Arizona Cardinals:
Most experts said they need to take a QB with their first choice. And if not then, at least in the second or third round. They ignored everyone and drafted the best available players throughout the entire draft. First up was most likely the best player in the draft, and certainly the most athletic, making CB Patrick Peterson from LSU the number five overall pick. My thought on this is, no matter who they would have drafted in the later rounds, the Cardinals would have had a top 10 draft class just because of this pick. He is a complete game changer, said to be the next Charles Woodson, and will take some pressure off of Dominique Rogers-Cromartie. The Cardinals defense scored a league best 12 touchdowns last season, and that may actually increase with Peterson now roaming the secondary. He likely will start at corner from day one so that DRC can move to the second corner spot, giving Arizona one of the top corner duos in the league. Greg Toler will play the nickel corner and be among the best options there as well.
In the second round with the 38th overall pick, they took RB Ryan Williams from Virginia Tech. Many (including myself) at first thought the Cardinals had lost their minds with this pick. However, looking deeper at the choice, Williams is a hard runner who has tremendous balance and a nose for contact. He won't shy away from a hit, and will catch the ball out of the backfield. He reminds me a lot of Maurice Jones-Drew in that he runs low to the ground with the power to run over a member of the secondary, and also has the speed and agility to get by linebackers regularly. If Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower (who is a restricted free agent) don't produce early, Ryan could and should find himself starting by mid-season. Perhaps earlier.
Rob Housler, the overall number 69 pick early in the third round, is a TE from Florida Atlantic University. He might be the best tight end to come out of this draft class, based solely on his athletic ability. He is 6'-5" 250 pounds, and has run a 4.45sec 40 Yard dash. Arizona has a great need for such a player at this position. When he puts on some NFL bulk and works with Offensive Line coach and Hall of Famer Russ Grimm, he will become a better blocker as well. Keep this in mind: Tight Ends do not make the Pro Bowl based on their blocking ability. He is an immediate threat in the passing game, and will force defenses to shy away from blitzing their linebackers constantly, as they will need to focus on where he is on the field. That should create open lanes for Arizona's talented receiving core, and make quarterbacking this offense a bit less difficult.
Other notable picks for Arizona are DE Sam Acho from the University of Texas, and ILB Quan Sturdivant from North Carolina. Acho will play outside linebacker in the 3-4 defense. Sturdivant has a high football IQ, and knows offensive schemes well (he played quarterback in high school). He can be a future leader on the defense if he wants to be. Both could earn starting roles before the season ends.
Draft Grade: B+
San Francisco 49ers:
The 49ers did their defense a favor with the number 7 overall selection, taking DE Aldon Smith from the University of Missouri. Smith is long and athletic, standing just over 6'-4'', and weighing in at 263 pounds. He ran a 4.74sec 40, and bench pressed the standard 225 pounds 20 times. I find this to be fairly weak, because as a senior in high school, I did this same weight 23 times. Granted, I graduated at 5'-10'' and had much shorter arms, but it seems that this draft class did not perform as well in the weight room as past years' classes did. That being said, he is a great pick for this struggling defense. Justin Smith was the bright spot on the defensive line last season, producing 8.5 sacks, but he will be 32 on September 30 (we share the same birthday, 5 years apart). While he can still perform at a pretty high level, he only has a few years of solid work left in his legs, I would believe.
They did address the QB situation with the 36th pick, taking Colin Kaepernick out of Nevada. Colin is an athletic runner, and throws the ball well across his body. I'm not sure if he is the answer to the offensive problems for San Francisco, but he does give them some different options. I doubt new coach Jim Harbaugh will want to run the Pistol while in the bay area, but perhaps he'll let Kaepernick mess around with it against his defense in training camp and practice. Maybe he will strike gold. Kaepernick shows decent arm strength when given time, but loses accuracy -as most young QBs will- when pressured, and sometimes looks to take off down the field before trying to find a receiver. He has said he considers himself a throwing quarterback who can run, and intends to be that in the NFL. When the Smith duo fails again, he is willing to step in and save the day. But will he be able? Only time will tell.
San Francisco added speed to their secondary in the third round. DB Chris Culliver from South Carolina University is a threat in the kick return game, and if Ted Ginn Jr. cannot stay healthy, Culliver would be a good replacement on the goal line for the return team. He is a big hitter who loves contact, and isn't afraid to blitz off the corner. Solid form when tackling, he may be able to teach some things to the other corners on this team. He also is a character, and could be a leader in the years to come. The 49ers may have gotten a great deal taking him with the 80th pick in the draft. Culliver may replace the aging Nate Clements if he performs well and shows the work ethic needed to get better every day.
Other notable drafted players include RB Kendall Hunter from Oklahoma State and WR Ronald Johnson. Hunter is an small, elusive back, and Johnson actually reminds me of Anquan Boldin. He has a good first move after the catch, and has great hands. Solid pick.
Draft Grade: C
St. Louis Rams:
Scouts thought that Robert Quinn out of North Carolina would go in the top 10 of the draft, and when he didn't, I was shocked. The Rams were more than pleased to get him at 14. A pure pass rusher with good speed and the ability to get to the quarterback even when being held, he will start immediately opposite Chris Long. This should scare the pants off every tackle in the NFC West, and if they're not scared off, they'll fall when Quinn blows by them and pounds their QB. At 6'-4'' and 265 pounds, his 4.62sec 40 is terrifying (fastest among DEs). He will be a perennial Pro Bowler, and also help take some of the heat off of a secondary that did not cause a single defensive touchdown all of last season.
Their second round pick of Lance Kendricks, a TE out of Wisconsin, gives QB Sam Bradford a good check down option that he didn't get much consistency out of in his rookie year. Kendricks is strong, and sure handed. He is solid in the run block, and understands coverages well, it seems. He has the ability to go up and get the ball at its apex, and adjusts well to a misplaced throw. If he can remain healthy, St. Louis can plug him into the starting TE spot for years to come. Daniel Fells led the TE corps with 41 receptions, and the group as a whole combined for 70 catches a year ago, so Bradford clearly likes finding them, even though it was an injury-prone bunch.
Further addressing the need for pass catchers in the third round, the Rams took WR Austin Pettis from Boise State. I love this pick for their sake. Sure, trading up to get Julio Jones would have been interesting, but in Pettis, you get an experienced, athletic football player who has excellent hands and wonderful quickness off the ball. He explodes off the line of scrimmage, and is fearless running routes to the middle of the field. It's almost as if he enjoys the contact, much like Hines Ward. He has the mentality of a number one receiver, and expects the ball regularly. Luckily for him -and for the entire Rams organization-, his quarterback can grant that wish. He could be the second or third best talent in his draft class at WR when all is said and done.
Other notable players drafted by the Rams include WR Greg Salas from Hawaii and S Jermale Hines (second pick-6 in the video) from THE Ohio State University. Salas is strong and tough, like Pettis, and will be useful pretty early for the Rams. Hines is big for a Safety, but quick and agile enough to play the position well. Has room to get bigger, so he may wind up at OLB.
Draft Grade: B
Seattle Seahawks:
Everyone in the bar I watched the draft from collectively said "WHO??" when the Seahawks picked OT James Carpenter out of Alabama with their number 25 overall pick. I had to give them some background on him quickly before Berman and Co. could beat me to it. He will probably start in this league for 10 years, but it certainly was not the popular pick. His first step back in pass coverage is quick and deliberate, as it should be. He helped RB Mark Ingram win the Heisman Trophy in 2009, but to me, he lacks the strength to handle the best pass rushers in the league.
Seattle did not have a second round pick, but took another offensive lineman in the third round (no. 75), C/OG John Moffitt from Wisconsin. I do like this pick slightly better than Carpenter, as Moffitt can probably start at all five positions on the line. That versatility will prove useful for Coach Pete Carroll. My "expert" opinion says that he will end up under center. He's a good leader among the giants up front, and can be that early on in his career. Think Maurkice Pouncey when you think about how he can impact an offensive line. He won't start from day one as Pouncey did, but his adaptability on the line is much the same.
Other notable players drafted by the Seahawks include OLB K.J. Wright from Mississippi State, and WR Kris Durham from Georgia. Wright plays bigger than he is, but has a lot of room to get better if he puts the work in. Durham is a big target at 6'-5'', and has decent speed and hands to be capable of being a fourth receiver on this team.
Draft Grade: D-
