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Rotoballer kicks off the 2015 NFL Season by reviewing each teams draft, finishing the series with the NFC East. Draft expert Owen Elle gives his take on each teams ability to fill their needs and add overall talent to their rosters.
Check out our previous divisional draft reviews: AFC East, AFC North, AFC South, AFC West, NFC South, NFC East, NFC North
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Arizona Cardinals
Round 1, Pick 24 - OT D.J. Humphries, Florida
Round 2, Pick 56 - DE Markus Golden, Missouri
Round 3, Pick 86 - RB David Johnson, Northern Iowa
Round 4, Pick 116 - DT Rodney Gunter, Delaware State
Round 5, Pick 158 - DE Shaq Riddick, West Virginia
Round 5, Pick 159 - WR J.J. Nelson- Alabama-Birmingham
Round 7, Pick 256 - TE Gerald Christian, Louisville
Bolstering their Offensive line was clearly a need for the Cardinals and they addressed it late in the first round taking D.J. Humphries, who now joins Jared Veldheer and former first rounder Jonathan Cooper as part of the future of this offensive line. David Johnson, given the situation in the Cardinals running back depth, has a chance to start week one for Arizona and if not he can become a regular contributor as a rotation back. He's likely to push Andre Ellington for playing time. D-II defensive tackle Rodney Gunter, the team’s fourth-round pick, was projected as a 7th rounder by many, leaving fans scratching their heads. Arizona gave Carson Palmer a couple of weapons to develop late in the draft in Nelson and Christian, rounding out a fairly decent draft.
Grade: C+
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San Francisco 49ers
Round 1, Pick 17 - DL Arik Armstead, Oregon
Round 2, Pick 46 - SS Jaquiski Tartt, Samford
Round 3, Pick 79 - DE Eli Harold, Virginia
Round 4, Pick 117 - TE Blake Bell, Oklahoma
Round 4, Pick 126 - RB Mike Davis, South Carolina
Round 4, Pick 132 - WR DeAndre Smelter, Georgia Tech
Round 5, Pick 165 - P Bradley Pinion, Clemson
Round 6, Pick 190 - OG Ian Silberman, Boston College
Round 7, Pick 244 - OT Trenton Brown- Florida
Round 7, Pick 254 - TE Rory Anderson- South Carolina
The 49ers after three round perhaps had the best draft of any team in the NFL. After the third round, there draft really went downhill from a value standpoint. I love the addition of Arik Armstead and Eli Harold on the defensive line. The selections of Blake Bell and Mike Davis were fine, although it surprises me how San Francisco always needs to stockpile at least four or five running backs at any given time. The fifth round is too high for a punter and they severely reached for Smelter, Silberman and Brown. That being said, if the Niners feel as if those players are valuable enough to reach for, then hopefully San Francisco knows what they’re doing.
Grade: C
Seattle Seahawks
Round 2, Pick 63 - DE Frank Clark, Michigan
Round 3, Pick 69 - WR Tyler Lockett, Kansas State
Round 4, Pick 130 - OG Terry Poole, San Diego State
Round 4, Pick 134 - OG Mark Glowinski, West Virginia
Round 5, Pick 170 - CB Tye Smith- Towson
Round 6, Pick 209 - DE Obum Gwachum- Oregon State
Round 6, Pick 214 - DT Kristjan Sokoli- Buffalo
Round 7, Pick 248 - DB Ryan Murphy- Oregon State
This is hands down the worst draft by any of the 32 teams and it isn’t close. I will be fair and give Seattle the benefit of the doubt on defensive backs Ryan Murphy and Tye Smith, given they have produced fantastic players in the secondary, but almost every other player drafted is very suspect. Frank Clark being taken in the second is absolutely crazy because while he does possess a decent upside, has off the field concerns and is requisite of maybe a sixth or seventh round pick. Lockett was a reach but wide receiver is a need for the Seahawks. The rest of their players weren't even on the radar for most draft boards. Seattle shocked me with their draft this year and if I could give a grade lower than an “F” I would use it here.
Grade: F
St. Louis Rams
Round 1, Pick 10 - RB Todd Gurley, Georgia
Round 2, Pick 57 - OT Rob Havenstein, Wisconsin
Round 3, Pick 72 - OT Jamon Brown- Louisville
Round 3, Pick 89 - QB Sean Mannion- Oregon State
Round 4, Pick 119 - OT Andrew Donnal- Iowa
Round 6, Pick 201 - WR Bud Sasser- Missouri
Round 6, Pick 215 - OG Cody Wichmann- Fresno State
Round 7, Pick 224 - ILB Bryce Hager- Baylor
Round 7, Pick 227 - DE Ifedi Martin- Memphis
St. Louis really confused me with this draft. They had many positions to fill or add depth at like wide receiver, cornerback and safety, however they focused on their offense and were specifically offensive line-minded in this draft, taking four players for the line. The Rams must feel like if they just take enough offensive lineman that they will hit on at least a couple of them. I love the Todd Gurley pick at ten. It carries a decent amount of risk but presents massive upside as Gurley was one of the best RB prospects to come out of the draft in years. He'll likely be eased into his role as he recovers from his ACL tear, but there's no doubt that he will eventually become the lead back for the Rams. I don’t like the selection of Sean Mannion, seeing that both Bryce Petty and Brett Hundley were on the board, but I appreciate the Rams efforts trying to find a quarterback to develop while they begin the Nick Foles experiment in St. Louis.
Grade: C
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