Arizona:
1 Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB Tennessee State
2 Calais Campbell DE Miami (FL)
3 Early Doucet WR LSU
4 Kenny Iwebema DE Iowa
5 Tim Hightower RB Richmond
6 Chris Harrington DT Texas A&M
7 Brandon Keith T Northern Iowa
I thought they did well. They got a corner in round one that has perhaps the most upside of any of the top guys in Rogers-Cromartie; this should help facilitate their wanting to move Rolle to safety. Calias Campbell gives them depth on the defensive line, and his size gives them the versatility to play their 3-4 hybrid with him as a down lineman. Doucet, I question his upside, but I think he works well as a slot guy behind Fitz and Boldin (assuming they keep Boldin). Iwebema again gives them more D-line depth. Hightower is interesting in that the Cardinals probably want to find Edge's eventual replacement but I doubt they did it here. Last two picks continue to add depth, solid draft for Arizona.
San Francisco:
1 Kentwan Balmer DT North Carolina
2 Chilo Rachal G USC
3 Reggie Smith CB Oklahoma
4 Cody Wallace G Texas A&M
6 Josh Morgan WR Virginia Tech
7 Larry Grant LB Ohio State
Not overly impressed here. The ***** twice had a chance to get Quentin Groves, a potential 3-4 OLB that would have helped their pass rush, but passed both times. I'm not a Balmer fan, and they just gave both Justin Smith and Isaac Sopoaga long contracts to play DE. Maybe Balmer breaks out as a nose tackle, but he might be too tall. Rachal could compete immediately to start on the line if Larry Allen isn't considered a starter anymore, but again, I would have gone Groves here. The starting line-up for the *****' secondary is probably set, but Smith at that point is good value and could be a nickel guy or try his luck at safety. Wondering if Crable or Avril would have been better picks here after the ***** passed on Groves. They spend another pick adding depth to the line, and took a flier on Morgan who has a good combination of size and speed. Larry Grant may have a chance to win a job inside in their 3-4.
Seattle:
1 Lawrence Jackson DE USC
2 Carlson TE Notre Dame
4 Red Bryant DT Texas A&M
5 Owen Schmitt FB West Virginia
6 Tyler Schmitt C San Diego State
7 Justin Forsett RB California
7 Brandon Coutu K Georgia
This one breaks my heart if only because of the fifth rounder but I'll get to that later. It sounds as if Lawrence Jackson will compete at RDE with Darryl Tapp but will move inside on passing downs. Not sure I spend a first round pick on a guy I don't see as a three-down player though. Carlson I thought dropped a bit after a forgettable combine but there was some late buzz that some teams felt as if he was still the top tight end as he was most NFL ready. The Seahawks really don't have much at the position, so he should get the chance to contribute immediately. Bryant I liked in the fourth and gives them a big run stuffer; they could use more talent at DT. The fifth round killed me. As a soon-to-be WVU alum, I would have loved to see Owen Schmitt on the Rams lead blocking for
Steven Jackson. Instead we play him twice a year as a Seahawk. Ugh, it's going to be hard to root against him. Taking a long snapper in the sixth round was kind of strange, but that's a thankless position where you'd better have a dependable guy. I don't see Forsett making the team with Jones, Duckett, and Morris ahead of him, but Coutu should have every opportunity to compete for Josh Brown's old job.
I think Arizona's draft impressed me the most, followed by Seattle, and then San Fran coming in last.
Linear Mode
