NFC West Draft Analysis

Day 1 Picks

Arizona Cardinals (No. 5)
Patrick Peterson, DB, LSU
Peterson was one of the true "Blue Chip" prospects in this draft. Whether he ultimately plays CB or FS, he should be an impact player with Pro Bowl potential. The only question mark is whether the Cardinals should have taken a QB instead. Most expect Arizona to obtain a veteran (quite possibly our old friend Marc Bulger), but if Blaine Gabbert or Jake Locker becomes a star, they might be saying "what if."

San Francisco Niners (No. 7)
Aldon Smith, DE/OLB, Missouri
To me, this was a strange pick. Smith was one of the top 4-3 DE prospects in the draft, but the Niners run a 3-4. It would appear that Smith will simply fill in for Manny Lawson, who is likely to depart in FA. If Smith does not quickly acclimate to the OLB spot, the Niners really will not have upgraded their roster.

St. Louis Rams (No. 14)
Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina
Its hard to critique the pick. Quinn had a top 10 rating from most, and RDE is a (long-term) need spot for the Rams. There was no value at WR, OLB or FS at he 14th spot, so it really came down to the DL. Corey Liuget would have made sense too, but I think most would agree that Quinn has infinitely more potential to be a defensive playmaker.

Seattle Seahawks (No. 25)
James Carpenter, OT/OG, Alabama
Here are some quotes from our friends at Seahawks.net: "I just died inside." "Who the Hell is James Carpenter?" "Gabe Carimi and Sherrod were available. WTF!" There were some positive posts too, but those caught my eye. To me, the Hawks going with Okung in 2010 and Carpenter in 2011 is similar to the Rams' strategy of taking Smith and Saffold in consecutive years. The difference is, the Rams have their QB of the future, while Seattle may have passed on the opportunity to get theirs (that is, if you think Dalton, Kapernick or Mallett is an NFL starter).

Day 1 Final Evaluation: Advantage Rams and Cardinals, ??? for Hawks and Niners.

Agree completely Av. I was IMing my wife while streaming the draft over here in Taiwan and in the middle of the conversation I threw out about 3 F bombs a couple of GD's and a few other choice words as I saw/heard the Whiner's pick. I saw much more coverage on Quinn being a good 3-4 rush backer, and he has pretty much the same exact upside as Smith does, just had a suspension last year and more potential, really. I'll take the trade of Smith for Quinn any day without seeing them on the field.

As for the hags.. who the hell is Carpenter? I did no research into non-1st round tackles so really, who the hell is this guy? Hopefully he's a major reach and they lost out on some very talented players that were still available.

I think we can clearly move our team on an upward curve with a good round 2, 3, and 4.....We are the only team in the division with our Quarterback for the next 5 years. Every other team has serious questions on the offensive end of the ball (as do we) which is why we need to load up on athletes and weapons for Sammy and Spags.

We have clear advantage this draft, and the off-season if we add the weapons. If not Hasslebeck and Bulger will score enough points to keep us out of the playoffs by one game again...

Lets load up !

Billy D and Spags seemed genuinely happy and surprised that Quinn was there for the taking at 14, which is normally a good situation for any team. I think Quinn will bring some speed and tenacity to the Rams front seven which will in turn help the linebackers and Chris Long.

I think Quinn is player that can help several facets of the defense, including the pass rush depth and blitz packages, but I think his impact will also really help the secondary. I dare Hasselhoff to hang onto the ball a bit longer.

Day 2 Picks

Arizona Cardinals
Ryan Williams, RB, Virginia Tech (No. 38)
This pick seems like a vote of no confidence for Beanie Wells. I'm not sure that Williams will be a major upgrade, but I guess that there's strength in numbers.
Robert Housler, TE, Florida Atlantic (No. 69)
Interesting prospect. Housler is a very good athlete, though he needs more polish. Stll, who is going to be throwing to him? I guess they just didn't like the QBs in this draft.

San Francisco Niners
Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada (No. 36)
Is it me, or would the Niners have been better off going QB in Round 1 (Gabbert or Locker) and OLB in Round 2 (i.e. Brooks Reed)? Kaepernick is an interesting prospect, but is he ready to jump in and start for a team that does not have an established starter in place?
Chris Culliver, DB, South Carolina (No. 80)
This pick fills a need. In some ways, this pick makes more sense than the Niners first two.

St. Louis Rams
Lance Kendricks, TE, Wisconsin (No. 47)
The Rams seem to have plans for their young TE duo. Hoomanawanui is a blocker who can catch. Kendricks is a pass catcher who can block. Bradford should like having both around.
Austin Pettis, WR, Boise State (No. 78)
The Rams needed to add some young talent to their WR corps, and Pettis is an interesting choice. He is a good route runner and has very good hands. He's not a burner, but should find a role. Some may call this a reach, but Spagnuolo and Devaney (See PD article) seem very enthusiastic about Pettis.

Seattle Seahawks
John Moffitt, OG, Wisconsin (No. 75)
The Hawks continue to invest in their offensive line. I see the merit in that, and Moffitt is a good prospect, but it seems like Seattle has far too many other needs (QB, WR, CB) to focus solely on one part of their roster.

Day 2 Evaluation: A lot of head-scratchers. Rams surprise with who they did pick, others with who they didn't pick. Bradford should be happy, as should Matt Hasselbeck. The Niners and Cardinals' QBs... um, who are they again?

A 3rd & 5th for Kaepernick ?! Heads are exploding, not being scratched, in Whinertown tonight.....hehehe

This is from Day 2 of Scott Wright's Senior Bowl coverage for those who know nothing about Carpenter:

Quote:

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• Alabama OL James Carpenter was much more impressive than expected, especially after winning the weigh-in's mythical “Bad Body” award. Even though Carpenter played tackle for the Crimson Tide, most have him projected as a guard in the NFL. However, Carpenter played left tackle today and more than held his own. If he keeps it up that versatility will really work in Carpenter’s favor on Draft Day.

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He apparently displays impressive agility for a man with such a flabby body, but I think a lot of analysts had him going later in round 2 or possibly round 3. So far, I can at least respect the Seahawks' effort to rebuild their line on the assumption that Hasselbeck can play for at least one more year.

Kaepernik does strike me as a Pete Carroll quarterback. Carroll came out before the draft and said that he didn't want Mallett because he needed someone who could move around, bootleg, etc. Aldon Smith was a bit of a reach; good player but not necessarily the elite talent you get when you're drafting 7th overall.

I really don't care for the Cardinals draft so far. It reminds me of an article that was up on the board in recent weeks that claimed they do pure BPA, not even considering what's best for their team specifically. Through that lens, this draft makes sense. They took very high quality players but ignored gaping holes. If they're really lucky, this approach will start to pay dividends for them in another five years or so.
:)