NFC West Draft Reaction: Rivals Edition

For Seahawk fans this year, the 1st round of the draft ends once Arizona makes their selection. That’s all that matters – what our rivals get. The Seahawks don’t have a pick, so the first day of the draft is entirely about seeing what the other teams in the NFC West do.

In the following sections, I’m going to take a quick look at what each of our hated rivals (St. Louis, San Fran, and Arizona – in that order) selected and give my initial reaction and grade to each pick.

St. Louis Rams

Nov 15, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Todd Gurley (3) breaks a tackle by Auburn Tigers defensive back Joshua Holsey (15) during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated Auburn 34-7. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Rams broke the trend, they took a running back in the first round—something that hasn’t happened in over three years—Todd Gurley is now a Ram (a perfect team name considering his style of running). The former Georgia Bulldog is considered one of the best running back to come into the draft for some time now, ever since Adrian “All-Day” Peterson was in the draft years ago.

My initial thoughts:

This is a “red shirt” pick – he isn’t expected to make an immediate impact, as he’s still recovering from the ACL injury he suffered last year.

I am a little shocked over the pick, though, I felt the Rams have a much bigger need at the O-line position, but I guess they didn’t think the same. The Rams felt Gurley was simply too good to pass up on, and I don’t blame them, the guy is Marshawn-like. If Gurley’s pro career isn’t injury-plagued (something he’s been knocked for by multiple draft expert for being injury prone) he will be a franchise type player for the Rams and a huge thorn on the Seahawks side.

My Grade on this: B

San Francisco 49ers

Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

The Niners traded down to pick 17 (received San Diego’s 1st round, a 4th this year, and 5th next year)

The hated Niners select: Arik Armstead.

Armstead is an athletic freak of nature DE coming from Oregon.

Initial Reaction:

Armstead is an extremely raw player, but his upside is through the roof. He could become a potential pro-bowl demon coming off the edge and considering that Justin Smith still hasn’t decided if he’ll come back or not for another season and Ray McDonald not being on the team anymore – this was a good pick and could become great pick with some good coaching. I’m a little terrified at what he could become…

That's a good pick by the 49ers. Damn...
— Keith Myers (@MyersNFL) May 1, 2015

My Grade: B+

Arizona Cardinals

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Birdgang selected: D. J. Humphries.

The Cardinals took the safe route and picked a player with high upside, and a decent floor.

My Reaction:

The Florida offensive line product is a perfect pick for the Cardinals. They need offensive line help – show cased by their pathetic 3.3 average rushing yard per carry – and it doesn’t hurt to simply stabilize the O-line. He might be a little bit injury prone – missed 5 games due to knee issues. He’ll make Seahawks life a little bit harder to get pressure on the edge.

My Grade: B

The first day of the NFL draft has ended and each our rivals has upgraded a position of need and have closed the gap (slightly) on Seattle. Tomorrow is day two of the draft – Seattle will be picking tomorrow. Stay tuned – we will have all your draft coverage needs taken care of!

Next: NFL Draft: Day 1 winners and losers

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