Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals posted an impressive record of 11-5, with some tough wins in the division. Key injuries to Carson Palmer, Andre Ellington, and other key offensive players ultimately led to their demise. The Cardinals had a very busy offseason, hauling in some big names. They signed Mike Iupati and AQ Shipley to give their offensive line some help, and signed defensive players LaMarr Woodley, Cory Redding, Corey Peters, and Sean Witherspoon. All these players will be impactful in 2015, but the draft was still an important part of how the Cardinals' roster will shape out this season.
Best Pick- DJ Humphries (OL, Florida)
Humphries has a mean streak when on the field, and uses it to his advantage. It will never become an issue, and the chip on his shoulder should earn him immediate playing time. He excels as a run blocker, and uses his body well for a player his size. He shows great footwork, and shuffles side to side with speed, perfect for pass protection. If Humphries isn't a starter from day one, he will be used as a utility lineman, and likely an extra tackle in short-down and goal line situations.
Underrated Pick- David Johnson (RB, Northern Iowa)
Johnson was one of my favorite running backs coming into the draft, and landed in a spot where he will be in legitimate contention for playing time. Andre Ellington proved that he can't be relied on as an every-down back when he was oft-injured last season. Johnson has the size you want for a starting running back, and showed in college that he can be relied on to catch the ball (He posted 141 catches for 1734 yards and 14 receiving touchdowns in his 4 years at UNI). While he could use more power in his game, I believe it is an underrated part of his game that he wasn't able to showcase in college. If Johnson has a good showing in the offseason, he could be the early-downs back and potentially steal Ellington's job permanently.
Final Thought
Arizona has a very talented roster, but has been unable to stay healthy as a team. They didn't need much improvement at any specific position, which gave them the luxury of drafting guys they wanted. Humphries has a chance to be a starter early in his career, and could be one of the best picks in the draft. Second round defensive end Markus Golden will likely be a rotational player, and has some skills rushing the passer. David Johnson will likely overtake Andre Ellington at one point, and has the potential to be a star in the Cardinals' offense. The real sleeper from the Arizona class however, could be JJ Nelson. Even though he is a bit undersized, he has blazing speed (his 4.25 forty-yard time was best among receivers at the NFL Combine), and has shown pretty good hands. If some of the other receivers aren't playing to potential, Nelson could steal some time.
St. Louis Rams
Another year of struggle in St. Louis led to another disappointing season where the Rams finished 6-10. Sam Bradford tore his other ACL, and missed the entire season. The offense struggled for the majority of the season, led by a combination of Shaun Hill and Austin Davis. The bright spots were the emergence of arguably the best defensive line in football, including Rookie of the Year Aaron Donald (37 total tackles and 9 sacks). The running game got a new face when Tre Mason took over the starting role (765 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns), and while the Rams lost the improving Brian Quick, they had impressive spurts from Kenny Britt (48 receptions for 748 yards and 3 touchdowns). During the offseason, Bradford was traded for Nick Foles, they re-signed Lance Kendricks, and Britt. They signed defensive players Akeem Ayers and Nick Fairley, who will play into the key improvements on defense.
Best Pick- Todd Gurley (RB, Georgia)
To outsiders, it may have seemed like a terrible pick, but the Rams are looking at a bigger picture. They could potentially have one of the best running back tandems in the league in Gurley and Mason. They know the teams identity as a smash-mouth style of play, and wanted to compliment that by bringing Gurley in. The Rams know that in order to compete in the NFC West, they must be able to run the ball, since the other three teams have impressive secondaries (IE Legion of Boom, Patrick Peterson and the talented secondary in Arizona). Gurley may not be ready to start the season, while fully recovering from ACL surgery, but they have the insurance policy of Mason until then.
Underrated Pick- Jamon Brown (OL, Louisville)
The Rams needed to address the gaps ion their offensive line during the draft. Adding second round pick Joe Haventstein was a good start, but beefing the line up with Brown could be a great move. Jamon Brown is a huge man, coming into the league at 6'4" and weighing 320+ lbs. He is going to compete for the starting spot at right guard, and should win it. Brown is an excellent run blocker, and will be hard for anyone to push around in the passing game. If he transitions well to guard from tackle, we could be looking at one of the best guards in the future of the NFL.
Final Thoughts
St. Louis knew they didn't need to make any changes of the defensive side, allowing them to focus on improving the offense. The additions of Havenstein, Brown and Andrew Donnal give them talented bodies and depth along the offensive line. Selecting quarterback Sean Mannion allows the Rams some insurance in the scenario that Nick Foles doesn't return next year. The impact Todd Gurley could have on the offense might not be seen this year, or at least until he's fully healthy, but Gurley is one of the best running back prospects to come out of college in recent history. NFL Analyst and future Hall of Fame running back Ladanian Tomlinson said,"I'll tell you what, he is the best prospect we've probably had (at running back) since Adrian Peterson." For a former player of Tomlinson's caliber to endorse Gurley as such should put things into perspective. Unfortunately, 6th round pick Bud Sasser didn't pass a physical due to a heart condition and won't play in the NFL. As I previously stated, the Rams needed to address the holes in their offense, and although they may not be household names, they did a good job doing that. If they want to cement their identity as a run oriented offense, this was a good start.
San Fransisco 49ers
The Niners didn't meet expectations set by themselves after making it to the NFC Championship game in 2013. They completed the 2014 season 8-8 (3rd in the NFC West), which conclusively led to the exodus of Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. The Niners replaced Harbaugh with Defensive Line Coach Jim Tomsula, a popular choice among players. Then an unseen event took place. Linebacker Patrick Willis retired after 8 seasons with the 49ers, due to a reoccurring toe ailment. That was followed by the unforeseen retirement of linebacker Chris Borland, who was only 24 years old, and had just assembled a remarkable rookie season. They also lost a multitude of key players to free-agnecy, including Frank Gore (Indianapolis), Mike Iupati (Arizona), and Michael Crabtree (Oakland). With such a devastating roster turnover, San Francisco needed to make a commotion in the NFL Draft if they want to stay aggressive in the NFC West.
Best Pick
Eli Harold- (OLB, Virginia)
The Niners got a steal when Harold dropped into the third round. He may have been overlooked due to the fact that there was some high profile pass rushers in the first round, but he could wind up being the steal of the draft. He is the perfect size for an NFL "edge" rusher, and has astonishing strength for a player his size. He sets the edge well and has a variety of moves in his repertoire. Harold shows relentless pursuit when going after the passer, which will inevitably lead to a few extra sacks and knock-downs. With a depleted linebacking corps, the Niners needed a player of Harold's caliber, and he should be a passing downs specialist while Ahmad Brooks starts alongside Aldon Smith. Harold has a skill set very similar to Miami's Oliver Vernon, a player who flew under the radar during the draft, and wound up to be a star pass rusher (21.5 sacks since 2012).
Underrated Pick- Mike Davis (RB, South Carolina)
Although it is assumed that Carlos Hyde will replace the 49ers all-time leading rusher Frank Gore (signed with Indianapolis), there is still some carries that will be unaccounted for. There will definitely be a competition for the remaining carries, and Davis will be in the mix, along with Reggie Bush and Kendall Hunter. With Bush likely inheriting the third-down and passing downs duties, there should be some room for Hunter and Davis to compete some touches. Davis has a wrecking ball style of running, and makes defenders pay when hitting holes. He also attains top speed quickly, getting to the second level of the defense surprisingly fast. With a lot of mouths to feed, Davis has a lot to prove in the offseason, but I wouldn't be delirious to think that he could beat out the unimpressive Hunter for a backup job. Davis' style of play reminds me a lot of Brandon Jacobs, in the sense that he isn't afraid to initiate contact, and he can be relied on as a pass catcher. Be on the lookout for him to make a splash during the offseason.
Final Thoughts
The Niners lost a ton of key players during the offseason, so nailing the draft was crucial to the teams success in 2015. I believe that first round pick Arik Armstead is going to be a bust. He doesn't necessarily have the size that a prototype defensive tackle has, and his productivity in college wasn't there (2.5 sacs and 4.5 tackles for loss). Head Coach Jim Tomsula has a lot of work to do if he wants Armstead to reach full potential. Second round safety Jaquiski Tartt might be a serviceable starter somewhere down the line, but he'll need to be coached up as well. Playing college ball at small school Samford, he likely hasn't seen anything comparable to NFL level talent. Eli Harold might be the only player that I could consider a great pick. The Niners selected Blake Bell in the 4th round, but he has very little experience at tight end, having played quarterback at Oklahoma for much of his collegiate career. Mike Davis could find himself buried at the bottom of a log jam of running backs, and receiver DeAndre Smelter is going to have to compete with Quentin Patton and Bruce Ellington for snaps in the slot. The only way this draft could be considered a triumph, is if Arik Armstead winds up being a Pro-Bowl type talent.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks are considered one of the top teams in the league by anyone who watches football. Two trips to the Super Bowl over the last two seasons should prove that. In 2014, the Seahawks capped their season by losing in the Championship game to the New England Patriots by a few feet and a bad play call. Seattle started the offseason with a transaction that sent the football world into pandemonium, trading center Max Unger and a first-round selection to New Orleans in exchange for tight end and superstar Jimmy Graham. Although they lost key defensive players Byron Maxwell and Malcolm Smith, along with guard James Carpenter, they made some key additions by bringing in Carey Williams and Will Blackmon. The Seahawks have a deep, young talented roster which they've amassed mostly through their previous drafts, and looked to do so with the 2015 class as well.
Best Pick- Tyler Lockett (WR, Kansas State)
By saying that Lockett was the 'Hawks best pick ion the draft, not only am I saying that Lockett could be a gem, but I am also saying that Seattle had a terrible draft, which will be talked about a little later. Lockett is undersized for a typical NFL receiver, but he has good hands and posted the best 40-yard dash among receivers at the combine (4.40). He'll likely be involved in a competition for playing time with the rest of the mediocre receivers in Seattle, probably with Ricardo Lockette for reps in the slot.
Underrated Pick- ???
Seattle left a lot to be desired during the 2015 draft. Like I stated earlier, the Seahawks have a very talented roster top to bottom, and usually do a great job in scouting potential draft picks. I'm not going to question the picks they made later in the draft, primarily because I have no idea who a majority of the players they selected are. I think with the class that Seattle brought in, it is still too early for any of them to be considered "underrated."
Final Thoughts
Seattle whiffed the 2015 Draft in a colossal way. Aside from spending their first round pick acquiring Jimmy Graham, the class they produced was atrocious. Second round pick Frank Clark has a laundry list of off-field issues, including hitting his girlfriend and threatening to hit a hotel manager as well. He may start the season suspended, and his personal problems could be a huge burden to the 'Hawks. Tyler Lockett might not even find his way into the starting lineup in Seattle, and the rest of the players seem to be developmental type players who would be lucky to find a roster spot come week one. If the Seahawks start to descend from their winning ways, this draft class could be a huge reason why.
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