2022 NFL Draft Grades: NFC West
One more to go! Look, I know these have taken longer than normal but I’m a busy guy that has a media company to run. When I have fewer stupid tasks to do, you will get your grades faster. One more time for this year, let’s go through the 2022 NFL Draft grades for the NFC West!
Arizona Cardinals: Grade F
- Round 2: No. 55 – Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State
- Round 3: No. 87 – Cameron Thomas, DE, San Diego State
- Round 3: No. 100 (from BAL) – Myjai Sanders, DE, Cincinnati
- Round 6: No. 201 – Keontay Ingram, RB, USC
- Round 6: No. 215 – Lecitus Smith, G, Virginia Tech
- Round 7: No. 244 – Christian Matthew, DB, Valdosta State
- Round 7: No. 256 – Jesse Luketa, LB, Penn State
- Round 7: No. 257 – Marquis Hayes, G, Oklahoma
Look, I have to give them an F. This was brutal, dude. I actually don’t want to crush them for the Marquise Brown thing.
A: They got a third round pick back. Myjai Sanders is interesting if he turns into a dangerous pass rusher.
B: Marquise Brown will be better than he showed in Baltimore. He actually has a quarterback that can throw the ball now.
C: Kyler Murray and Marquise Brown were like best friends at Oklahoma. I think this will make Kyler happy.
D: They had to get another wide receiver. There was a ridiculous run on them in the first round to the point where Jahan Dotson went 16. Total Looney Tunes. They probably knew the DeAndre Hopkins suspension was coming before we did. They already lost Christian Kirk in free agency. Is it the worst move in the world?
Having said that, it was probably a bit of an overpay. Baltimore didn’t have leverage either but did a good job of keeping the trade request quiet.
I don’t get the Trey McBride pick at all. Why give all that money for Zach Ertz? Doesn’t make any sense. McBride probably isn’t a real tight end anyway. They’re going to split him out. Felt like just a desperate parate attempt to improve the offense.
Don’t hate some of the really late picks. Jesse Luketa might be a real gem. Just have a hard time seeing this draft as anything other than an F even if I do genuinely believe the Brown trade won’t look nearly as bad midseason as it does right now.
Los Angeles Rams: Grade F
- Round 3: No. 104 – Logan Bruss, G, Wisconsin
- Round 4: No. 142 – Decobie Durant, CB, South Carolina State
- Round 5: No. 164 (from LV via NE) – Kyren Williams, RB, Notre Dame
- Round 6: No. 211 – Quentin Lake, S, UCLA
- Round 6: No. 212 – Derion Kendrick, CB, Georgia
- Round 7: No. 235 (from BAL via JAX via TB) – Daniel Hardy, LB, Montana State
- Round 7: No. 253 – Russ Yeast, S, Kansas State
- Round 6: No. 261 (from TB) – AJ Arcuri, OT, Michigan State
It’s hard to nail a draft without a first and second round pick. I get that the Rams just won the Super Bowl and all but this is two consecutive years of bad drafting. Eventually, it will come back to haunt them.
Did they get one guy that actually contributes? Kyren Williams is dirt slow and is no better than a third stringer in this offense. Quentin Lake might be something in the back end. I really like the Derion Kendrick gamble. Outside of that, it’s hard to give this team anything higher than an F if they left the draft with back ups and no starters.
San Francisco 49ers: Grade F
- Round 2: No. 61 – Drake Jackson, LB, USC
- Round 3: No. 93 – Tyrion Davis-Price, RB, LSU
- Round 3: No. 105 – Danny Gray, WR, SMU
- Round 4: No. 134 – Spencer Burford, OT, UTSA
- Round 5: No. 172 – Samuel Womack, CB, Toledo
- Round 6: No. 187 (from DEN) – Nick Zakelj, OT, Fordham
- Round 6: No. 220 – Kalia Davis, DT, UCF
- Round 6: No. 221 – Tariq Castro-Fields, CB, Penn State
- Round 7: No. 262 – Brock Purdy, QB, Iowa State
I do think Kyle Shanahan is a bright young coach but god he needs help with the draft. It’s the same mistake over and over again. Prioritize taking shitty running backs that suck but he’s such a good coach they will perform okay but not up to par. Add another worthless slot receiver to the mix that will flame out like all the others. I’m looking at you Jalen Hurd. I still can’t believe that happened…
We’ll see on Drake Jackson. Very boom or bust. What did they really accomplish here? Oh, great we got another Nick Mullins with Brock Purdy! If I have to give them credit on anything, I love the Spencer Burford and Tariq Castro-Fields picks. Outside of that, it’s hard not to think they left missed bad here at the top in a draft they had no first rounder.
Seattle Seahawks: Grade B-
- Round 1: No. 9 (from DEN) – Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
- Round 2: No. 40 (from DEN) – Boye Mafe, LB, Minnesota
- Round 2: No. 41 – Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State
- Round 3: No. 72 – Abraham Lucas, OT, Washington State
- Round 4: No. 109 (from NYJ) – Coby Bryant, CB, Cincinnati
- Round 5: No. 153 – Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA
- Round 5: No. 158 (from MIA via NE via KC) – Tyreke Smith, DE, Ohio State
- Round 7: No. 229 – Bo Melton, WR, Rutgers
- Round 7: No. 233 (from KC via MIN) – Dareke Young, WR, Lenoir-Rhyne
Don’t think my draft grades matter? I haven’t liked a Seahawks draft in like five years and they tanked their way to the bottom of the NFC West. They’re still a last place team but good work was done here. I don’t think Charles Cross is a top ten talent but I get the pick. I actually think the Abraham Lucas may turn into a sneaky pick providing a real starter in the third round.
Boye Mafe is a real pass rusher with some juice. Got a little hair on fire and the sacks come in bunches. Might be a real flash player. Kenneth Walker is a starting running back in this league with real plus speed. He’s going to work and be way more sustainable than Rashaad Penny.
How bout even the Coby Bryant pick? That guy is a scrappy corner that really competes. Seattle needed this exact guy.
Do I think this is a home run draft? No, but the Seahawks got better and that matters.
