The hopes and dreams have come true for many young men. They’ll forever cherish the moment they got the call. The NFL is one of the most physically demanding sports. Some make it big, some flame out before their first preseason. Every team is open to skepticism when they make future investments in the young men they choose on draft day. With that said, let’s move forward with the NFC West (Seattle Seahawks, Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers).
The Seattle Seahawks
Round 1 • Pick 5 • CB Devon Witherspoon
Round 1 • Pick 20 • WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Round 2 • Pick 37 • EDGE Derick Hall
Round 2 • Pick 52 • RB Zach Charbonnet
Round 4 • Pick 108 • G Anthony Bradford
Round 4 • Pick 123 • DT Cameron Young
Round 5 • Pick 151 • EDGE Mike Morris
Round 5 • Pick 154 • C Olusegun Oluwatimi
Round 6 • Pick 198 • S Jerrick Reed II
Round 7 • Pick 237 • RB Kenny McIntosh
Legion of Boom 2.0? This Seattle roster is starting to look scary. With the 5th pick, Seattle somewhat surprisingly took Devon Witherspoon. He can be trusted alone on an island matched up with the opponents number one WR. This seems unfair after hitting on Tariq Woolen last year. He plays with a lot of swagger and physicality. Does that remind you of anyone who also played on the Seahawks? Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what you’re thinking. On offense, they snatched up Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Their setting up Geno Smith nicely with Metkalf, Lockett, and now JSN. Where they went wrong was Zach Charbonnet. They hit on RB Kenneth Walker last year, who was in the running for rookie of the year with just under 900 yards rushing. Yes, they did lose Rashad Penny, but he was almost a non-factor in the offense last year. It appears to be a wasted pick. Overall, this draft appears to be a big step in the right direction.
NFC South 2023 Draft Grades: B
The Los Angeles Rams
Round 2 • Pick 36 • G Steve Avila
Round 3 • Pick 77 • EDGE Bryon Young
Round 3 • Pick 89 • DT Kobie Turner
Round 4 • Pick 128 • QB Stetson Bennett
Round 5 • Pick 161 • EDGE Nick Hampton
Round 5 • Pick 174 • OT Warren McClendon
Round 5 • Pick 175 • TE Davis Allen
Round 5 • Pick 177 • WR Puka Nacua
Round 6 • Pick 182 • CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson
Round 6 • Pick 189 • EDGE Ochaun Mathis
Round 7 • Pick 215 • RB Zach Brown
Round 7 • Pick 223 • P Ethan Evans
Round 7 • Pick 234 • S Jason Taylor
Round 7 • Pick 259 • EDGE Desjaun Johnson
The Rams finally had a draft! Their top pick was in the early 2nd round. Steve Avila should see the field often and early in an offense that was crippled by a poor offensive line. Very few QBs in the league can operate under the pressure they gave up. In the fourth, they selected Stetson Bennett. He’s a champion breed at the University of Georgia. Bennett will be Stafford’s contingency plan for when and if he gets hurt. In the Fifth, the Rams selected OT Warren McClendon, who has a checkered past. Remember Jalen Carter’s street racing stunt? McClendon was his codefendent. He and Carter were partying with two others. There were three cars placed at the scene. The third party crashed their car, unfortunately ending their lives. This isn’t McClendon’s only incident, just his most recent. If McClendon can turn his life around, I see him carving out a successful career. Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson is an award winning but undersized CB. The Rams did have success with an undersized CB, Nickell Roby-Coleman. So I think if anywhere will maximize his skillset, it’ll be in LA. Their other picks didn’t quite sit right with me. I expect their EDGE group to be an open competition with some draftees not making roster cuts. Overall, this is a medicore draft at best.
Pro Football Debate draft grade: C-
QB Stetson Bennett
The Arizona Cardinals
Round 1 • Pick 6 • OT Paris Johnson
Round 2 • Pick 41 • EDGE BJ Ojulari
Round 3 • Pick 72 • CB Garrett Williams
Round 3 • Pick 94 • WR Michael Wilson
Round 4 • Pick 122 • G Jon Gaines II
Round 5 • Pick 139 • QB Clayton Tune
Round 6 • Pick 168 • LB Pappoe
Round 6 • Pick 180 • Kei’Trel Clark
Round 6 • Pick 213 • DT Dante Stills
Arizona held a masterclass on getting the most out of the draft. Trade after trade after trade. The new regime understood their worth with almost every pick they had. They decided to maximize every little bit they could. Every trade down was a great move. There was great attention to detail with getting the appropriate draft value for their top picks. They worked their draft board to near perfection. With their first pick, they finally invested in their bad O-line. Paris Johnson was one of the top prospects this year for a reason. He should be an instant starter at either tackle position. BJ Ojulari is an edge rusher that plays with a great motor and physicality. He’s fun to watch on film. Kind of reminds me of the EDGE rusher they just lost to retirement (JJ Watt). He can play inside or outside at a high level. Garrett Williams was one of the few CBs in this class who played the outside. Across the board, he was projected to be a mid to late second round pick. To get him in the middle of the third was great value. This was one of our favorite drafts for a reason. The trades they made were solid and the draft value they got for just about every pick was awesome to see.
Pro Football Debate draft grade: B+
The San Francisco 49ers
Round 3 • Pick 87 • S Ji’Ayir Brown
Round 3 • Pick 99 • K Jake Moody
Round 3 • Pick 101 • TE Cameron Latu
Round 5 • Pick 155 • CB Darrell Luter Jr.
Round 5 • Pick 173 • EDGE Robert Beal Jr.
Round 6 • Pick 216 • LB Dee Winters
Round 7 • Pick 247 • TE Brayden Willis
Round 7 • Pick 253 • WR Ronnie Bell
Round 7 • Pick 255 • LB Jalen Graham
Let’s get this out of the way. The 49ers blew this draft. Ji’Ayir Brown is a good player who plays downhill and mean with excellent ball skills. They did take him with draft value in mind. He’ll be a good fit to a lackluster secondary. This is where the love affair stops. Drafting a kicker in today’s day and age shouldn’t be a thing til minimally the 6th round. Jake Moody was amazing for the University of Michigan, but it’s simply not worth high draft capital. Taking two TEs, when they already have George Kittle, doesn’t make much sense. Dee Winters is a player I personally liked as a sleeper pick. It feels unfair the 49ers were able to snag him when they already have a great linebacking core. He’ll provide good depth as an outside pass coverage linebacker. Ronnie Bell was fun to watch (when healthy), but he will not replace their top targets. He’ll be a solid third or fourth option. This draft was full of bad decisions, but the 49ers have a GM with a proven track record. Let’s hope these young men turn out to have great careers. No one should ever root against someone’s success, but let’s be honest, this draft was full of reaches with low to zero draft value. With that said, this is by far our least favorite draft.
Pro Football Debate draft grade: F
WR Ronnie Bell
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