Grading drafts and trying to categorize them in any sort of alphabetical format doesn’t amount to much. No one knows exactly how this will play out, and everything is open to interpretation.
But, rest assured, once the rush of undrafted free agency dies down, and general managers and top decision-makers sit back and stare at their drafts, and their depth charts, and those of other teams, they start sizing things up, too. And in that process, some teams’ collections of players leave executives wondering how those decisions came together.
And, well, they tend to gossip about it. And we get to wind them up and listen, sometimes. And in casual conversations with general managers and evaluators about what transpired over the weekend, honestly, three teams came up quite frequently, generally unprompted, in the quizzical department, all in the same division (in full disclosure, Jacksonville was another top vote-getter, and perhaps we’ll get to them later this offseason).
So what do we make of the NFC West, save for Seattle? (“For not having many picks, [Seahawks GM John] Schneider killed it again,” one GM opined, for what it's worth.)
San Francisco 49ers
- Round 2, No. 33 overall: De'Zhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss
- Round 3, No. 70: Romello Height, Edge, Texas Tech
- Round 3, No. 90: Kaelon Black, RB, Indiana
- Round 4, No. 107: Gracen Halton, DT, Oklahoma
- Round 4, No. 127: Carver Willis, OL, Washington
- Round 4, No. 139: Ephesians Prysock, CB, Washington
- Round 5, No. 154: Jaden Dugger, LB, Louisiana
- Round 5, No. 179: Enrique Cruz Jr., OT, Kansas
This front office, under John Lynch’s guidance (though, let’s be real, pretty much anything that happens there is a Kyle Shanahan production) has gotten a reputation for reaching and being unconventional, if you will. That opened up a whole can of worms on draft social media Monday.
After failing to capitalize on mid-round picks at a time their rivals, the Rams, have made a cottage industry on it, there was more heat than usual on this crew. I asked two general managers before day two of the draft what they thought the 49ers would do with the first selection of the day, and both needed about five seconds to blurt out: Washington receiver Denzel Boston.
But the 49ers instead took Ole Miss WR De’Zhaun Stribling, a player both GMs liked later in the draft, but not as part of that early run on receivers. “They like to stretch for guys,” the second GM said. “I don’t get it.” The other said: “Lynch is starting to get called out by you guys (the media) for going off the grid? … I thought they had a weird draft, too. We really didn't love a lot of what they did.”
Major questions loom about the defense overall. And if Nick Bosa can’t stay healthy (and he seems to be following his older brother’s career arc at this point) and Trent Williams shows his age, this thing could crumble.
Arizona Cardinals
- Round 1, No. 3: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
- Round 2, No. 34: Chase Bisontis, G, Texas A&M
- Round 3, No. 65 overall: Carson Beck, QB, Miami
- Round 4, No. 104 overall: Kaleb Proctor, DT, SE Louisiana
- Round 4, No. 143 overall: Reggie Virgil, WR, Texas Tech
- Round 6, No. 183 overall: Karson Sharar, LB, Iowa
- Round 7, No. 217 overall: Jayden Williams, OT, Ole Miss
For a team that spent the offseason shedding Kyler Murray’s deal (signaling a full reset and an eye on the 2027 QB class), they raised some eyebrows.
Both GMs said that in Arizona’s spot, there’s no way they’re taking a running back third overall, worrying about the wear and tear before the team is even ready to contend. “How did that work out for the Giants and Saquon?” the second GM said, noting Barkley won a Super Bowl after leaving New York. One longtime NFL personnel exec said he was fine with taking running back Jeremiyah Love that high because he likes the talent so much, but was stunned the Cardinals didn’t spend much of the rest of the draft building an offensive line around him.
“I don’t like a lot of the rest of it,” the exec said. “They only took one offensive lineman (Chase Bisontis, G, Texas A&M), and not the best guard, and then a kid in the seventh-round (Jayden Williams, OT, Ole Miss). That didn’t work out real well for the Raiders last year.” Indeed, if this is Ashton Jeanty 2.0, that wouldn’t be pretty.
And while Miami quarterback Carson Beck wasn’t everyone cup of tea, he did have more than 40 starts and has been in various systems. “He was the most pro-ready kid in the class,” the first GM said, noting that he was even more prepared for Week 1 than first-overall pick Fernando Mendoza. The Cardinals kept Jacoby Brissett off his career year, gave good money to journeyman Garnder Minshew, and now have a limited window to evaluate Beck.
Me thinks Brissett is gone by the trade deadline. “I’d rather use that third round pick on a potential starting lineman than Beck,” the first GM said.
Los Angeles Rams
- Round 1, No. 13 overall: Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
- Round 2, No. 61: Max Klare, TE, Ohio State
- Round 3, No. 93: Keagen Trost, OT, Missouri
- Round 6, No. 197: CJ Daniels, WR, Miami
- Round 7, No. 232: Tim Keenan III, DT, Alabama
I saved the most bizarre and quizzical for last. We told you on Friday that the team would quickly shift its messaging about shocking the world and taking Alabama QB Ty Simpson 13th overall, followed by an all-time strange press conference to explain the pick.
They do actually like the kid, I swear. But for a team in Super Bowl-or-bust mode that clearly wanted to add another TE or WR to expand the offense (they took Max Klare at No. 61), using a rare high pick on a developmental QB with only four other selections is still tough for many to process.
“I really think they took him because they think he’s better than the other back-up options out there,” the personnel exec said. "And with Stafford’s back, and a roster that almost made the Super Bowl last year, that’s a need for them. But I don’t like that quarterback anywhere near that high, and I didn’t really get the rest of their draft.”
The first GM, in hindsight, is shocked the Rams didn’t trade down, and also wondered what the Rams offense would look like short and long term if they took a receiver like USC’s Makai Lemon there and added a tight end.
“I can’t get over the quarterback,” the first GM said. “I just can’t.”
Add us as a preferred source on Google