NFC West Draft Grades

Arizona Cardinals:

In my opinion, the Cardinals drafted the best player in the NFL draft, when they chose Patrick Peterson with the fifth pick of the draft. They may have needed a new QB rather than another corner, but I can’t argue when they pick up a player of this caliber. Arizona averaged the lowest number of rushing yards per game out of the whole league, so Virginia Tech RB Ryan Williams was a smart pick, even though he hadn’t received much publicity.  However, the Cardinals NEEDED a QB, especially with so many QB’s available in the draft. You have a problem when John Skelton is starting for your team, and the Cardinals didn’t address that position. We’ll see if they can pick up a solid QB in free agency. Overall, I’d give Arizona an A for drafting Peterson, and an F for not drafting a QB, so…….

Draft Grade: C-

San Francisco 49ers

With the 7^th pick of the draft the 49ers Selected DE Aldon Smith out of Missouri. He’s a DE but he can also play linebacker in the Niners’ 3-4 defensive scheme. Smith doesn’t have the upside or flash that other picks have, but he’s a solid player who will get the job done for San Francisco for years to come. I love their second round of  Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick. Alex Smith has had more than enough time to prove he can be a franchise quarterback, and he just has not performed. They have two other solid quarterbacks on the roster in Troy Smith and David Carr, but they need to groom a QB for the future. Kaepernick will probably be a little bit of an experiment considering the offense he ran in Nevada, but I think he has the possibility to surprise a lot of people. Overall, I like the 49ers draft picks, but the uncertainty of Kaepernick lowers their grade.

Draft Grade: C+

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks had one of the worst offenses in the league last year, so this year they decided to commit to strengthening their offensive line. They drafted Offensive Guards in the first and second rounds with their picks of James Carpenter and John Moffit. I’m a fan of these two picks. However, in the later rounds the Seahawks drafted guys who won’t have an impact on the team. I applaud the effort to strengthen their secondary after they ranked 27^th in receiving yards allowed, but they didn’t draft players who will be able to help. If you consider that the Seahawks also needed to draft a QB to eventually replace whatever is left of Matt Hasselbeck after the pounding he has taken recently, I would say that the Seahawks did not have a good draft.

Draft Grade: D+

St. Louis Rams

The Rams made a great value pick by drafting DE Robert Quinn out of UNC with the fourteenth pick. He has proven that he can get to the Quarterback when he’s on the field. However, he fell to the Rams because he was ineligible for his Junior year due to lying to the NCAA about receiving jewelry and other benefits. We’ll see if the year away from organized football will affect his play. With their next three picks, the Rams selected two WR’s and a TE for quarterback Sam Bradford to throw to. These were smart picks because they have a relatively weak receiving corps and they need to build around Bradford. Overall, the Rams did a good job drafting players that will develop and contribute to a rebuilding team trying to return to the playoffs.

Draft Grade: B+