121) - Red Bryant, DT, Texas A&M
5 (163) - Owen Schmitt, FB, West Virginia
6 (189) - Tyler Schmitt, LS, San Diego State
It's not often you see a team taking back-to-back Schmitt's. A+ for that effort and an A+ for taking a guy who takes his helmet off and beats himself when he disapproves of his performance. That's an NFL FB. Great value on Jackson at 28. Arguably the best player on the board after Rashard Mendenhall left at 23. B+

St. Louis Rams
1 (2) - Chris Long, DE, Virginia
2 (33) - Donnie Avery, WR, Houston
3 (65) - John Greco, OT, Toledo
4 (101) - Justin King, CB, Penn State
4 (128) - Keenan Burton, WR, Kentucky
Mix of good and bad. What the heck was Avery doing drafted 33rd? Is he going to be any better than a Dante Hall, already on the roster? Doubtful. I really like the King pick. He hasn't been consistent, but he's a starting NFL CB that was procured in round 4. B-

NFL Draft Grades: NFC West
Read the Article: NFL Draft Grades - NFC West

| Closed on 05/28/08 at 05:00PM
FanIQ Pts? No | NFL, AFC West | Multiple Choice Opinion Poll
Team Breakout:
19 Fans 
 1. Arizona Cardinals (0 points)
16%a. A
63%b. B
21%c. C
0%d. D
0%e. F
 2. San Francisco 49ers (0 points)
5%a. A
37%b. B
53%c. C
5%d. D
0%e. F
 3. Seattle Seahawks (0 points)
5%a. A
42%b. B
37%c. C
16%d. D
0%e. F
 4. St. Louis Rams (0 points)
11%a. A
68%b. B
21%c. C
0%d. D
0%e. F

  
8 Comments | Sorted by Most Recent First | Red = You Disagreed
Vote for your favorite comments. Fans decide the Top Comment (3+ votes) and also hide poor quality comments (4+ votes).
#1 | 112 days ago

I love the Cardinals draft.  They essentially got 3 first round picks, and Doucet could end up being the steal of the draft.

Not a big fan of San Fran's or St. Louis's drafts, but they both had solid 1st round picks.
1. A  2. C  3. B  4. C  
#2 | 112 days ago

I probably like Arizona's choices better than most.  So to put simply, I think they might have done the best job at blending need and going for the best available player.

 

Agreed, San Fran needs to start addressing their offense.  I like Balmer w/ the late first choice, though.

 

Very satisfying job done by Seattle.  That Schmitt video of him bashing his head w/ his helmet was awesome.  And look at the kid!  Might want to play him both ways and on special teams.  Pretty good job addressing need overall.

 

I woulda thought they'd have gone w/ Dorsey rather than Long, but it's not a bad choice.  Containment shouldn't be an issue, but who'se gonna stop the run up the middle?  Getting an OT early was a good idea, and I think King is ok, but Burton at 128 is a better move than Avery at 33.

1. A  2. C  3. B  4. B  
#3 | 112 days ago

I thought overall this division did very well. I loved the draft of the Seattle Seahawks. We needed help on the defensive line and got a gem in Jackson. The defensive line of the Seahawks is small and needs a good amount of rotation. Jackson can play end and tackle......brilliant. Carlson is a big dude and will help out with the TE end spot. I am not sure if he is the answer, but he will help. How many times did the 'Hawks struggle with short yardage plays last year? A lot. Hopefully a battering ram like Schmitt will help us and save Weaver a wee bit from too much pounding. We didn't get a WR, but hopefully Branch will comeback healthy.......GO HAWKS!!!
1. B  2. C  3. A  4. B  
#4 | 112 days ago

Some would say that San Francisco should've addressed the offense more, but they really did address their needs as well as possible.  They were left with huge depth issues on both lines this offseason with the losses of OG Justin Smiley, OG Larry Allen, DE Bryant Young, and DE Marques Douglas, and they drafted to solidify those positions.  Sure they could've drafted a WR, but in a year where no receivers were even drafted in the first round, who were they going to get that would even see the field within the next year or two?  We all know Mike Martz is going to play Isaac Bruce a lot, and I don't see any rookie supplanting Bryant Johnson and Arnaz Battle this season (and Mike Nolan needs to win now).  Also, CB Walt Harris is getting a bit long in the tooth, so drafting Reggie Smith as a possible future replacement was smart.
1. C  2. B  3. C  4. B  
#5 | 112 days ago

HIGHTOWER was my Sleeper of the Draft
1. B  2. B  3. C  4. B  
#6 | 112 days ago

(Edited by RenegadeLG)
Cardinals did great, average to terrible for the rest.  Owen Schmitt has a big head but he's a pussy.  Keith Rivers popped him good a couple times during workouts.
1. A  2. C  3. D  4. B  
#7 | 112 days ago

+1 thumbs up

This was Billy Devaney's first draft as a member of the Rams staff and I had always heard that he had this ability to find hidden gems or get great value throughout the draft.  Chris Long was the obvious pick at number 2 but outside of that, the rest of the draft just seemed boring for the Rams.  Yes, they drafted for a couple of needs on the offensive line and the wide receiving corp but they still have holes in the secondary, namely at safety and I thought they should've taken a flyer on a quarterback in the middle of the draft to come in, start learning the system and be a 3rd quarterback.  With Marc Bulger and Trent Green's past injury history, the Rams are thin at quarterback

#8 | 112 days ago

Agreed on the QB front.  Would have been smart for the Rams to get O'Connell as now he'll just rot behind Brady.
1. A  2. C  3. D  4. B  

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