C+.
I loved the Christine Michael pick. Based on the PC/JS press conference, I think I'm actually higher on that pick than they were themselves.
I like Jordan Hill. Thought better DTs were available and I thought they could have gotten Hill later. JS himself intimated that it was a bit of a panic pick.
I did not like the Bryce Harper pick. His tape is terrible. I like his physical upside, and in some other drafts I'd be okay with a flawed project like him in the 4th, but there were more polished WRs with better tools that they passed on to take him. Headscratcher. Maybe Harper ends up great regardless, but I still didn't like the value/decision.
I love Jesse Williams the player but I wasn't keen on drafting another Red Bryant super early. Early 5th seemed like a good place to get one, and Williams is easily a 1st round talent for that type of role. Easily. Everything about him other than football is awesome, too (mullet-hawk, facepaint, Aussy, whole family got tattoos in his honor). Pick grew on me.
I really like the Tharold Simon pick. He's a much more exciting prospect than Jeremy Lane or Byron Maxwell were the last couple years. Simon's on a totally different level. I had a 2nd round grade on him. A lot of people did. He's got some character concerns, but I love his fit in our system and his tools are some of the best in this draft.
Even though Seattle technically traded up for Williams, in Schneider's mind he was trading up for Simon because if not for the trade up they would have just taken Jesse Williams with that early 5th. Schneider had a Freudian slip during his conference, saying that the trade up was for Simon and not Williams.
I liked the Ty Powell pick, but on the downside, I'm guessing he's more likely to be a PS guy than make our roster.
Spencer Ware is growing on me, FAST. He's a monster pass blocker, a great receiver, and, as crazy as this sounds, I think his balance, agility, and resilience are all at least as good as Marshawn Lynch, maybe better. He's got a ton of power, too. Only thing he lacks is speed. If he ran a 4.40, he'd be a megastar. I figured he had to be good when Seattle spent a SECOND pick on a RB, and after watching him, I totally get it. He's a special player, though he's currently roster fringe, obviously. I think he's very similar to Chris Ivory, but I personally like Ware even more.
The rest of the picks I didn't care for. Felt like wasted picks, but lets see what kind of magic Tom Cable works.
I liked the LBs they got in UDFA, particularly Craig Wilkins.
The reason I didn't give a higher grade despite them having some players I like is because I see a lot of backups, rotational players, and specialists in this group. The only player of the bunch that I feel really excited about as a potential megastar is Christine Michael, and he's got some hurdles to overcome before he gets there, not to mention he's part of what I think is the best group of running backs in the NFL, so there's a lot of competition for him to beat. I really like Tharold Simon too, but he's probably going to be buried treasure on our roster the same way that Walter Thurmond is.
And FWIW, Pete and John seemed a little downtodden in their draft press conferences the last two days. Not a lot of excitement. Schneider looked downright bummed at times. I'm thinking there were some frustrating close misses for them in the draft that we don't know about. I think even John Schneider would probably grade his draft well short of an A, if his body language was any indication. In 2012 and 2010 they were beaming with excitement during and after those drafts. Not this year.