Grading the Draft: NFC West
Seattle Seahawks
1(4) LB Aaron Curry- Best player available is sometimes the smartest draft strategy. The Seattle Seahawks are stacked at linebacker with Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill but adding Aaron Curry into the mix creates one of the leagues strongest units. Seattle faces Steven Jackson, Frank Gore and now Chris “Beanie” Wells in the NFC West on a regular basis, adding an elite player like Aaron Curry should be an excellent first step in regaining the toughness that Seattle once had on defense. Curry has long arms and possesses a very quick first step, he should start all year. Great pick!
2(17) C Max Unger- Unger doesn’t have to got far to become a pro offensive player. Not only was he right next door, playing all his college games at Oregon, Unger started every game in all four years for the Ducks. He has the power to handle the stronger players at the point of attack and will find a home on the offensive line early in his first year.
3(27) WR Deon Butler- might be a reach, unless he becomes an instant starter on kick returns there was no need to draft him this high, Butler is a all or nothing type player.
6(5) QB Mike Teel- Project player with good strong arm
Summary- the Seahawks get a huge boost in this draft grade after stealing away the Broncos 1st round pick next year. Seattle traded the 37th overall pick to Denver for Broncos’ 2010 First Round Pick. Add in the Curry and Unger and day two of the draft doesn’t even matter
Draft Grade: B+

San Francisco 49er’s
1(10) WR Michael Crabtree- What a steal, The 49er’s are stilling laughing at the Oakland Raiders for passing on this amazing wide-out. Crabtree has the ability to change a game in an instant and creates momentum with highlight reel catches and plays. If the 49er’s can find someone to throw him the ball expect a solid rookie season out of this kid.
3(10) RB Glen Coffee- Smart pick adding another relief player behind Frank Gore that can be groomed for the future. Coffee fits better into a zone blocking scheme with the one-cut-and-go type strategy but has the skills to be used on every down.
5(10) LB Scott McKillop- Nice addition this late into the draft, may struggle to find a spot but could be a strong special team player
Other Moves: The Niners made some smart picks on day 2 adding depth at QB with Nate Davis and Bear Pascoe at Tight End. Both players have a chance to move up the depth chart fast with huge question marks on the offense. Late round picks Ricky Jean-Francois and Curtis Taylor are long shots to make the team
Draft Grade: C+

St. Louis Rams
1(2) OT Jason Smith- Great pick, no need to analyze this one, Smith fills a huge hole that the Rams desperately needed to fix. Should start every game at left tackle.
2(3) LB James Laurinaitis- Steal! Great player that will fit perfectly in Spag’s defense, despite having a learning curve ahead of him. 3 year starter at Ohio State with at least 100 plus tackles in each of those years. Quick to diagnose plays and flows fast to the ball. Will take a bit a time to groom and might not have the best rookie start to the season but Laurinaitis will become the leader for the Rams much sooner than later.
3(2) DB Bradley Fletcher- to be honest Fletcher wasn’t that memorable until stepping up at the East West Shrine game. Great all round athlete that might be a better suited at Safety.
4(3) DT Dorell Scott- Another player that may be considered a sleeper. Scott had a rough year for Clemson in 08, but an excellent combine. The big man ran a 4.92, 40-yard dash at 312 pounds..That’s very impressive.
Other Moves: Offensive long shots were the name of the game at the bottom of the Rams draft. QB Keith Null has all the skills and size but will be a long shot on the roster. Running back Chris Ogbonnaya from Texas might be able to squeeze on the team in a reserve role as well as WR Brooks Foster on special teams.
Draft Grade: B

Arizona Cardinals
1(31) RB Chris Beanie Wells- Fallen Ohio State running back will prove to many that he shouldn’t have been overlooked. Cards got themselves a great every down RB, although Wells won’t likely get a heavy workload his use around the goal line will be very valuable. Not the perfect fit that Beanie was dreaming about, but a great pick up for the Cardinals.
2(31) DE Cody Brown- Fits well into the 3-4 defense adding great pass rushing skills and vision to the defense. Brown has a boom or bust tag on him in our opinion, he is a little undersized and has been known to take plays off.
3(31) SS Rashad Johnson- Best pick of the day, good awareness, instincts and is a hard hitter. Should find his way on to the field early
4(31) CB Greg Toler- another high risk player coming from a small school. There is much for him to learn, especially coming from his level of competition playing at St Pauls, but the Cards see something special in him.
5(31) OT Herman Johnson- At 6’7, 330lbs and coming from the university of LSU Johnson has on paper the skills to find a starting job at the next level, but after a long list of injuries (including a spider bite that cost him 3 games) toughness is a major concern
Overall: Not the biggest fan of this draft, Wells is a great player but Hightower is the same type of guy. With so many high risk players the Cardinals might not have much to add to their roster with this draft, even in a year or two.
Draft Grade: C