NFC West 2018 NFL Draft Grades: Seattle Fails, Arizona Finds Their Savior

The 2018 NFL Draft is has been over for awhile but we are just finishing up the draft grades. The NFC West is the last division on the map and it’s a really interesting division to dive into. The Rams won the division a year ago and loaded up on veteran talent. San Fran is really on the rise with Jimmy G. Seattle still has Russell Wilson but their roster is going down the toilet. Arizona was in the NFC title game three years ago but work needed to be done. In what could be a really competitive division, what should we make of what the NFC West did during the 2018 NFL Draft?

Arizona Cardinals: Draft Grade A

• Round 1, Pick 10 (No. 10 overall) [via Oakland]: Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
• Round 2, Pick 15 (No. 47 overall): Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M
• Round 3, Pick 33 (No. 97 overall) *compensatory selection: Mason Cole, C, Michigan
• Round 4, Pick 34 (No. 134 overall) *compensatory selection: Chase Edmonds, RB, Fordham
• Round 6, Pick 8 (No. 182 overall): Christian Campbell, CB, Penn State
• Round 7, Pick 36 (No. 254 overall) *compensatory selection: Korey Cunningham, OL, Cincinnati

Is anyone doing more cartwheels in the draft room than the Cardinals? To grab Josh Rosen with the 10th overall is a flat out steal. Rosen might wind up being the best quarterback in the draft and is a flat out stud. I’ve said that the thing I worry about is his injury concern and his escapability. However, his ceiling is Peyton Manning. If the Cardinals play their cards right and don’t screw this up, Arizona has themselves a franchise quarterback for a decade. That’s an A in my book regardless of the rest of the picks.

Christian Kirk reminds me so much of Keenan Allen. He’s a really excellent route runner and gives Rosen a target from the jump. Mason Cole is a four-year starter on the Michigan offensive line. He’s started at tackle, guard, and center and showed up well at the Senior Bowl. Steve Keim did a really nice job here.

Los Angeles Rams: Draft Grade F

• Round 3, Pick 25 (No. 89 overall) [Via Oakland]: Joseph Noteboom, OT, TCU
• Round 4, Pick 11 (No. 111 overall): Brian Allen, C, Michigan State
• Round 4, Pick 35 (No. 135 overall)*compensatory selection: John Franklin, DE, Stephen F. Austin
• Round 5, Pick 10 (No. 147 overall): Micah Kiser, LB, Virginia
• Round 6, Pick 2 (No. 176 overall): John Kelly, RB, Tennessee
• Round 6, Pick 18 (No. 192 overall) [Via Dallas]: Jamil Denby, T, Maine
• Round 6, Pick 21 (No. 195 overall) [Via Buffalo]: Sebastian Joseph, DT, Rutgers
• Round 6, Pick 31 (No. 205 overall) [Via Carolina]: Trevon Young, LB, Louisville
• Round 7, Pick 13 (No. 231 overall): Travin Howard, LB, TCU
• Round 7, Pick 26 (No. 244 overall): Justin Lawler, DE, Southern Methodist 

What in the world were the Rams thinking? To trade a first round pick for a rental wide receiver, Brandin Cooks, is flat out dumb. The Rams essentially shipped a starter on a cheap five-year contract for a rental. Haven’t they learned this lesson already with Sammy Watkins? Oh, that’s right, they traded their second round pick for Watkins who isn’t even on the roster anymore. LA really just threw darts at the offensive line and linebacker spot.

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Are we really counting on Micah Kiser to be the starter? No Alec Ogletree so he’s going to have to be. LA needs guards and one of these guys might get plugged in. The Rams didn’t get any better with this draft class and that deserves the F.

San Francisco 49ers: Draft Grade D+

• Round 1, Pick 9 (No. 9 overall): Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
• Round 2, Pick 12 (No. 44 overall, via Redskins): Dante Pettis, WR, Washington
• Round 3, Pick 6 (No. 70 overall): Fred Warner, OLB, BYU
• Round 3, Pick 31 (No. 95 overall) [via New England]: Tarvarius Moore, S, Southern Mississippi
• Round 4, Pick 28 (No. 128 overall): Kentavius Street, DE, North Carolina State
• Round 5, Pick 5 (No. 142 overall): D.J. Reed, DB, Kansas State
• Round 6, Pick 10 (No. 184 overall): Marcell Harris, DB, Florida
• Round 7, Pick 5 (No. 223 overall): Jullian Taylor, DT, Temple
• Round 7, Pick 22 (No. 240 overall): Richie James, WR, Middle Tennessee State

The 49ers blew a big opportunity. Some things will just never make sense. Mike McGlinchey was regarded as the best tackle in the class despite the fact that his pass blocking grades are below average. McGlinchey shows up in the run game and should at least be better at right tackle. The problem is they traded Trent Brown on draft day who was frankly really good to New England for a bag of peanuts. Is McGlinchey really that much better than Trent Brown? You have to come up with more when you’re picking in the top 10.

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The rest of the draft doesn’t blow you away. Dante Pettis could pan out. Wideouts are always a gamble. Fred Warner breaks the code of never drafting guys from BYU. Even Kentavius Street is out for the year with a torn ACL. Not a great draft here for the Shanahan regime.

Seattle Seahawks: Draft Grade D

• Round 1, Pick 27 (No. 27 overall) [via Green Bay]: Rashaad Penny, RB, San Diego State
• Round 3, Pick 15 (No. 79 overall) [via Pittsburgh]: Rasheem Green, DE, USC
• Round 4, Pick 20 (No. 120 overall): Will Dissly, TE, Washington
• Round 5, Pick 4 (No. 141 overall): Shaquem Griffin, LB, UCF
• Round 5, Pick 9 (No. 146 overall): Tre Flowers, S, Oklahoma State
• Round 5, Pick 12 (No. 149 overall): Michael Dickson, P, Texas
• Round 5, Pick 31 (No. 168 overall): Jamarco Jones, T, Ohio State
• Round 6, Pick 12 (No. 186 overall) [via Green Bay]: Jacob Martin, DE, Temple
• Round 7, Pick 2 (No. 220 overall): Alex McCough, QB, Florida International  

The further away Pete Carroll gets away from the college game, the less he knows about the draft. The Seahawks are living off of two drafts. It’s clear that Seattle is just dumb at this point. Rashaad Penny shouldn’t have gone any higher than the third round. Is there a chance he’s this year’s, Kareem Hunt? Sure, but he can’t pass protect at all. Russell Wilson already runs around with his life on the line. Penny won’t help protect him at all. Taking Penny ahead of every running back not named Saquon Barkley will likely come back to haunt them.

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Rasheem Green flat out stinks. Will Dissly is nothing more than a 6th offensive line. Jamarco Jones is a shaky offensive lineman with poor footwork. Shaquem Griffin is the only thing saving this thing from an F. Griffin may or may not make it but his brother is flat out good so I like his odds.