NFL draft recap: Seahawks NFC West rivals, round one

The Seahawks have to at least keep pace with their NFC West rivals in this year’s draft, if not destroy them. So how did the division do in round one?

While the Seahawks pulled off another classic Pete Carroll – John Schneider tag team surprise in the first round, the rest of the NFC West was generating their own buzz. The Cardinals and 49ers had the first and second picks overall,  so unless they really screwed things up, the competition in the division could be more intense than ever in 2019. The Rams got the 31st pick, never a bad thing in itself. So how did our division rivals do in the first round?

Seahawks will face a better rookie QB for Arizona this year

The Cardinals chose Kyler Murray with the first pick overall. Our own wicked smart Karley Silbert has an in-depth look at the pick for your enjoyment. Murray certainly was productive with the Oklahoma Sooners. If anyone knows that a quarterback doesn’t have to be over 6’0″ to win in the NFL, it’s the 12s. But there’s still something about this pick that just makes me think the Cardinals aren’t the best organization.

They drafted quarterbacks with their first pick in back-to-back seasons, so they obviously aren’t in love with Josh Rosen (since the original post, Rosen is now a member of the Miami Dolphins). New management, new coach, same owners though that hired the decision makers. Maybe they tried and couldn’t get a deal, but they could have traded down and still got their guy. Arizona was the only team hyping Murray this much. None of the next four teams are looking for a quarterback. The Niners, Jets, Raiders, and Buccaneers all would have been possible partners. Again, it’s likely no one would deal, but the Cardinals aren’t exactly the sharpest group. I do like Murray, but it just seems they could have been more creative and gotten more out of their spot.

Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks could face a tougher defense from the 49ers

The Niners followed the Cardinals with another long-predicted pick, Nick Bosa. Bosa was generally considered to be the top overall defensive player in the draft, so it’s no surprise San Francisco took him. The teams immediately below San Francisco were far more likely to be interested in Bosa, unlike the situation with Arizona. The Jets went defense, the Raiders went defense, the Bucs went defense. I don’t see that the Niners could have made any moves and still got the guy they wanted. For that reason, this was a very solid pick.

For a more detailed look at Bosa, I defer to the fearless Lee Vowell. As for me, I’m still not sold on the guy. Talented, absolutely. But like his brother, there are injury concerns. When I wrote about defensive prospects, oh, about ten thousand years ago, I wrote about those concerns. For Bosa’s sake, I hope he stays healthy. I’d much rather watch the Seahawks beat the Niners down at full strength, so they have no excuses for their losses.

The Seahawks traded down but still got a first-rounder

With the 29th pick, the Seahawks selected defensive end L.J. Collier from TCU. The true genius and site co-expert Lee Vowell wrote about Collier a couple of weeks ago as a likely pick. For more on Collier, Lee has an in-depth look at him available right now. Collier strikes me as what commentators love to call a “lunch pail” player. He isn’t flashy, but as Lee wrote, his motor runs nonstop. He’s definitely more in the Michael Bennett mold as a player. If he can pile up the same stats – minus the penalties – the Hawks did very well with this pick.

Did someone say trade? Of course the Seahawks traded down. You didn’t really think they’d go through the draft with just five picks, did you? For all the dizzying moves pulled off by John Schneider, and just how Seattle came to own the fourth round, check back with us soon.

The Rams closed out the first round of the draft (as far as the NFC West is concerned) by trading the 31st overall pick to the Atlanta Falcons. Seems they got the trade bug from the Hawks. We’ll certainly see more from them and our other rivals tomorrow. After day one, you have to assume the Cardinals and 49ers are ahead in the draft, but it’s far from over.

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