Draft Grades - NFC West: Cardinals, 49ers earn rave reviews; Rams falter
With the 2017 NFL Draft officially complete, theScore's NFL editors hand out their initial grades for how teams fared during all seven rounds.
NFC
EAST | NORTH | SOUTH | WEST
AFC
EAST | NORTH | SOUTH | WEST
Arizona Cardinals
| RD. | PLAYER |
|---|---|
| 1 | LB Haason Reddick |
| 2 | S Budda Baker |
| 3 | WR Chad Williams |
| 4 | G Dorian Johnson |
| 5 | OT Will Holden |
| 5 | RB T.J. Logan |
| 6 | S Johnathan Ford |
Haason Reddick sports the potential to develop into a perennial Pro Bowler and fixes one of the Cardinals' most glaring needs. Budda Baker will serve as an excellent complement to Tyrann Mathieu and there are few better environments to learn from than the Cardinals' veteran, tenacious secondary. Dorian Johnson could end up being the best guard in the draft, while Johnathan Ford provides Arizona with some late value. The Cardinals added talent across the board, and are poised for a bounce-back campaign in 2017.
Grade: B+
Los Angeles Rams
| RD. | PLAYER |
|---|---|
| 2 | TE Gerald Everett |
| 3 | WR Cooper Kupp |
| 3 | S John Johnson |
| 4 | WR Josh Reynolds |
| 4 | LB Samson Ebukam |
| 6 | DT Tanzel Smart |
| 6 | FB Sam Rogers |
| 7 | LB Ejuan Price |
The Rams emerged with arguably the least amount of star power from this year's class, taking a low-risk, low-reward approach to the annual player-selection event. Gerald Everett and Cooper Kupp theoretically should improve a barren receiver corps, but there's no certainty about the former's potential to produce in the professional ranks. After the first two picks, Los Angeles appeared to make its picks without a concise strategy. Unfortunately, the Rams aren't any better than they were prior to the draft, a daunting notion for a team that hasn't posted a winning season in over a decade.
Grade: D
Seattle Seahawks
| RD. | PLAYER |
|---|---|
| 2 | DT Malik McDowell |
| 2 | C Ethan Pocic |
| 3 | CB Shaquill Griffin |
| 3 | S Delano Hill |
| 3 | DT Nazair Jones |
| 3 | WR Amara Darboh |
| 4 | S Tedric Thompson |
| 6 | S Mike Tyson |
| 6 | OT Justin Senior |
| 7 | WR David Moore |
| 7 | RB Chris Carson |
Seahawks general manager John Schneider is averse to using his original first-round pick and traded out of the first round, while gaining a marquee talent in Malik McDowell. Ethan Pocic and Justin Senior are capable pieces that should help a porous offensive line, alleviating some pressure off Russell Wilson. Seattle also realized that the "Legion of Boom" is no longer a young, spry group and tried to find as many contingency pieces as possible, in the event that Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor get injured. Amara Darboh is another complementary piece to the passing game, and once again, the Seahawks are well positioned to remain as a leading contender for the Super Bowl.
Grade: B+
San Francisco 49ers
| RD. | PLAYER |
|---|---|
| 1 | DE Solomon Thomas |
| 1 | LB Reuben Foster |
| 3 | CB Ahkello Witherspoon |
| 3 | QB C.J. Beathard |
| 4 | RB Joe Williams |
| 5 | TE George Kittle |
| 5 | WR Trent Taylor |
| 6 | DT D.J. Jones |
| 6 | LB Pita Taumoepenu |
| 7 | CB Adrian Colbert |
No team had a better first day than the 49ers, gaining two franchise cornerstones in Solomon Thomas and Reuben Foster, both of whom will be tasked with elevating the league's worst defense. Ahkello Witherspoon is presented with an opportunity to start in a nickel base defense, while the club added depth at multiple positions during Day 2 and 3 of the draft. The 49ers entered the weekend with the most holes of any roster, and there was skepticism surround John Lynch's first draft. San Francisco fans can rest easy after this weekend, having seen a promising start to the new regime.
Grade: A