#327: Dash To The Draft 2022 (NFC West Draft Preview with Cole Thompson)

What this episode covers

1. The defending Super Bowl champion Rams built their championship roster by trading premium draft picks for proven, star talent. They haven’t had a first-round selection since 2016 and will (yet again) only have one pick in the first three rounds this year. And as the saying goes, the NFL is a copycat league, and boy has the Rams strategy been replicated this spring. Star players like Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, Khalil Mack, et al were traded in deals that involved a combined seven first-round picks, the most ever in a single month in the common draft era. Is the Rams “F--- them picks” model the new norm in the NFL?  2. There are varying opinions on the current state of the Seahawks roster. Some, myself included, see a bottom-five roster in the NFL. Yet some others see a team like last year’s Broncos, with solid talent across the board yet a gaping hole at QB. What do you think of Seattle’s roster as it currently stands, and if you’re John Schneider and Pete Carroll, what would be the most ideal place on this roster to begin this post-Russell Wilson rebuild? 3. Even as Draft Day inches closer, the main headline when it comes to the 49ers does not involve who they will select. It remains the future of Jimmy Garoppolo. After trading this and next year’s first-round picks to move up for Trey Lance, the 49ers seemed set to trade Jimmy G but offseason shoulder surgery immediately sunk his trade market and most, if not all the seats in the 2022 edition of “QB Musical Chairs” have already been filled. While the investment in Lance strongly suggests the Niners should hand him the reins this year, the solution is not as simple as many think. Jimmy Garoppolo is still universally LOVED in that locker room. If the 49ers are unable to trade Jimmy G, should he be their starter in 2022? 4. The Arizona Cardinals may have a bit of a dilemma in this draft. On one hand, you have a somewhat disgruntled Pro Bowl QB in Kyler Murray who needs better protection up front (especially on the interior) yet you have a pass rush with a crater-sized hole in it given the departure of Chandler Jones. In the event the board presents equally valid options on both sides, would you prioritize making Kyler Murray happy or filling the void at EDGE? 5. Seahawks 3-Round Mock -(9): Sauce Gardner -(40): Matt Corral -(41): Arnold Ebiketie -(72): Abraham Lucas 6. 49ers 3-Round Mock -(61): Travis Jones -(93): Cam Taylor-Britt -(105): Cole Strange 7. Cardinals 3-Round Mock -(23): Zion Johnson -(55): Logan Hall -(87):  Myjai Sander 8. Rams 3-Round Mock -(104): Coby Bryant

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