The NFC West should be one of the most interesting divisions to watch in 2021. It was competitive in 2020 and was the only division in football where each team won at least six games. I would expect a similar situation next year and each team has plenty of reason to believe they can make a deep postseason run. Here are my draft grades for their 2021 classes.
Arizona Cardinals
1.16 – LB Zaven Collins, Tulsa
2.49 – WR Rondale Moore, Purdue
4.136 – CB Marco Wilson, Florida
6.210 – EDGE Victor Dimukeje, Duke
6.223 – CB Tay Gowan, UCF
7.243 – S James Wiggins, Cincinnati
7.247 – IOL Michael Menet, Penn State
The Kliff Kingsbury era in Arizona hasn’t been as impressive as many expected. They are clearly keen to change things this offseason though and their moves for J.J. Watt and A.J. Green shows they mean business. In truth, their draft class felt like a really mixed bag. Zaven Collins is a talented player, but I feel like No. 16 overall was a bit of a reach. His ability as a blitzer will be a nice fit in Vance Joseph’s defense, but I have concerns how he will translate in coverage, particularly at 270 lbs. It is an even more unusual pick considering they took Isaiah Simmons inside the top ten last year.
Rondale Moore at No. 49 felt like great value and he will be a perfect fit in their offense. The Cardinals ran the fourth most screens in the NFL last season and Moore gives them a true YAC weapon. He lacks ideal size, but he is a powerful runner with 4.2 speed. I wasn’t anywhere near as keen on the rest of their moves, with the exception of Tay Gowan in the sixth round. Gowan was the No. 60 overall player and CB8 on my Big Board. He looks like he could get plenty of reps in 2021 and may be one of the steals of the draft.
Los Angeles Rams
2.57 – WR Tutu Atwell, Louisville
3.103 – LB Ernest Jones, South Carolina
4.117 – IDL Bobby Brown III, Texas A&M
4.130 – CB Robert Rochell, Central Arkansas
4.141 – WR Jacob Harris, UCF
5.174 – EDGE Earnest Brown IV, Northwestern
7.233 – RB Jake Funk, Maryland
The Rams haven’t had a first round pick since they took Jared Goff way back in 2016 and won’t have one again until at least 2024. That obviously makes it more important than usual to hit with your picks on day two. Right now it looks like the Rams had one of the worst day two hauls of any team in this year’s draft. Tutu Atwell offers decent speed but at 149 lbs he is the lightest wide receiver ever drafted in the NFL. He lacks any sort of polish as a route runner and can be taken out of the game with physicality. Their third rounder in Ernest Jones didn’t even feature on my Big Board and ranked 204th on The Athletic’s Consensus Board.
Their day three picks didn’t get an awful lot better. Bobby Brown is a solid enough option in the fourth round and Robert Rochell has the tools you want from a developmental cornerback. Jacob Harris is another athletic freak, but he could take some time to adjust to playing tight end after being a receiver at UCF. Earnest Brown and Jake Funk both look like special teams guys. They also both ranked outside the Top 300 on the Consensus Board. I’m not sure the Rams added a single above average starter in their entire class.
Grade: E
San Francisco 49ers
1.3 – QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State
2.48 – IOL Aaron Banks, Notre Dame
3.88 – RB Trey Sermon, Ohio State
3.102 – CB Ambry Thomas, Michigan
5.155 – OT Jaylon Moore, Western Michigan
5.172 – CB Deommodore Lenoir – Oregon
5.180 – S Talanoa Hufanga, USC
6.194 – RB Elijah Mitchell, Louisiana
The 49ers surprised many when they selected Trey Lance at No. 3 overall and in truth, the success or failure of this class will always come down to that pick. John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan made a huge commitment in trading three first round picks for Lance and it will be interesting to whether he lives up to expectation. He is still very raw, which is understandable given his lack of collegiate experience. His combination of traits are rare though and he has everything you could possibly ask for in a young quarterback.
The rest of their class was less exciting. Aaron Banks is a solid addition along the offensive line, but taking him in the second round felt incredibly rich. His lack of athleticism and ability on the move makes him a strange fit in the 49ers’ outside zone scheme. Trey Sermon in the third round should be a quality NFL back, but it felt like they had far bigger needs to address on their roster. They finally addressed cornerback with Ambry Thomas, but they still look to have one of the weaker secondaries in the NFC. 2021 will definitely be an interesting season in San Francisco.
Grade: B-
Seattle Seahawks
2.56 – WR D’Wayne Eskridge, Western Michigan
4.137 – CB Tre Brown, Oklahoma
6.208 – OT Stone Forsythe, Florida
The Seahawks traded most of their future draft capital to get Jamal Adams last summer and they had just three picks in this year’s draft, by far the fewest of any team. Their first move was getting Eskridge in the second round, which felt like a significant reach. Whilst he offers elite deep speed and YAC ability, he comes with serious drop issues. At 24 he is also one of the oldest receivers in this year’s draft class. He might develop into a decent slot receiver, but I can’t see him justifying such an early pick.
Their other two picks were pretty good though. Tre Brown in the fifth round looks like great value and he should help to improve a terrible secondary. Whilst he lacks ideal size he plays with genuine physicality and is one of the better ball hawks in this year’s class. My favourite move came in the sixth round with the selection of Forsythe. I had Forsythe as a third round talent and he ranked 118th on The Athletic’s Consensus Board. To get him all the way down at No. 208 overall looks like exceptional value. He is a fantastic pass protector and should help to keep Russell Wilson upright.
Grade: B
