Grad school: A college football expert fills the draft needs of NFC West teams (2024)

Editor’s note: This is one of an eight-part series. Read it all here.

We’re blessed at The Athletic to have a huge team of NFL writers and college football writers, and the NFL Draft is the perfect opportunity for us to work together.

As a college football writer, I’ve been watching the potential draftees for the past (three or) four years. I know who maxed out his potential and who remains raw. I also know who might have some great intangible qualities that don’t show up in a draft combine workout. But I don’t know the needs of every NFL team like the beat writers who cover them do. So I asked our NFL beat writers to explain the biggest draft needs of the teams they cover, and I tried to match those teams with the perfect players — or at least the best available players — to fill those needs.

Today, we examine the NFC West …

Auburn DT Marlon Davidson (Andy Altenburger / Getty Images)

49ers

Picks: 13, 31, 156, 176, 217, 245

The 49ers’ Super Bowl roster remains largely intact save for two significant departures — defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and receiver Emmanuel Sanders. The team could stand to add a big, physical, gap-penetrating interior defensive lineman and a versatile receiver who can stretch the field. The 49ers also have been looking at offensive linemen — including tackles — tight ends, strong safeties and cornerbacks. The 49ers toggled between Ahkello Witherspoon and Emmanuel Moseley at right cornerback last year, and it was an area of weakness at times late in the season. Furthermore, Witherspoon, Richard Sherman and nickel cornerback K’Waun Williams are all going into the final year of their contracts. — Matt Barrows

The 49ers built a contender with first-round defensive line talent such as Arik Armstead, Buckner, Solomon Thomas and Nick Bosa. So it seems logical to spend one of those two first-round slots to try to replace Buckner. The question is which one. Auburn’s Derrick Brown fits the bill perfectly, but he’s going to be gone by pick No. 13. However, the 49ers probably can get Brown’s Auburn teammate Marlon Davidson at No. 31. Davidson is 6-3 and 303 pounds and played the bigger defensive end spot in Auburn’s defense, but he was always willing to slide inside when asked throughout his career. He led Auburn in tackles for loss last season, but he doesn’t need to play outside to get penetration. Davidson’s coachability and willingness to play multiple roles would make him a great fit.

So what should the 49ers do with No. 13? If they’re not sure Joe Staley comes back, then they probably need to take an offensive tackle here. Alabama’s Jedrick Wills and Tristan Wirfs could be gone by this point, so the choice could come down to Louisville’s Mekhi Becton or Georgia’s Andrew Thomas. Becton (6-7, 364) moves better than any human his size should, but he still will require some development once his NFL team gets him. He got excellent coaching from Dwayne Ledford his final season at Louisville, but before that he was flipping from right to left tackle depending on the formation in former head coach Bobby Petrino’s offense. If the 49ers think Staley is coming back for another year, they could take Becton and have him serve as an understudy to a future Hall of Famer. If the team doesn’t think Staley returns, Thomas feels more ready to step in as a starter and hold that position steady for years.

San Francisco’s next pick doesn’t come until the fifth round. This might be the place to beef up cornerback depth and roll the dice on finding a potential future starter. Missouri’s Demarkus Acy (6-0, 195) could be an option at one of the 49ers’ two fifth-round spots. Acy was an All-SEC player as a junior. He suffered a hamstring injury his senior year that limited him late in the season, but he was critical in a leadership role in an offseason where Missouri had to deal with an unexpected postseason ban handed down by the NCAA. There also could be some value at tight end down this way. Purdue’s Brycen Hopkins, son of longtime Titans offensive tackle Brad Hopkins, can provide coverage mismatches. So can LSU’s Thaddeus Moss, the son of Randy Moss.

Alabama OT Jedrick Wills (Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)

Cardinals

Picks: 8, 72, 114, 131, 202, 223

The Cardinals addressed a lot of their defensive issues in free agency with the signings of defensive tackle Jordan Phillips and linebackers Devon Kennard and De’Vondre Campbell. And they no longer need a No. 1 receiver after stealing DeAndre Hopkins from Houston. Post-free agency, their biggest need is at right tackle, where veteran Marcus Gilbert and third-year pro Justin Murray are on one-year contracts. Quarterback Kyler Murray is the future of the franchise; protecting him is paramount. — Scott Bordow

Given the moves the Cardinals have made, right tackle could be the best use of Arizona’s first pick. Alabama’s Jedrick Wills is a superior athlete who played right tackle in college — albeit with a left-handed QB, which means he had Tua Tagovailoa’s blind side. Wills is nimble enough to handle pass protection responsibilities for Kyler Murray and powerful enough to move defenders aside for fellow former Alabama star Kenyan Drake.

Arizona’s second-rounder belongs to Houston thanks to the D’Andre Hopkins trade — no complaints there — but the Cardinals could keep building a layer of protection for Murray by grabbing former Washington center Nick Harris in the third round. (This would assume they don’t re-sign veteran A.Q. Shipley.) Huskies coaches found Harris while scouting higher-ranked high school teammate Luke Wattenberg. Wattenberg redshirted, but Harris was immediately put to work despite being a 6-1, 270-pound guard. He found himself matching up with future first-rounder Vita Vea in practice every day and surprised everyone by holding his own. Harris grew into a 302-pounder who was one of the most athletic blockers in the Pac-12. He’s also a valuable asset to a locker room. He could take over at center, freeing up Mason Cole to play one of the guard spots.

The Cardinals have their fourth-rounder and one from the Texans from the Hopkins trade. One of those picks could be used to provide some defensive line help for Chandler Jones and Corey Peters. North Carolina’s Jason Strowbridge would be an intriguing choice here. Strowbridge (6-4, 275) played mostly three technique (outside eye of the guard) in Chapel Hill, but his length would allow him to play on the edge or as a five-technique (outside eye of the tackle) defensive end in a 3-4 like the one Cardinals coordinator Vance Joseph runs.

Another possibility with one of the fourth-rounders is Oregon linebacker Troy Dye, a volume tackler whose size (6-3, 231) and affinity for blitzing could allow him to play inside or outside. Dye went from being the best player on an awful Oregon defense as a freshman to the best player on an excellent defense as a senior, and his leadership helped the unit improve.

As we go deeper, let’s just keep loading a defense that was one of the worst in the NFL. The Cardinals finished near the bottom of the NFL in yards per play allowed (6.0), and they also faced more plays than any team except the Lions. This should feel familiar to college football fans who watched Kliff Kingsbury’s Texas Tech teams. The offenses were great, but the higher tempo forced the defense to spend a lot of time on the field. Usually, that led to a collapse.

The difference between the NFL and college, though, is that opposing coaches can’t talk potential draftees out of picking the Cardinals the way opposing coaches talked potential defensive stars out of signing with Texas Tech. So Cardinals general manager Steve Keim can keep picking defensive players and try to build a deep enough unit to handle the number of plays it inevitably will face without wearing out. If Florida State corner Stanford Samuels (6-1, 187) is available at No. 202, snap him up and put him in the same meeting room as Patrick Peterson. Samuels has a lot of physical gifts but could benefit from watching a true master work. In the seventh, take a flier on Michigan’s Khaleke Hudson. Hudson played the Viper (Jabrill Peppers) role in Michigan coordinator Don Brown’s defense. He’s smart and adaptable, but he’s also 5-11 and 224 pounds. Maybe he’s a box safety. Maybe he can fill in at outside linebacker in a pinch. At this point, look for versatility. If the defense has to face as many plays as it did last year, the Cardinals will need as much of that as they can get.

Ohio State RB J.K. Dobbins (Jamie Sabau / Getty Images)

Rams

Picks: 52, 57, 84, 104, 126, 199, 234

Re-signing left tackle Andrew Whitworth, center Austin Blythe and defensive lineman Michael Brockers addressed three of the Rams’ major needs, and they also signed defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson and linebacker Leonard Floyd. What does that leave? L.A. has some depth issues at inside linebacker, safety and cornerback, complicated by the fact that it doesn’t have a first-round pick (sent to Jacksonville last year in the Jalen Ramsey trade). The big question for the Rams, when it comes to the draft, is at running back: Todd Gurley is gone, and the Rams now have only career backup Malcolm Brown and lightly used 2019 rookie Darrell Henderson. The position must be addressed in the draft, but when? — Rich Hammond

College football fans will look at a backfield that includes former Memphis star Henderson and former Tennessee back John Kelly and say: “What are you worried about?” (Also, it’s nice to see former five-star recruit Brown still in the mix for carries this far into his pro career.) But it might be wise to add at least one more option as the Rams try to populate the committee that will try to replace what Todd Gurley gave them.

If Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor or Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins are available at No. 52, it would be worth scrapping the committee and taking another feature back. I think Taylor might be the best back in this class because of his combination of speed, balance, vision and ability to catch out of the backfield. But that’s why I doubt he’s available here. So let’s assume the obvious tailback choices are gone and look for value later in the draft. Instead, let’s go for someone at No. 52 or No. 57 who can open holes for those backs and take Robert Hunt from Louisiana Lafayette. Hunt (6-5, 323) played mostly tackle in college, but he projects as a guard in the NFL. It’s always good to find a dude with a nasty streak who can play both.

The Rams have that second second-rounder because they traded Brandin Cooks. A first-line receiving corps of Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and Josh Reynolds — with contributions from tight ends Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett — is plenty workable, but it could be possible to get a cheaper version of Cooks with one of those second rounders to make that unit deeper. If the idea is to replace Cooks, Penn State burner K.J. Hamler would be ideal. If the Rams don’t have a particular body type in mind, they could go for a bigger receiver such as USC’s Michael Pittman Jr. (6-4, 223) or Colorado’s Laviska Shenault Jr. (6-1, 227). Both are sturdy but still fast enough to get separation, and one of them might still be there at No. 52 or 57.

New defensive coordinator Brandon Staley is a Vic Fangio disciple who has worked the past two seasons in NFL defenses that frequently employed five defensive backs. In round three, Utah safety Terrell Burgess, who started his college career as a corner, could add some versatility in the secondary. With their compensatory pick at the end of the third, the Rams could add Appalachian State linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither. He’s undersized at 224 pounds, but he’s always around the ball.

In the fourth, let’s try to steal a back for the Rams. Sean McVay wanted a variety of shapes, sizes and styles in the backfield, so let’s add a rolling boulder. Boston College tailback A.J. Dillon checks in at 6-0 and 247 pounds. He’s the perfect counter to defenses that have lightened up to cover offenses that spread the field. He topped 300 carries in two of his three seasons at Boston College, but if the Gurley experience taught the Rams anything, it’s that backs shouldn’t be long-term investments. Dillon moves exceptionally well for someone his size, and he won’t face nearly as many loaded boxes as he did in college.

In the sixth, the Rams could grab Baylor DB Grayland Arnold to add more depth in the secondary.

Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts (Matthew Emmons / USA Today)

Seahawks

Picks: 27, 59, 64, 101, 133, 144, 162, 214

Before free agency, Seattle’s two biggest needs were offensive line and defensive end. After free agency, Seattle’s biggest needs are … offensive line and defensive end. Signing Jadeveon Clowney would solve one of those issues, but that move alone won’t be enough to revamp the team’s pass rush. Seattle can’t come out of the first two days of the draft without any edge-rush help. The situation up front is no different. Despite signing some veterans in free agency, Seattle needs a new left guard and a right tackle, preferably ones who excel at pass protection and have the chops to come in and start sooner rather than later. — Michael-Shawn Dugar

The Seahawks should be able to find help on the edge near the end of the first round. Had Iowa edge A.J. Epenesa run faster at the combine, he might not be available here. (And he still might not if someone is just in love with what he showed on tape.) But the Seahawks could benefit from the absurdity of the Underwear Olympics and get an effective pass rusher and excellent edge-setter. Epenesa drove some very good Big Ten linemen crazy, and likely first-rounder Tristan Wirfs — who knows him better than anyone because they practiced against one another for three years — considers Epenesa a brutal matchup.

At No. 59, Georgia’s Isaiah Wilson could be the plug-and-play tackle the Seahawks seek. Wilson may get picked higher because of his sheer size (6-6, 350) and athleticism, but he isn’t as polished as some of the other tackle prospects. Still, he has the raw tools to be good for a long time, and Seahawks right guard D.J. Fluker — a similar player coming out of college — could help guide him.

As for that second second-rounder, the Seahawks could give Russell Wilson another target by taking Notre Dame receiver Chase Claypool. Seattle already has a big receiver in DK Metcalf, but Metcalf is more of a field-stretcher. The 6-4, 238-pound Claypool would give the Seahawks a huge intermediate option and force opposing defenses to decide how they’ll cover jumbo receivers at various depths. This gets even more difficult with tight end Greg Olsen also running a route.

With that compensatory pick at the end of the third round, the Seahawks could roll the dice on Fresno State guard Netane Muti. The 6-3, 315-pounder has all the physical tools an NFL team could want, but he missed all or part of three college seasons with injuries. Someone is going to take Muti, and if stays healthy he’ll make that team look very smart. But if the risk feels too high, the Seahawks could go with a cornerback such as Michigan State’s Josiah Scott or Notre Dame’s Troy Pride.

Of course, if Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts remains available at the end of the third, the Seahawks could take him to back up Wilson. Few available quarterbacks can match Wilson’s athleticism, but Hurts does (though Hurts is nowhere near Wilson as a thrower), so the offense wouldn’t have to change as much if Wilson got injured. Plus, Hurts is capable of doing Taysom Hill things while serving as a backup. Teams are wise to this, though, and that’s why Hurts probably gets snapped up before this slot.

If they don’t go for the Muti option, the Seahawks could grab Ohio State guard Jonah Jackson with a later-round pick. Jackson spent most of his career at Rutgers but plugged in for the Buckeyes in 2019 as a graduate transfer. He’s an exceptional pass blocker, though his run blocking needs work.

Assuming Hurts is gone, the Seahawks could try to find a backup QB late in the draft. Hawaii’s Cole McDonald may need some time to adjust to an NFL offense after playing in the Run ’N’ Shoot, but he’s fast and accurate (63.8 completion percentage in 2019). That could make him a decent emergency stopgap.

(Top photo of Jonathan Taylor: Jeff Hanisch / USA Today)