As the 2011 NFL Draft has drawn to a close, the San Francisco 49ers' divisional rivals made some good pickups over the course of the draft, but also made a few head scratchers as well. Take the Seattle Seahawks, who only had two picks in the first three rounds, but made up for it on Saturday with 7 picks in rounds 4-7. The names they chose my not be as recognizable to many, but the chances of them finding a diamond in the rough in much for likely than the rest of the NFC West.
Seattle Seahawks Day Three Picks:
- K.J. Wright, OLB, Mississippi State, 99th overall (4th round)
- Kris Durham, WR, Georgia, 107th overall (4th round)
- Richard Sherman, CB, Stanford, 154th overall (5th round)
- Mark LeGree, S, Appalachian State, 156th overall (5th round)
- Byron Maxwell, CB, Clemson, 173rd overall (6th round)
- Lazarius Levingston, DE, LSU, 205th overall (7th round)
- Malcolm Smith, OLB, USC, 242nd overall (7th round)
The 4 picks the Seahawks had in the 4th and 5th rounds could prove to pay dividends for Pete Carroll, especially since they had a pretty big need for a cornerback and a wide receiver. The 'Hawks game plan looks to be to find great athletes in the later rounds and hope they produce as not many of their picks are stand out names that immediately draw attention to themselves. The 49ers had 7 picks today as well, but 3 of those were in the 7th round and only 2 in the 4th and 5th rounds combined. The Seahawks could have some surprise stars on their squad next season, and some of them likely have been named above.
St. Louis Rams Day Three Picks:
- Gergory Salas, WR, Hawaii, 112th overall (4th round)
- Jermale Hines, S, Ohio State, 158th overall (5th round)
- Mikhail Baker, DB, Baylor, 216th overall (7th round)
- Jabara Williams, OLB, SF Austin, 228th overall (7th round)
- Jonathan Nelson, CB, Oklahoma, 229th overall (7th round)
The Rams were without a 6th round pick due to the Mark Clayton trade they had with Baltimore, but made some solid pick ups in the 4th an 5th rounds. Gregory Salas could be a nice compliment to their 3rd round pick, Austin Pettis, and safety Jermale Hines may turn out to be a late round steal. The Rams had a nice draft, and in my opinion did a good job at making picks to make their second year quarterback Sam Bradford be even more efficient in 2011. Good work by Steve Spagnuolo and the rest of his braintrust.
Arizona Cardinals Day Three Picks:
- Sam Acho, DE, Texas, 103rd overall (4th round)
- Anthony Sherman, FB, Connecticut, 136th overall (5th round)
- Quan Sturdivant, ILB, North Carolina, 171st overall (6th round)
- David Carter, DT, UCLA, 184th overall (6th round)
- Demarco Sampson, WR, San Diego State, 249th overall (7th round)
I'm still surprised that the Cardinals didn't draft a single quarterback because to me, that is their most glaring need that they have. But they must have other plans in that category, maybe they have an upper hand via a trade that no one knows about yet. But I think their pick up of Sam Acho is absolute robbery at the 103rd pick overall, and fullback Anthony Sherman could definitely help them out in short yardage situations or as a blocker. Wide receiver Demarco Sampson could be provide a late round spark as well as many thought he would go much higher in the draft. Im sure Ken Whisenhunt will catch some flac for not nabbing a QB, but he stuck with his philosophy of taking the best talent available instead of drafting for team needs.