2022 NFL Draft Grades: Seahawks emerge with top class in NFC West

By Rob Rang
FOX Sports NFL Draft Analyst

Grading a draft immediately after it concludes is like giving your compliments to the chef before the meal has been served. Sure, the food might sound good (or bad) based on the description on the menu, but the true evaluation won't come until after the product has been tested.

It will be at least three years before we can truly assess how the 32 teams fared in the 2022 NFL Draft. But what is readily apparent is the different approaches that were taken, from going for the best available talent to focusing on team needs to gambling on character concerns and long-term potential.

This week, I’m taking a closer look at each team’s rookie class, including a few of the undrafted free-agent signings that I believe could surprise.

Let's take a look at the NFC West.

Seattle Seahawks
Grade: A-

As has often been the case in Pete Carroll and John Schneider’s now 13 years leading the franchise, I expect the Seahawks to receive some of the more polarizing opinions on this draft class. Many will bemoan the lack of a quarterback, criticize the early selection of a running back and confuse the dual picks at offensive tackle, edge rusher, cornerback and wide receiver as repetitive or boring. 

But this was the restorative class that the Seahawks desperately needed after cutting ties with Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner in the offseason and slowly but surely losing the speed and physicality that made Seattle one of the more intimidating teams in the NFL for much of Carroll and Schneider’s time together in Seattle. 

Just as they did in their first draft together in 2010 (using the No. 6 pick on left tackle Russell Okung), the duo began their 2022 draft with a proven blindside blocker, nabbing Mississippi State’s Charles Cross at No. 9. The club doubled down at tackle in the third round with another proven blocker in Washington State’s Abraham Lucas. Every game Cross started for the Bulldogs the past two seasons came at left tackle, and Lucas was more reliable than rain in Seattle at right tackle for the Cougars the past four seasons. At least on paper, they look like the set of bookend tackles every club wants as foundational pieces for the offensive line.

Seattle’s second pick, Minnesota edge rusher Boye Mafe at No. 40, personified the mix of potential and production that Seattle cultivated in its 2022 class. Mafe steadily improved at Minnesota, capping his career with personal bests in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks as a senior before earning National Defensive Player of the Game honors at the Senior Bowl, with three tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.

The Seahawks built up their trophy case throughout this draft, nabbing the Doak Walker Award winner in Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III at No. 41 and former Cincinnati cornerback Coby Bryant, the Jim Thorpe Award winner, at No. 109. I’m also a big fan of the club’s second pick at cornerback, former UTSA and combine star Tariq Woolen, one of my favorite Day 3 picks.

Walker might seem to some like a luxury pick at a time when the Seahawks could not afford one, but he was arguably the elite offensive player in college football a year ago. He now heads to a run-heavy program that re-signed Rashaad Penny to only a one-year deal and doesn’t know if former starter Chris Carson will be able to return from a neck injury next season, if ever. If Walker were to take over as Seattle’s top back next season — a more plausible scenario than many realize — he could be a Rookie of the Year candidate.

If I were to quibble with Seattle’s early selections on tackles, it would be that each started the majority of his career out of the two-point stance in Mike Leach’s pass-happy Air-Raid schemes. Even the always-optimistic Carroll acknowledged during a pre-draft news conference that tackles from such an alignment face a challenge in their conversion to a more pro-style, three-point stance, especially one as run-heavy as the Seahawks intend to be.   

Therein lies the beef many will have with the Seahawks’ selections: They did not draft a quarterback. For better or worse, since acquiring Drew Lock as part of the deal that sent Wilson to Denver, Seattle has stated its intention of giving the 42nd pick of the 2019 NFL Draft an opportunity to resurrect his career. With all due respect to the receivers and playcallers Lock had in Denver, he is surrounded by more talent in Seattle, especially with DK Metcalf extra motivated for a splashy campaign with his contract up after this season.

Should Lock (also in the final year of his rookie contract) falter, Seattle is in excellent position to take advantage of next year’s strong class of quarterbacks, with selections in both the first and second rounds.

Los Angeles Rams
Grade: B

No team traded away more 2022 draft picks for veterans than the Rams, and given that general manager Les Snead and coach Sean McVay are now wearing Super Bowl rings, their decision to do so demands acknowledgement in this space. Put simply, the Rams would not be champions without the bold trades for Matthew Stafford and Von Miller, which cost the club its first-, second- and third-round picks this year (as well as their top pick in 2023).

The aggressive moves netted the Rams a title but complicate roster-building moving forward and left the team selecting last in this draft, with the club’s first pick not coming until No. 104 overall. The Rams were so ecstatic that Wisconsin offensive lineman Logan Bruss was still available at that point that one scout literally jumped into the team’s outdoor pool, and it's easy to see why. Bruss provides grit and positional versatility for a team needing more of both up front.

While Bruss and former Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams should provide some immediate help at positions of concern, I’m most intrigued by the Rams’ additions to an already loaded secondary.

The Rams took a significant hit when the playmaking Darious Williams signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency, but there are hints of Williams’ ultra-confident, ball-hawking ability in South Carolina State’s Decobie Durant. Also, I’m higher on both Quentin Lake (UCLA) and Derion Kendrick (Georgia, Clemson) than others seem to be. 

There is no question that playing behind a pass rush featuring Aaron Donald makes it easier to take chances in coverage, and these three defensive backs — like the Rams as a whole — have the guts to go bold. I appreciate the totality of this class and think it will help L.A. for years to come.

Arizona Cardinals
Grade: B-

While the focus here is on the players selected in the draft, a grade for the Cardinals’ selections would be incomplete without including the acquisition of star wideout Marquise "Hollywood" Brown. Considering that Brown was selected 25th overall by Baltimore three years ago and has since become one of the NFL’s better vertical threats, the Cardinals paid a fair but not exorbitant price to get him, sending this year’s No. 23 overall pick, as well as a third-rounder (No. 100 overall), for the 24-year-old speedster. 

Reuniting Kyler Murray with his favorite receiver at Oklahoma not only may have helped smoothed the waters with the star quarterback, but it also was a sound schematic decision. The move became even more significant when news broke Monday that Deandre Hopkins has been suspended for the first six games of the 2022 season due to a violation of the league’s PED rules.

Protecting the club against a drop-off in production and talent among Arizona’s pass-catchers was the strategy in the second round, with the Cardinals nabbing former Colorado State tight end Trey McBride at No. 55 overall. Similarly gifted as incumbent starter Zach Ertz, McBride is the reigning John Mackey Award winner as the nation’s top tight end, dominating opponents in the Mountain West with his savvy route-running and sticky hands. 

The Cardinals stayed west with their next pick, San Diego State edge rusher Cameron Thomas, whose strength and football IQ make him a better football player than athlete. The Cardinals found a player in Myjai Sanders a round later who is the opposite — a raw athlete still learning to harness his potential. The duo should provide Arizona much-needed help off the edge with Chandler Jones signing with the Raiders in free agency.

Banking on late-round picks to contribute as rookies rarely pans out, though with six Day 3 selections, general manager Steve Keim had plenty of darts to throw at the board. I’m a big fan of the club’s top pick Saturday, former USC (and Texas) running back Keontay Ingram, one of my favorite Day 3 steals. Fellow late-rounders Lecitus Smith (Virginia Tech) and Marquis Hayes (another Sooner) can help fill out the back end of Arizona’s offensive line, offering cheap depth for a squad preparing to ink Murray to a long-term deal.

Of Arizona’s extensive UDFA class, I’m most intrigued by Fresno State running back Ronnie Rivers and Boise State defensive back Kekaula Kaniho, both of whom would have been drafted if they possessed more prototypical size for their positions.

San Francisco 49ers
Grade: C-

I see San Francisco’s draft class as requiring significantly more faith and projection than others, similar to last year’s group centered on the bold trade up for quarterback Trey Lance.

Let’s start with the positives. I really like the fluidity and upside of former Southern California edge rusher Drake Jackson, especially at No. 61 overall. Jackson has legitimate burst and bend off the corner, and of course, he won’t be asked to carry the torch like he did with the Trojans, as he joins one of the more ferocious pass rushes in the NFL.

I’m willing to hold off on judging the third-round selection of LSU running back Tyrion Davis-Price, who flashed game-breaking ability for the Tigers. I thought his untapped potential warranted consideration halfway through Day 3, but Niners coach Kyle Shanahan seems to coax production from virtually every running back who suits up for him. Then again, one could also argue that because Shanahan does such a nice job with running backs, the 49ers using their second selection at this position was a bit of a luxury pick.

Further, while I’m all for small-school prospects, San Francisco’s run of five consecutive selections from non-Power 5 conferences on Day 3 was both surprising and a bit alarming. Former BYU linebacker Fred Warner has clearly proven his talent, and Lance, from North Dakota State, has the talent to ultimately justify his selection. But besides those two, the majority of general manager John Lynch’s top picks over the years have come from top programs in the blue-blood conferences.

If the 49ers strike gold on their small-schoolers, more power to them. But this seems like a class in which San Francisco outsmarted itself at times. That said, I like the late-sixth-round selection of Penn State cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields and the free-agent signing of Arizona State center Dohnovan West.

One of the most recognized names in the industry, Rob Rang has been covering the NFL Draft for more than 20 years, with work at FOX, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Yahoo, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com, among others.