The Arizona Cardinals tried again to get their franchise quarterback, while the Seattle Seahawks traded again and again and again.
ARIZONA CARDINALS
The Picks
1 (1). – Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray
2 (33). – Washington CB Byron Murphy
2 (62). – UMass WR Andy Isabella
3 (65). – Boston College DE Zach Allen
4 (103). – Iowa State WR Hakeem Butler
5 (139). – Alabama FS Deionte Thompson
6 (174). – Fresno State WR KeeSean Johnson
6 (179). – Georgia C Lamont Gaillard
7 (248). – Morgan State OT Joshua Miles
7 (249). – Temple DE Michael Dogbe
7 (254). – UCLA TE Caleb Wilson
The Best: GM Steve Keim crushed this draft. It’s easy to see the first six picks becoming Year 1 starters. It all starts with Murray to run coach Kliff Kingsbury’s Air Raid system. A receiver is only as good as his targets, and the Cardinals added the rocket-fast Isabella, the powerhouse Butler and the underrated KeeSean Johnson, who broke Davante Adams’ records at Fresno State. Even seventh-round tight end Wilson, a big-play weapon for UCLA, could become an impact player as a rookie. Murphy, a cornerback with excellent ball skills, and Allen, a defensive lineman with proven production, will help the defense immediately.
The Worst: Keim did what he had to do at quarterback but Josh Rosen was the 10th pick of the 2018 draft. He was traded for the 62nd pick of the 2019 draft. Essentially, the Cardinals gave Rosen a $10.88 million signing bonus for 13 starts.
“All spring, your mind races with the different scenarios,” Keim said. “At the end of the day, you had to look and say again, ‘What is really going to catapult us into being different?’ I’ve always been a visual guy and I’ve always had success evaluating quarterbacks when I trusted my instincts and my gut. I’ve missed on the guys that looked the part, smelled the part, you tried to invent and because all the things were connecting the dots. You scouted them and said, ‘Okay, they’re going to be a player because they look like this.’ I’m not saying that’s Josh Rosen. I’m saying I had my real success, guys I’ve loved that have been great NFL players, based on instinct.”
LOS ANGELES RAMS
The Picks
2 (61). Washington S Taylor Rapp
3 (70). Memphis RB Darrell Henderson
3 (79). Michigan CB David Long
3 (97). Oklahoma T/G Bobby Evans
4 (134). Washington DT Greg Gaines
5 (169). Wisconsin OT David Edwards
7 (243). Penn State S Nick Scott
7 (251). Texas Tech LB Dakota Allen
The Best: Great, just what coach Sean McVay needs is another toy on offense, but that’s what he got with Henderson. His three-year total was 3,545 rushing yards (8.2 average) and 36 touchdowns, plus 63 receptions for 758 yards (12.0 average) and eight touchdowns. His 8.9 average led the nation this season and his career mark of 8.2 is the best in FBS history. Long was a lockdown corner who was so good that he was barely challenged at Michigan. Rapp dominated at Washington and was far and away the best tackler among this year’s safety crop. While he aced the critical 20-yard shuttle and three-cone drill, he ran a molasses-fast 4.74 in the 40. Rapp’s career will be a fascinating testament to the importance (or lack of importance) on the 40.
Snead has a long history with Long “We had relocated to Los Angeles and I was taking, at the time, my freshman son to his first day of school at Loyola. We were probably in some administrative office and the assistant principal introduced me to this kid named David Long and said he was heading to Michigan. He had a really good, firm handshake and I told him, ‘Hey, Ann Arbor is a great place and Jim (Harbaugh) is a great coach and you are going to really enjoy it.’”
The Worst: The Rams needed to add pieces to their offensive line after losing guard Rodger Saffold and center John Sullivan but Evans was a penalty machine at Oklahoma and Edwards struggled in pass protection.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
The Picks
1 (2). Ohio State DE Nick Bosa
2 (36). South Carolina WR Deebo Samuel
3 (67). Baylor WR Jalen Hurd
4 (110). Utah P Mitch Wishnowsky
5 (148). Arkansas LB Dre Greenlaw
6 (176). Stanford TE Kaden Smith
6 (183). Vanderbilt OT Justin Skule
6 (198). Virginia CB Tim Harris
The Best: Bosa was an easy pick. The 49ers finished 23rd in sack percentage and 31st in opponent passer rating last season. The Ohio State star with the NFL bloodlines will help fix both areas. Odd as it is to say about a punter picked in the fourth round, but Wishnowsky is a game-changing weapon that will help the Niners win the field-position game. Hurd, who played running back at Tennessee before leaving the team to play receiver at Baylor, is a good player with huge upside. It’s easy to see coach Kyle Shanahan getting him involved as a receiver and runner.
The Worst: Samuel is a terrific player – just ask Clemson’s powerhouse defense, which watched Samuel produce 10 receptions for 210 receiving yards and three touchdowns in late November.
