We’ve made to the end of my 2022 NFL Draft coverage as we hit our final division draft grade article.
The NFC West is a fascinating division from a distance. You have the defending champs in LA looking to once again make it bag to the big game despite having very few picks yet again. The Cardinals are still trying to figure out what the formula for success is. Seattle appears to be doing a small rebuild. Lastly, there’s San Fran spent the pre-draft process tied up in trade rumours surrounding Deebo Samuel. Let’s see how they did.
Arizona Cardinals: C+
I’m starting to think that I’ll just never see eye-to-eye with Steve Keim when it comes to the NFL draft. For starters, trading the 23rd overall pick for Hollywood Brown was a trade that many knocked for not making much sense as soon as it happened and it only got worse when five minutes later the Eagles traded the 18th pick for AJ Brown, an objectively better player at the same position. Yes, the team is trying desperately to keep Kyler Murray happy and Murray and Brown are not only former college teammates but also good friends, but this still doesn’t add up because simply put, Kyler Murray isn’t going to cost you any less for his extension just because you traded for his buddy. Also, Brown’s only had one year of WR1 production and is due his own extension which you’re now absolutely pigeonholed into signing him to because you traded a first round pick for him.
As for the draft picks they did use, I still don’t like the positional value. They’d drafted off-ball gimmick linebackers in the first round the previous two years and now their 2022 draft started with TE Trey McBride at pick 55. No knock on Trey McBride, I like the player, but when you have one of the worst offensive lines in the league, you should use the pick somewhere up front so that your undersized QB can take less of a beating. Cameron Thomas is a fine pick, but I’m not sure where he fits in the defensive alignment. Myjai Sanders needs to figure out what weight he’s going to play at. Keaontay Ingram is another player where I’m not sure how he figures into the team when James Conner and Eno Benjamin are already in place. Lecitus Smith at the end of the 6th is fine as I had an early day 3 grade on him and didn’t think he’d still be there. Jesse Luketa is an ok player but never had a defined role at Penn State and Marquis Haynes towards the end of the draft is good value because that’s where he should have gone, but overall, waiting until round 6 to address a bad offensive line is not good business. I know the offense will now put up even more points, but I’m not sure the team as a whole got much better
Los Angeles Rams: C
I like the Kyren Williams pick and that’s about it. It’s not even a case of me disliking the rest of their class, but like previous years, the Rams drafted a bunch of players I never got the chance to watch so I can’t really judge their draft fairly. They only drafted Kyren Williams and Derion Kendrick who were on my final big board. What else can I say?
San Francisco 49ers: D-
I initially gave this draft a C- and then I realized that I hated this class so much that I changed my mind and had to dock points and it became a D+. Then when doing The Big Shots NFL Draft Podcast and discussing the haul, I changed my mind again. This draft sucked and made no sense.
Drake Jackson is a finesse rusher with zero power in his game and for a player that at one point was 265-270 pounds, that’s a glaring red flag. That still might have been their best pick and it was a reach.
I genuinely had no clue who Tyrion Davis-Price was when he was drafted (look down below, that’s my immediate reaction), so I had to ask someone who knew more about him than I did and the response was “he’s not at all a scheme fit and he’s a massive reach.” So let me get this straight, you drafted two running backs last year, including one in the third who wasn’t a scheme fit (remember Trey Sermon, everyone?) and one in the seventh who was your leading rusher last year, proving that you can throw any running back in Kyle Shanahan’s offense and succeed, and you decide to do this nonsense. Why are you hoarding running backs? Danny Gray is a player I genuinely have concerns with when it comes to his ability to catch the ball, so… that’s a miss in my books. Spencer Burford is a good developmental guard in this system. Devin Jackson, who covered the MAC said that Samuel Womack wasn’t draftable so I’ll take his word for it because I didn’t know who he was. The mid rounds were fluff for the Niners which is suboptimal and then finishing the draft with Tariq Castro-Fields and Brock Purdy just makes me feel very uninspired. Nothing about this class does anything for Trey Lance who, by the way, cost San Fran 3 first round picks!!! You’d think they’d have some urgency.
Seattle Seahawks: A-
Who replaced John Schneider with a GM that understands drafting and value? Charles Cross at 9, Boye Mafe at 40, Kenneth Walker in the 3rd- all three are day 1 starters. Abraham Lucas is a potential starter in year 2. Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen are prototypical starters in Seattle’s defense. That’s their first 6 picks. This was a golden draft.
