TMG DraftZone 2013 NFL Draft Grades: NFC West

Two years ago, the NFC West was a joke. The Seattle Seahawks won the division with a 7-9 record, and it did not look like things would get any better any time soon. But the arrival of Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco sparked a rebirth by the bay, Jeff Fisher is turning the St. Louis Rams around, Pete Carroll has one of the toughest defenses in the league in Seattle, along with a quarterback playing with a chip on his shoulder as big as all outdoors, and the Arizona Cardinals have brought in Bruce Arians to see if he can work the same magic in the desert that he did as interim coach in Indianapolis last year. Looking at the draft this year, all four teams hit it out of the park. The grade Seattle gets may not look like a reflection of that, but their first round pick went to Minnesota to bring in Percy Harvin, the explosive playmaker that gives Russell Wilson another weapon and who can loosen up the defense and open holes for Marshawn Lynch. St. Louis is reaping the bounty of their picks from the Robert Griffin III trade, and used the first rounder they acquired in that trade to move down for more picks and then add Alec Ogletree to the defense. San Francisco may have the best and deepest roster in the NFL, and the 49ers went into the draft with the most picks. That depth shows in the fact that they drafted two players very high who are coming off of knee injuries in college, Cornelious Carradine and Marcus Lattimore, who can essentially redshirt, get healty and make an impact in 2014. But the draft pick who is going to get the most attention was a third rounder in Arizona. Tyrann Mattieu was suspended in 2012 at LSU for a number of team rules violations, and whether he gets it now and can act like a professional or if he doesn't and still thinks he is the Big Man on Campus who can do what he wants because he is a football player remains to be seen. So here are the TMG DraftZone 2013 NFL Draft Grades for the NFC West, with key selections and sleeper picks: Arizona: A- Jonathon Cooper (G) Stephan Taylor/Andre Ellington (RB) The selection of Matthieu raised some eyebrows, but the hope is that Patrick Peterson can be his mentor much in the way that Cris Carter was for Randy Moss. But the fact that Matthieu say out last year is going to affect him more than anything. Arizona is strong at cornerback, and Matthieu looks to move into a safety slot if he is going to have an impact. But the trade for Carson Palmer is what has the fans in Arizona excited. Larry Fitzgerald finally has a quarterback who can get him the ball, but having watched Palmer since his elbow injury in 2008 with Cincinnati, it reamins to be seen if he can regain his Pro Bowl form. Palmer was at his best in cincinnati when he had a powerful offensive line in front of him, and a strong running game behind him. The Cardinals wanted one of the top tackles, but they were gone after the first 4 picks. They then went after the most athletic guard in the draft in Cooper. He can pass and run block, and the running game got an infusion of talent late in the draft with Taylor and Ellington. The defense got a shot in the arm when Kevin Minter fell to the middle of the second round. Minter will have an immediate impact shoring up the defense for the Cardinals. St. Louis: A Tavon Austin (WR) Barrett Jones (C) Having two first round picks gives a team the flexibility to move up, and the Rams made the move up to #8 and gave Sam Bradford the playmaker he really needs. The Rams then recouped the picks they traded to Buffalo to move up when the moved down and got Alec Ogletree at the end of the first round. If Ogletree can put his checkered past behind, he will be a steal of the draft. But the Rams great draft did not stop there. T.J. McDonald is a strong, physical safety who will help to stop the run game, and Austin's running mate at West Virginia, Stedman Bailey, adds to the passing game. But the Rams got the biggest steal of the draft when they got Barrett Jones in Round 4. Jones can play anywhere on the line, is tough, physical and very nasty. He even got in a shouting match with his quarterback late in the BCS Championship Game last year. Basically, he don't take crap from no one. He will anchor the Rams line for years to come. San Francisco: A Eric Reid (S) Quinton Patton (WR) The 49ers had the ammunition to move up to #18 and trade with Dallas to get Reid. This move shows the difference in management of the two franchises. San Francisco really knows what they are doing. Reid will move into the starting spot vacated by Dashon Goldson when he moved to Tampa Bay. But the biggest problem with the 49ers draft is that most of the players they selected won't make the team. Patton has a chance to move into the spot once occupied by Randy Moss, an dsecond round pick Vance McDonald gives San Francisco versatility in setting up two tight end sets. But this draft will be made when Carradine and Lattimore are fully healthy and can get on the field. Carradine looks to be the eventual replacement for Justin Smith, and Lattimore will relieve Frank Gore and then take over the role in the future. Seattle: B- Christine Michael (RB) Jesse Williams (DT) Michael has the talent, but he needs to get his head screwed on straight if he is going to make an impact. As good as Lynch has been, he could use some relief before he gets completely worn down from the wear and tear of the NFL. And along with Barrett Jones, his teammate at Alabama, Jesse Williams will be another steal of the draft. I'm still trying to figure out how he fell to the 5th Round. The Seahawks defense as become one of the toughest and most physical in the league, and Williams will only add to that. Russell Wilson gets a couple of potential targets to pass to in Chris Harper and Luke Wilson.

DSA Player Rankings 6.0--2013 Final Edition

It is time for the final edition of the TMG DraftZone DSA Player Rankings for 2013. I normally post this the day of the draft, but this year I'm going on vacation and leaving my computer and research behind. There may be a surprise player move up, but I don't see the top of the draft changing much at all. Geno Smith is the biggest drop at the top, falling four spots down to #9. With a clean bill of health, Star Lotulelei looks to be a near certain Top Ten pick, and he moved up 3 positions in the final DSA's. Tavon Austin is the premier playmaker on offense in the draft, and he jumped up 4 spots to #14. Safety is one position that is deep with very talented players, and I can see a run on the top players at the position come Thursday night. Kenny Vaccaro is the top rated safety at #17, but Matt Elam jumped 9 spots to #21, and Eric Reid and Jonathon Cyprien but made a huge move up the charts. Both players gained 16 positions in the DSA's, up to #28 and #29, respectively. And it seems that the fall of Damontre Moore is nearly complete. Once seen as a possible #3 overall pick to Oakland, Moore was shut out of all the mock drafts I researched for the final DSA's. In all the time I've done this, I've never seen that happen. Moore might still get a surprise call in Round 1, but if not I do not see him lasting too long in Round 2. There is too much talent there for teams to pass him by for too long on Day 2. So here is the final TMG DraftZone DSA Player Rankings for 2013: 1) Luke Joeckel 1.60 2) Dion Jordan 3.10 3) Eric Fisher 3.90 4) Sharrif Floyd 5.50 5) Dee Milliner 6.40 6) Lane Johnson 6.60 7) Ezekiel Ansah 7.20 8) Star Lotulelei 8.80 9) Geno Smith 11.30 10) Chance Warmack 11.30 11) Barkevious Mingo 11.80 12) Jonathon Cooper 12.30 13) Xavier Rhodes 13.80 14) Tavon Austin 14.30 15) Sheldon Richardson 14.80 16) Jarvis Jones 15.90 17) Kenny Vaccaro 16.60 18) Cordarrelle Patterson 20.50 19) D.J. Fluker 22.00 20) Alec Ogletree 22.60 21) Matt Elam 24.10 22) Bjoern Werner 24.30 23) Tyler Eifert 24.50 24) Sylvester Williams 24.50 25) Keenan Allen 25.90 26) Desmond Trufant 26.00 27) Manti Te'o 27.00 28) Eric Reid 30.10 29) Jonathon Cyprien 30.50 30) Cornelius Carradine 31.40 31) Datone Jones 31.40 32) Justin Hunter 31.40 33) Robert Woods 31.90 34) Menelik Watson 32.60 35) Kevin Minter 32.60 36) Zach Ertz 34.40 37) DeAndre Hopkins 34.50 38) Jamar Taylor 35.40 39) Margus Hunt 36.40 40) Eddie Lacy 36.80 41) D.J. Hayden 37.80 I look forward to the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft on Thursday. Without a sure fire lock at the top, is could very well be one that people will be debating for a long, long time.

DSA Player Rankings 5.0--The Post Free Agnecy Edition

Greetings and Salutations to All. The TMG DraftZone is back after a brief hiatus. Too much work and not enough time to write is making your favorite NFL Draft Blogger a very worn out, very dull boy. But I've been able to accumulate the latest NFL Mock Draft data to compile The Post Free Agency DSA Player Rankings, Version 5.0 In the time since free agency started, what have we learned in regards to the 2013 NFL Draft? The more teams change their roster, the more their draft needs stay the same. Kansas City still needs a bookend tackle who can eventually replace Brandon Albert. Jacksonville still needs a pass rusher and a franchise quarterback. Oakland needs a defensive tackle, and just about everything else, including a quarterback. Just because they traded for Matt Flynn, are getting rid of Carson Palmer, and still have Terrelle Pyror on the roster don't count the Raiders out of the Geno Smith Sweepstakes. Flynn may be a change of direction, but if you keep changing your direction by turning the same way all the time, all you do is keep going in circles. The DSA Player Rankings 5.0 shows not a lot of movement at the top. Luke Joeckel is still the choice of mock drafts everywhere to go #1 Overall to Kansas City. The Jaguars need to get a pass rusher has moved Dion Jordan up to #2, Oakland still looks like the landing spot for Sharrif Floyd at #3, and Chip Kelly would love to have Eric Fisher anchoring his offensive line in Philadelphia, and Fisher is the pick of many to land with the Eagles with the fourth pick. One casualty of free agency appears to be Cordarrelle Patterson, who looked to be a lock to go no later than #12 to Miami, until the Dolphins went out and signed Mike Wallace. As Patterson falls seven spots, Tavon Austni rises seven as well. Patterson might still be targeted by Buffalo at #8, and Austin looks to be in the sights of St. Louis at #16, but this draft is truly shaping up to be one for The Big Uglies up front. No running backs look to go in Round 1, many see only 1 quarterback going in the first 32 picks (although I still see a major Panic In The Draft Room epidemic breaking out), and though as many as 4 receivers could go in round 1, none look to go in the first seven selections. This is going to be an interesting draft to say the least. So here is the DSA Player Rankings 5.0, the Post Free Agency Edition: 1) Luke Joeckel 1.70 2) Dion Jordan 3.90 3) Sharrif Floyd 4.10 4) Eric Fisher 4.20 5) Geno Smith 5.10 6) Dee Milliner 5.30 7) Lane Johnson 9.40 8) Ezekiel Ansah 9.90 9) Barkevious Mingo 11.00 10) Xavier Rhodes 11.90 11) Star Lotulelei 12.30 12) Chance Warmack 12.70 13) Jarvis Jones 14.10 14) Jonathon Cooper 14.40 15) Sheldon Richardson 15.10 16) Bjoern Werner 15.80 17) Cordarrelle Patterson 18.20 18) Tavon Austin 18.20 19) Kenny Vaccaro 18.40 20) Alec Ogletree 22.90 21) D.J. Fluker 24.20 22) Desmond Trufant 25.80 23) Datone Jones 26.90 24) Keenan Allen 27.40 25) Tyler Eifert 27.50 26) DeAndre Hopkins 29.60 27) Matt Barkley 29.70 28) Sylvester Williams 29.80 29) Manti Te'o 30.30 30) Matt Elam 31.00 31) Johnathon Hankins 31.40 32) Robert Woods 32.60 33) Cornelius Carradine 32.90 34) Arthur Brown 33.30 35) Jesse Williams 34.70 36) Eddie Lacy 34.70 37) Justin Hunter 34.90 38) Damontre Moore 35.30 39) Menelik Watson 35.60 40) Margus Hunt 35.60 41) Kevin Minter 35.60 42) Johnathon Banks 35.70 43) Kawann Short 36.90 44) Eric Reid 38.10 I listed the top 44 players on this edition of the DSA Player Rankings, because that is how many players are getting solid looks at going in Round 1. It doesn't look like there is going to be a Chandler Jones or Shea McClellan this year, a player who appears to come out of nowhere late to make his way up into the first round. But this draft is so deep that players who have been getting grades to go around #25 will be going late in Round 2. Eric Reid is at the end of the list at #44, but a very strong Pro Day at LSU will make him to be this years best candidate to surprise in Round 1. And every year there is one player whose stock falls so far all you hear is the Hollywood Wilhelm Scream and he disappears from sight. So to honor the player who looks to be the biggest faller on the draft boards, I'm going to name this the Da'Quan Bowers Stone Drop Award. Bowers went from the early presumptive #1 Overall Pick in 2011, until concerns about his knees dropped him all the way to Tampa Bay at #51 in the 2011 NFL Draft. The year's recepient is Damontre Moore, the defensive end from Texas A&M. When the first DSA Player Rankings were released, Moore was a solid #3. Then the NFL Scouting Combine happened. Moore showed a surprising lack of strength and speed, and his draft stock has increasingly dropped. DSA 2.0 had Moore 9th, 3.0 at 19th, 4.0 seemed to signal a halt at 20th, but the 5.0 DSA Player Rankings have Moore at #38. It does not appear that Moore will be rising up the ranks any time soon. With the depth of defensive lineman, why should a team take a flyer on a player who doesn't look to have the motivation to show teams that his performance at the Combnie is not the player they will be getting in the draft. Moore has the talent to be an impact pass rusher in the NFL, and if he plays with the chip on his shoulder to prove everyone wrong he will be just that. Let's hope for the team that takes Moore that that chip is there from Day 1. I'm sure the next DSA Player Rankings will be the Geno Smith Show. With all the quarterback moves taking place, the big mock draft debate will be who is going to take Smith and where. It's going to be an interesting 23 Days up until the 2013 NFL Draft.