NFC West Draft Analysis

[Vitamike]

Arizona Cardinals
27. Deone Bucannon, S, Washington State
52. Troy Niklas, TE, Notre Dame
84. Kareem Martin, DE, North Carolina
91. John Brown, WR, Pittsburg State

Grade: A-

It's tough to argue with anything the Cardinals have done so far on draft weekend. They have addressed needs and gotten value in every round. Kareem Martin was a steal in the third round.


St. Louis Rams
2. Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn
13. Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh
41. Lamarcus Joyner, S/CB, Florida State
75. Tre Mason, RB, Auburn

Grade: B+

The NFC West is eating itself. Joyner will be a move-around defensive back for the Rams, much like Tyrann Mathieu of the Cardinals. Joyner can play anywhere in the secondary and do well. Good pick. Mason was as well. He may mean the Isaiah Pead’s days in St. Louis are over. He’ll push Zac Stacy as the Rams' lead running back.


San Francisco 49ers
30. Jimmie Ward, S, Northern Illinois
57. Carlos Hyde, RB, Ohio State
70. Marcus Martin, C, USC
77. Chris Borland, LB, Wisconsin
100. Brandon Thomas, OT, Clemson

Grade: A-

The 49ers are once again collecting a ton of talented prospects much later than they should be going. It's just another year at the NFL Draft. Marcus Martin was a complete steal at 70, and if Brandon Thomas stays healthy San Francisco will have a deep offensive line for the future.


Seattle Seahawks
45. Paul Richardson, WR, Colorado
64. Justin Britt, OT, Missouri

Grade: C+

Hey look, it's a less-than-great initial draft grade for the Seahawks. Surely now these two will turn into superstars and this grade will be thrown in my face over and over and over. Anyway, the Seahawks moved down twice in the draft, going after a DeSean Jackson clone in Richardson. He’s a risky choice because of a past knee injury. He should be productive for the Seahawks out of the slot if he can stay healthy. The Seahawks needed to find an offensive lineman in this draft, and Britt fills the need. His versatility makes him an attractive blocker. His injury history, though, is cause for concern. He's also a player who may have been available later in the draft.

2014 NFL Draft grades: 49ers, Packers continue to maximize value - SBNation.com

Toughts?

 

[Vitamike]

We can update this as we finalize the draft however much of the picks to question are done for the most part.

Those later round picks can be anybody's best guess...

 

[Red_Chaos]

I got a feeling we all are gonna kill each other this year...

 

[SDPaddlefish]

Well, also from SBNation:

The NFC West Arms Race

The St. Louis Rams:

Round 1, Pick 2 (2) (From Redskins) Greg Robinson OT 6'5" 332 Auburn
Round 1, Pick 13 (13) Aaron Donald DT 6'1" 285 Pittsburgh
Round 2, Pick 9 (41) (From Bills) Lamarcus Joyner CB 5'8" 184 Florida St.
Round 3, Pick 11 (75) Tre Mason RB 5'8" 207 Auburn
I can't say enough about how much I liked the Rams' first two days, so I'll just keep it short and sweet. Greg Robinson and Aaron Donald add tenacity, physicality and explosive power to the trenches on each side and both embody the culture that pervades the NFC West. Joyner is a nice need pick with the departure of Cortland Finnegan, and gives them more flexibility in the secondary inside and out. Tre Mason feels like a luxury pick -- the Rams already have a solid backfield as it is -- but it's an enticing addition and adds some explosive speed to their offense.
The San Francisco 49ers

Round 1, Pick 30 (30) Jimmie Ward SS 5'11" 193 Northern Illinois 5.4
Round 2, Pick 25 (57) (From Chargers through Dolphins) Carlos Hyde RB 6'0" 230 Ohio St. 6.1
Round 3, Pick 6 (70) (From Jaguars) Marcus Martin C 6'3" 320 USC 5.6
Round 3, Pick 13 (77) (From Titans) Chris Borland ILB 5'11" 248 Wisconsin 5.3
Round 3, Pick 36 (100) (Compensatory selection) Brandon Thomas OT 6'3" 317 Clemson
Stacked with an incredible amount of ammunition, the Niners have not disappointed with the picks they've made thus far. I'm particularly impressed with what they've done to add Marcus Martin and Brandon Thomas in the third round. Both of those picks feel like great values and just add to what's a major strength and focal point for their franchise.
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A few other teams that did well, in my opinion, were the Arizona Cardinals (stupid NFC West), the Cleveland Browns, the Minnesota Vikings, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons. The Panthers' moves have been intriguing (that DL!!), I can't argue with what the Saints have done and the Cowboys are off to a very solid start.

 

[UVA_Guy81]

I might be in the minority on this but the only pick I really dislike is the Tre Mason pick in round 3. I believe we could've gotten a decent QB while waiting on the RB position.

 

[27mtrcougar]

I might be in the minority on this but the only pick I really dislike is the Tre Mason pick in round 3. I believe we could've gotten a decent QB while waiting on the RB position.

we have a starting QB and a good back up.

 

[27mtrcougar]

i really like the Rams draft but the 49ers and a good one too. hard not to with all the picks they have.

 

[Clayton]

I might be in the minority on this but the only pick I really dislike is the Tre Mason pick in round 3. I believe we could've gotten a decent QB while waiting on the RB position.

Thats pretty much my opinion of the draft, too

Not sure if we can even give draft grades to the Niners and Seahawks because most of their draftees wont see play immediately and Seattle's board has always been weird

 

[Silas]

we have a starting QB and a good back up.

Our QB is a big problem and the backup is not going to take this team to the promised land. We may as well start speculating who the Rams should look to draft at the QB position next year.

 

[Clayton]

We may as well start speculating who the Rams should look to draft at the QB position next year.

It'll be the 3rd or 4th QB off the board so Bryce Petty or Hundley likely.

 

[27mtrcougar]

Our QB is a big problem and the backup is not going to take this team to the promised land. We may as well start speculating who the Rams should look to draft at the QB position next year.

let me know when u find someone who's going to beat out bradford

 

[Silas]

let me know when u find someone who's going to beat out bradford

I wish we could. That's the problem.....we're stuck with him for now and the Rams' backups are not the answer.

 

[Arizona_Sting]

I loved our draft as a whole.

 

[Clayton]

Seadderall C Traded out of Su'a Fila to take Paul Richardson and Britt that next round which is ok, I guess, but they reached on Britt by about 2-3 rounds. Richardson is also an odd fit given that he looks about as durable and physical as Harvin. Probably a weak run blocker. Wikipedia has no idea who half of the guys they drafted are. Marsh seems like the late round guy that theyll probably hit with but he comes with potential character baggage. Or maybe he is just a trash talker. I dont think they appropriately addressed their oline but Im giving them a better grade than I want because they always seem to pull picks out of their butt in later rounds.

SF C+. Ward seems like a reach and that matters if you do a weighted grading. Niners probably should've traded up at some point. Hyde seems like a good enough pick but only if they cut Gore which...I dont know about that. They have spent too many picks on RBs, imo, considering their value in the league today. Borland and Ellington are great picks. Thomas is also a really good pick and might be a better backup OT than G

Arizona B. A lot of expected picks with meh value. Logan Thomas could swing their whole draft. Other than him, they didnt select a single player that Im really high on or really low on.

St Louis B+. Building up the trenches. Building up the depth of the secondary. Mason pick seems a little suspect.

 

[Vitamike]

Seadderall C Traded out of Su'a Fila to take Paul Richardson and Britt that next round which is ok, I guess, but they reached on Britt by about 2-3 rounds. Richardson is also an odd fit given that he looks about as durable and physical as Harvin. Probably a weak run blocker. Wikipedia has no idea who half of the guys they drafted are. Marsh seems like the late round guy that theyll probably hit with but he comes with potential character baggage. Or maybe he is just a trash talker. I dont think they appropriately addressed their oline but Im giving them a better grade than I want because they always seem to pull picks out of their butt in later rounds.

SF C+. Ward seems like a reach and that matters if you do a weighted grading. Niners probably should've traded up at some point. Hyde seems like a good enough pick but only if they cut Gore which...I dont know about that. They have spent too many picks on RBs, imo, considering their value in the league today. Borland and Ellington are great picks. Thomas is also a really good pick and might be a better backup OT than G

Arizona B. A lot of expected picks with meh value. Logan Thomas could swing their whole draft. Other than him, they didnt select a single player that Im really high on or really low on.

St Louis B+. Building up the trenches. Building up the depth of the secondary. Mason pick seems a little suspect.

I say the Rams sort of forced this pick when they drafted Donald. Seattle had to do something about their O line.

 

[Red_Chaos]

5 bucks says the NFCW will lead the league in IR guys this year