NFC Draft In Review

For the NFC North in review, you can see my past blogs for the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings.  Here's the rest of the NFC.

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals: Best Pick: Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee.  Sleeper Pick: O'Brien Schofield, OLB, Wisconsin.  Nice draft here, filling what they lost in free agency almost with every pick.  Skelton is a very good project QB and could be a starter with plenty of work.  Daryl Washington will rush the passer well for them.

St. Louis Rams: Best Pick: Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma.  Sleeper Pick: Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati.  The Rams got their QB and Oline help to out their first picks this year and last year.  Jerome Murphy is a good for depth, Gilyard should be a KR/PR threat and possible slot threat.  A good draft, but they need so much more at this point.

San Francisco 49ers: Best Pick: Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho.  Sleeper Pick: Anthony Dixon, RB Mississippi State.  Really good draft.  Davis and Iupati will set the foundation for the Oline for a long time.  Taylor Mays is really good value but needs work.  Bowman will play well if Singletary can get to him.  Dixon will bring another good running back to the depth chart.  Very solid.

Seattle Seahawks: Best Pick: Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State.  Sleeper Pick: EJ Wilson, DE, North Carolina.  The Seahawks did a great job, improving their secondary and getting their franchise LT.  Tate will give a spark to the offense with a new QB coming in.  Lots of good picks and good job by Pete Carroll.

NFC South

New Orleans Saints: Best Pick: Charles Brown, OT, USC.  Sleeper Pick: Jimmy Graham, TE, Miami.  First Rounder Patrick Robinson should be a solid starter someday, but with so many CBs taken early he could have been a reach.  Brown needs work, Graham is a project behind Shockey.  Sean Canfield will be a career backup in the NFL.

Carolina Panthers: Best Pick: Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame.  Sleeper Pick: Armanti Edwards, QB, Appalachian State.  Clausen is amazing value here, as some people think he is better than Bradford.  Edwards brings a slash guy, he can run the wildcat, trick plays, slot receiver.  I love guys like that.  LaFell could be a very good number 2 guy.  The rest of the picks are solid.  Not a bad draft at all.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Best Pick: Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma.  Sleeper Pick: Mike Williams, WR, Syracuse.  McCoy is their new Warren Sapp with a better attitude.  Brian Price was great value and if he works hard he can make a nice 1-2 punch.  Benn and Williams also need to work but could improve the offense drastically.  The rest of the picks were defensive help and a starting punter.  Not bad.

Atlanta Falcons: Best Pick: Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Missouri.  Sleeper Pick: Mike Johnson, OG, Alabama.  The Falcons found a really good OLB that will be a force in a few years.  I love Mike Johnson, who will be a backup for a few years could be a good starter.  Peters wasn't a great pick, and the rest of the draft isn't very good.  Solid, but not great.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys: Best Pick: Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State.  Sleeper Pick: Sam Young, OT, Notre Dame.  Bryant is a extremely talented receiver and makes the Cowboys offense, who will throw more this season, much more potent.  Sean Lee, if healthy, could be a starter at MLB.  Owusu-Ansah is a small college guy but could be good, in the short term as a returner.

Philadelphia Eagles: Best Pick: Brandon Graham, OLB, Michigan.  Sleeper Pick: Mike Kafka, QB, Northwestern.  Graham brings pass rushing, but is small for a DE.  Nate Allen is a good safety, but no Brian Dawkins.  Kafka needs a ton of work but could be solid down the road.  Riley Cooper could be a slot guy, and Charles Scott is a big running back to compliment McCoy.  Good draft, although a lot has to come through.

New York Giants: Best Pick: Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida.  Sleeper Pick: Chad Jones, S, LSU.  Pierre-Paul is an athletic freak and total feast or famine pick.  Linval Joseph is a huge DT prospect.  Jones could start sooner than later.  They got their punter, Dodge, and some good depth.  A lot of this draft depends on Pierre-Paul.

Washington Redskins: Best Pick: Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma.  Sleeper Pick: Selvish Capers, OT, West Virginia.  Williams over Okung was a bit of a surprise.  If he works hard, he takes care of a gaping hole for the Redskins.  Perry Riley could be a solid starter, and Terrence Austin will be solid on KR/PR and join the team as the tenth slot receiver.  Capers has tons of upside.  Not bad for a team not too far away from competing.