Tracking how Cards’ NFC West rivals fared

The NFC West continues to be regarded as one of the strongest, most talented divisions in the NFL. So how did the Cardinals’ three arch rivals — the 49ers, Seahawks and Rams — manage to strengthen themselves after three days of the NFL draft?

Well, considering that nearly 50 percent of all first-round draft picks usually never fully pan out, Arizona’s division foes didn’t do very well at all.

That’s because neither the Seahawks nor the Rams even had a firstround pick this year and the 49ers, after moving up from No.12 overall to No.3 to select unproven quarterback Trey Lance from North Dakota State, won’t have a first-round pick next year or in 2023 upon trading them along with a third-round pick in 2022 to the Dolphins.

Seattle sent its 2021 first- and thirdround pick to the Jets last year, along with a first-rounder in 2022 and safety Bradley McDougald, in a trade for safety Jamal Adams. The Seahawks have gone without a first-round selection in four of the previous eight years and as good as Adams is, they still haven’t found a way to re-sign him to the contract extension he covets, which is why he was made available by the Jets in the first place.

The Rams, meanwhile, haven’t had a first-round draft choice since 2016 when they sold the farm to Tennessee to move up from No.15 to the first overall pick for quarterback Jared Goff. It cost the Rams their first-round pick, two second second-round picks and a third-round pick in 2016, plus their first- and third-round pick in 2017.

Not only that, but since then the Rams have (take a deep breath) dealt:

*Their 2018 first-round pick to the Patriots for wide receiver Brandin Cooks.

*Their 2019 first-round pick to the Falcons to acquire a second- and thirdround pick.

*Both of their first-round picks in 2020 and 2021 to the Jaguars for cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

*And finally, their first-rounders in 2022 and 2023, along with Goff and a third-round pick this year, to the Lions for quarterback Matthew Stafford, 33. They don’t own a first-round pick until 2024.

By contrast, in the last three years the Cardinals drafted a Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl quarterback in Kyler Murray, an All-Rookie linebacker in Isaiah Simmons and another highlyrated linebacker this year in Tulsa’s Zaven Collins. They also were able to acquire perennial All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Texans a year ago without having to part with a first-round pick.

Unlike the 49ers, Seahawks and Rams, Arizona will have a first-round pick next and beyond, which is important to remember.

So how did the Cardinals’ three NFC West opponents come out of the draft? Let’s examine what they did:

49ers

Round 1, No.3 overall: QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State; Round 2, No.48: G Aaron Banks, Notre Dame; Round 3, No.88: RB Trey Sermon, Ohio State, No.102: CB Ambry Thomas, Michigan; Round 5, No.155: G Jaylon Moore, Western Michigan, No.172: CB Deommodore Lenoir, Oregon State, No.180 S Talanoa Hufanga, USC; Round 6, No.194: RB Elijah Mitchell, Louisville

For better or worse, this draft is always going to be measured by how Lance works out in San Francisco. There is no doubt he possesses all kinds of athleticism and has an incredibly high ceiling. But, he’s also very raw, he’s only started 17 games in college and it didn’t stop General Manager John Lynch from calling the Packers to inquire about Aaron Rodgers.

Seahawks

Round 2, No.56 overall: WR D’Wayne Eskridge, Western Michigan; Round 4, No.147: CB Tre Brown, Oklahoma; Round 6, No.208: OT Stone Forsythe, Florida

With only three draft picks, there was only so much Seattle could do this year. However, the Seahawks made good on all three of their selections and they couldn’t have filled a few of their needs much better than they did.

Rams

Round 2, No.57 overall: WR Tutu Atwell, Louisville; Round 3, No. 103: ILB Ernest Jones, South Carolina; Round 4, No.117: DT Bobby Brown III, Texas A&M, No.130: CB Robert Rochell, Central Arkansas, No.141: WR/TE Jacob Harris, UCF; Round 5, No.174: DE Earnest Brown IV, Northwestern; Round 7, No.233: RB Jake Funk, Maryland, No.249: WR Ben Skowronek, Notre Dame, No.252: OLB Chris Garrett, Concordia-St. Paul

On the surface, it doesn’t appear like the Rams found themselves a superstar anywhere in this draft. With a nice haul of nine picks, however, they may have collected enough players at various positions who can at least be serviceable and who knows, one or two of them might really stand out in time.

One of those players could be Atwell. He’s small and extremely lean at 5-9, 155 pounds and yet he can provide exactly what the Rams have been looking for in a deep-threat target with sub-4.3 speed who can stretch the field and provide Stafford with another option.