Day 1 of the 2019 NFL Draft came and went without the Los Angeles Rams making a pick. The Rams traded down with the Falcons, and will now pick 45th overall. But while the Rams had a quiet opening night of the draft, their division rivals were busy.
The Cardinals, of course, picked first overall, and the Seahawks and 49ers made some splashes, as well. Here’s how the night went for each NFC West team:
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals had the most anticipated selection of the draft, picking first overall. There had been some last-minute buzz that the team would look to trade down or select a defensive lineman, but they ended up going with Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray.
The conventional wisdom for the past couple of months had been that Murray would be the pick, and ultimately they never strayed. The Cardinals did a good job of not letting it leak officially, leaving some level of doubt right up until the time the pick was due.
Now that Murray is paired with new coach Kliff Kingsbury for the foreseeable future, the Cardinals will look to trade Josh Rosen. A report from Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk indicated they’re close to a deal with the Dolphins, but nothing has materialized yet. One thing is for certain, and that’s that this 2019 Cardinals team will look radically different from the one the Rams saw last season.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers picked right after the Cardinals at second overall, and they also got their guy. They drafted Nick Bosa, the pass rusher from Ohio State. Bosa had been heavily linked to the 49ers during the pre-draft process, so this also wasn’t much of a surprise.
San Francisco has consistently struggled to generate much pressure off the edge during the Kyle Shanahan era, and Bosa should help with that. With Bosa – the younger brother of Chargers star defensive end Joey Bosa – now in the fold, the 49ers are reportedly shopping Solomon Thomas, the third overall pick in 2017.
After a dominant sophomore season with the Buckeyes, Bosa was widely regarded as a potential top overall pick heading into 2018. Injuries ended up limiting him to just three games this past season, but he still managed six tackles for loss and four sacks. With Bosa and DeForest Buckner leading the way, the 49ers will have a dangerous defensive line next year.
Seattle Seahawks
Seattle had one of the more interesting days of any team. A week ago, the Seahawks had just four picks in the draft, the fewest of any team in the league. Then they started wheeling and dealing. They traded away pass-rusher Frank Clark to the Chiefs earlier this week, which netted them a first-round pick in 2019 and a second-rounder in 2020, as well as a pick-swap in Round 3 this year.
Then they traded down twice on draft day with the Packers and Giants, netting them three extra fourth-round picks and a fifth-rounder. When the dust settled, they had increased their stash from four picks to nine.
They also made a pick at 29th overall Thursday, selecting L.J. Collier from TCU. Collier is a defensive lineman who finished with 11.5 tackles for loss and six sacks last year with the Horned Frogs. The Seahawks have a few holes on the roster, so the various moves will definitely help them replenish their depth.
