2019 NFL Draft Recap – NFC West

Now that the NFL Draft has long seen its completion, it’s a great opportunity to dive in and analyse the potential. With the Rams looking to get back to the big dance, they will undoubtedly have a great level of competition on their hands. With the 49ers looking to finally showcase what they could become, don’t count out the up and coming Seahawks. Contests coming from the NFC West will be fantastic in 2019.

NFC WEST

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Round 1 (2): Nick Bosa (DL) - Ohio State
Round 2 (36): Deebo Samuel (WR) - South Carolina
Round 3 (67): Jalen Hurd (WR) - Baylor
Round 4 (110): Mitch Wishnowsky (P) - Utah
Round 5 (148): Dre Greenlaw (LB) - Arkansas
Round 6 (176): Kaden Smith (TE) - Stanford
Round 6 (183): Justin Skule (OL) - Vanderbilt
Round 6 (198): Tim Harris (DB) - Virginia

Undrafted Free Agents:

Tyree Mayfield, TE, Wyoming | Wilton Speight, QB, UCLA | Kevin Givens, DT, Penn State | Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, S, Arizona | Ross Reynolds, OL, Iowa | Cam Glenn, DB, Wake Forest | Malik Henry, WR, West Georgia | Azeez Al-Shair, LB, Florida Atlantic | Jamell Garcia-Williams, DL, Alabama Birmingham | Shawn Poindexter, WR, Arizona

Since Kyle Shanahan came aboard as the 49ers head coach, he hasn’t seen the fruits of his labor transpire on the field just yet. With another draft class filled with more talent to help get them over the hump, could this be the season we see San Francisco take that leap.

With their first round pick, the 49ers went with a no brainer choice in Ohio State standout and brother of Chargers Joey Bosa – Nick Bosa. Bosa has been viewed to have equal or a slight edge on his brother in terms of overall talent which will work nicely on this defense. Building a top notch front seven on defense will get you to big places in this league, and we find zero flaws in this selection. With checking off all the intangibles of height, speed and power, Bosa should slot in day one making his presence known.

Looking to add more fire power on the offensive side, which clearly lacks to talents of a true number one receiving threat, the 49ers went back-to-back picks securing pass catchers. First, in selecting the extremely tough Deebo Samuel, we have an uneven thought process about this selection. Obviously looking to get physical over the middle, Samuel should instantly help in that regard. Having good speed and great after the catch ability, we can’t see any situation where Shanahan doesn’t use him in the slot primarily. Samuel has potential to play on the outside as well, but might have a difficult time beating NFL corners consistently early in his career.

Coming back in the third round to select the tremendously tall Baylor product Jalen Hurd, it’s clear the 49ers want to be as multi-dimensional as possible. Hurd stands at an impressive six-foot, five-inches tall and possesses great athletic ability. Being pegged as a little raw entering the NFL, solid coaching and on field experience will go a long way in his development. Having a capable redzone threat to team up with George Kittle will give the opposition issues all season. High upside, low floor sits with Hurd.

     

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Round 2 (61): Taylor Rapp (S) - Washington
Round 3 (70): Darrell Henderson (RB) - Memphis
Round 3 (79): David Long (CB) - Michigan
Round 3 (97): Bobby Evans (T) - Oklahoma
Round 4 (134): Greg Gaines (DT) - Washington
Round 5 (169): David Edwards (T) - Wisconsin
Round 7 (243): Nick Scott (S) - Penn State
Round 7 (251): Dakota Allen (LB) - Texas Tech

Undrafted Free Agents:

Romello Brooker, TE, Houston | Troy Reeder, LB, Delaware | Chandler Brewer, OL, Middle Tennessee State | Kendall Blanton, TE, Missouri | Tyrell Thompson, DL, Tarleton State | Marquise Copeland, DT, Cincinnati | Natrez Patrick, LB, Georgia | Vitas Hrynkiewicz, C, Youngstown State | Brandon Hitner, OL, Villanova | Alex Bachman, WR, Wake Forest | Keenan Brown, TE, Texas State | Matt Colburn, RB, Wake Forest | Nsimba Webster, WR, Eastern Washington | Landis Durham, LB, Texas A&M | Matt Kaskey, OL, Dartmouth | Jonathan Lloyd, WR, Duke | Justice Powers, OL, Alabama Birmingham | Owen Roberts, DT, San Jose State | Justin Sumpter, WR, Kennesaw State

With the Rams coming off a Super Bowl loss last season, it’s abundantly clear that more depth is the objective rather than trying to find starters on this already stacked roster.

Looking to add playmakers on the defensive backend, the Rams may have found a player that will challenge to start games this season in Taylor Rapp from Washington. Rapp has good size for today’s NFL safeties and holds a sound pedigree in knowing his positioning on the field. His greatest skill is recognizing the point of attack in the run game and should make his name known in that regard. This is a sound addition for a defense that had moments of distress last year.

With all the buzz surrounding the Rams super star running back Todd Gurley and his arthritic knee condition, the Rams chose to hedge their bets in this draft when they selected Darrell Henderson from Memphis. Henderson gained a ton of support after showing very well in college and confirming it at the combine. Henderson could become a perfect complement to Gurley stealing a multitude of carries in the process. After seeing Gurley fall to injuries last season, it was clear Coach McVay had no interest in not having a solid backup plan on the docket.

Looking to keep this offense moving in the right direction, the Rams knew help was needed on the offensive line to which they pilfered Bobby Evans for added depth. Evans is built like a Mack-truck and should challenge from day one to steal a role. Having the ability to play both book-ends, Evans has all the tools to compete with the best in the NFL. Keeping Jared Goff off the turf while opening up lanes for the run game is McVay’s top priority and the Rams will continue to move forward in 2019 with this sound selection.      

ARIZONA CARDINALS

Round 1 (1): Kyler Murray (QB) - Oklahoma
Round 2 (33): Byron Murphy (DB) - Washington
Round 2 (62): Andy Isabella (WR) - Massachusetts
Round 3 (65): Zach Allen (DL) - Boston College
Round 4 (103): Hakeem Butler (WR) - Iowa State
Round 5 (139): Deionte Thompson (DB) - Alabama
Round 6 (174): KeeSean Johnson (WR) - Fresno State
Round 6 (179): Lamont Gaillard (OL) - Georgia
Round 7 (248): Joshua Miles (OL) - Morgan State
Round 7 (249): Michael Dogbe (DL) - Temple
Round 7 (254): Caleb Wilson (TE) - UCLA

Undrafted Free Agents:

Ryan Pulley, CB, Arkansas | Drew Anderson, QB, Murray State | Tariq Cole, OL, Rutgers | Drew Belcher, TE, Maine | Xavier Turner, RB, Tarleton State | James Folston, LB, Pitt | A.J. Richardson, WR, Boise State | Dante Booker, LB, Ohio State | Miles Brown, DL, Wofford | Immanuel Turner, DL, Louisiana Tech | William Sweet, OL, North Carolina | Jerome Washington, TE, Rutgers

The Arizona Cardinals made bold changes this offseason to their coaching staff which meant a drastic new direction which was felt during this draft. Feeling that last year’s first round quarterback (Josh Rosen) wasn’t the answer, picking the electric talents of Kyler Murray should instantly provide a lift. Admittedly, we weren’t fully on the Murray bandwagon, but have come around to appreciate the ability. Murray is a true game changer that will lift everyone around him. This offense will become more multi-faceted under Murray creating havoc with every snap. Growing pains will be felt early as it is for any rookie passer, but we love the prospects of how the Cards have rebuilt.

Looking to help aid the defensive development, the Cardinals also chose another ADF favorite in defensive back Byron Murphy. While his traits made some shy away, the overall aspect of his game is solid as he possesses great instincts to break on passes. The concern is real if matched up against a speedy NFL receiver, as the tendency is there to get burned. However, given the smarts Murphy has, his technique can mask that most of the time.

Sticking to the offensive rebuild, the Cardinals found great intrigue in our minds in choosing Andy Isabella and Hakeem Butler in the second and fourth rounds. Isabella is nearly a clone of former NFLer Wes Welker and should find a role in the slot assisting Kyler Murray early. While Larry Fitzgerald should maintain his role as the top over the middle presence, the indication is that Arizona will employ an air-raid offensive approach, which could support all these receivers.

Continuing down the path of potential receiver picks, Hakeem Butler is a very interesting player that could become someone to talk about if he progresses. Butler has great size and speed to man an outside position in the NFL but does hold inadequacies to his overall game. The first is the amount of dropped passes seen from his game film and the limited route running ability. If Butler can’t clean these aspects up, he could become an afterthought rather quickly.  

The remainder of this draft class does house very strong talent which could provide for a rapid rebuild, but knowing potential sidesteps from most first year coaching staffs, we must temper full expectations.

            

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Round 1 (29): L.J. Collier (DL) - TCU
Round 2 (47): Marquise Blair (DB) - Utah
Round 2 (64): D.K. Metcalf (WR) - Mississippi
Round 3 (88): Cody Barton (LB) - Utah
Round 4 (120): Gary Jennings Jr. (WR) - West Virginia
Round 4 (124): Phil Haynes (OL) - Wake Forest
Round 4 (132): Ugo Amadi (DB) - Oregon
Round 5 (142): Ben Burr-Kirven (LB) - Washington
Round 6 (204): Travis Homer (RB) - Miami
Round 6 (209): Demarcus Christmas (DL) - Florida State

Undrafted Free Agents:

Demetrius Knox, OL, Ohio State | Derrek Thomas, CB, Baylor | Jazz Ferguson, WR, Northwestern State | Davante Davis, CB, Texas | Mik'Quan Deane, TE, Western Kentucky

Taryn Christion, QB South Dakota State | Terry Wright, WR, Purdue | Adam Choice, RB, Clemson | Jalen Harvey, SS, Arizona State | Jay-Tee Tiuli, DT, Eastern Washington | Bryant Mone, DT, Michigan | Justin Johnson, TE, Mississippi State

The Seattle Seahawks surprised last season with how well they performed in the midst of a rebuild of the roster. Heading into this draft class, more tinkering was obvious as Seattle looks to gain yet another edge.

Seattle has never been shy in taking chances on players others view as a reach. With their first round selection the Hawks looked to fill a giant hole on the defensive line with the edge rushing talents of L.J Collier. Having only been a one year starter in college, some truly believe greater value could’ve been had. In our eyes this pick isn’t as bad as people think but could require some time. Being a scheme fit is apparently the most important but he does have sound traits off the edge. Having speed and good size, Collier should be able to learn fast with experience. For our flavor, we would’ve gone in another direction, but don’t hate this pick whatsoever.

Jumping ahead to their second pick in the second round, we truly are enthralled with the potential of D.K Metcalf heading to the Pacific North West. Proving his ability in the NFL combine, Metcalf showed the world he was beyond elite in terms of physical traits. While we fully understand the shortcomings, we feel as though these can be coached up and exploited. Route running is the largest pain point when reviewing Metcalf as he shows struggle in getting out of his breaks. With that said, Metcalf’s game is power and speed which will become a welcome sight to Russell Wilson. We see nothing but right with this pick.

Locking up more depth pieces with the potential to find a few more starters looks to be the fabric of the remaining members of this class, but we really do see solid players now rostered on this Hawks team.