Training camp is starting up this week, and before it gets into full swing, I’ll be finishing up this draft report card series. Today, I’ll be writing about the NFC West in this final post of the series. Check out the links below for the rest:
NFL Draft Report Cards 2020
NFC West
Now let’s dive right in:
Arizona Cardinals: A
The Cardinals may have brought in one of the league’s best draft classes. They addressed the o-line with a great value pick in T Josh Jones. They spent multiple picks addressing the needy defensive line as well. I think every single one of Arizona’s picks served a unique purpose and made for good value. My only concern is their failure to address the TE position, which won’t be a huge problem if the Cardinals run 4 WR sets again this year.
Los Angeles Rams: B+
The Rams did alright here, filling a handful of their positional needs and making up for their loss of a first rounder in the Jalen Ramsey trade. I liked the Terrell Lewis selection especially, as he can fill in right away on defense and was very good value in the third. But they reached on a handful of their picks (including their choice of Akers over J.K. Dobbins), and they could’ve added more to the o-line and the secondary, both of which were very big needs for LA.
San Francisco 49ers: B+
The 49ers had two first rounders after the DeForest Buckner trade, but they didn’t pick again until Round 5. They used their two first rounders wisely, filling their two biggest needs. But with the lack of draft picks, they failed to make up for some of their off-season losses on defense. The Niners defense is unlikely to be the dominant force it was last year, even though it is still good. However, for a team that only had 5 picks, the Niners did well in this draft.
Seattle Seahawks: C+
The Seahawks have a tendency to ignore value and reach on players throughout the draft, even in Round 1. But this year, they also ignored several of their defensive positional needs. They could’ve added a lot more to the d-line, and they should’ve addressed the secondary in some way, shape, or form. Ever since the Legion of Boom broke down, the secondary has been a weak point for Seattle. They need to add more talent around CB Shaquill Griffin. Even their recent trade for S Jamal Adams may not be enough to fill the holes they have. Considering that Adams wasn’t even a part of this draft class at all, I’m not a fan. However, they made a couple good picks on Day 3 when they took RB DeeJay Dallas and DE Alton Robinson.
That’s all for my draft grade series. Stay tuned for more NFL coverage and coverage of other sports as they come back.
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