The teams of the NFC West made a total of five selections in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Arizona Cardinals had two first-round selections. The other three teams had one each. Here are the picks:
- No. 4 Pick — Arizona Cardinals — WR Marvin Harrison, Jr. (Ohio St.)
- No. 16 Pick — Seattle Seahawks — DT Byron Murphy II (Texas)
- No. 19 Pick — Los Angeles Rams — EDGE Jared Verse (Florida St.)
- No. 27 Pick — Arizona Cardinals — EDGE Darius Robinson (Missouri)
- No. 31 Pick — San Francisco 49ers — WR Ricky Pearsall (Florida)
The Cardinals’ second pick in the first round resulted from a previous trade with the Houston Texans.
Assessments of the first-round selections made by the NFC West teams are rolling in.
Grades for the First-Round Selections of the NFC West Teams
Analysts have released grades, rating the teams’ selections. Here is a sampling of the grades given by some of the top analysts:
NFL.com gives all teams As, except for the 49ers:
- Arizona: A
- Los Angeles: A
- San Francisco: B+
- Seattle: A
DraftKings allocated the following grades:
- Arizona: A+ for Harrison; B- for Robinson
- Los Angeles: A
- San Francisco: B-
- Seattle: B-
Bleacher Report likes the selections of Harrison and Verse, but isn’t crazy about the selections of Robinson and Pearsall:
- Arizona: A+ for Harrison; C+ for Robinson
- Los Angeles: A
- San Francisco: C
- Seattle: B
Meet the 2024 NFC West First-Round Selections
Set forth below is background information concerning each of the NFC West first-round selections, along with reactions to their selections from analysts, players, and fans.
Arizona’s Selections — Marvin Harrison, Jr., and Darius Robinson
Marvin Harrison, Jr.
Marvin Harrison, Jr. is the 21-year-old son of Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison.
At Ohio State, Marvin Harrison, Jr. was a two-time, unanimous All-American. He won the Fred Biletnikoff Award in 2023.
Harrison was the highest-rated non-QB in the 2024 Draft. As reported by Yahoo Sports, “Harrison profiles as a can’t-miss prospect.” Colin Cowherd sees no scenario in which Harrison is not a success, absent injury.
Darius Robinson
22-year-old Darius Robinson was born and raised in Michigan.
He was a three-star recruit coming out of high school. He played his college ball with Missouri from 2019 to 2023. In his senior year, he was named first-team All-SEC.
Robinson is 6’5″ and weighs 285 pounds. At Mizzou, he played both defensive tackle and defensive end.
Cardinals safety Budda Baker is pleased with his team’s selection of Robinson.
A++
— Budda Baker (@Buddabaker3) April 26, 2024
Seattle’s Selection — Byron Murphy II
According to Mel Kiper, Byron Murphy II “has the highest pass-rush upside of any of the interior defensive linemen in this class.” Kiper rated him as the 24th-best overall prospect in the draft and the best defensive tackle.
In a mock draft conducted by Draft Wire after Aaron Donald’s retirement, Murphy was selected by the Rams with the No. 19 pick.
Murphy is 6’½” and weighs 297 lbs. NFL.com describes him as a “[m]uscular ball of explosiveness….”
Murphy is 21 years old. He was named Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year for the 2023 season (his junior year).
Of Murphy, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said:
“He’s built like a pit bull…. He’s strong. He’s got really strong shoulders. He’s extremely quick and powerful. He’s got a very high football IQ, and he plays hard. Those are all really cool prerequisites that you want to have as a defensive lineman, especially with his stature.”
L.A.’s Selection — Jared Verse
23-year-old Jared Verse played the 2022 and 2023 college football seasons at Florida State, and in both years he was a first-team All-American. He had nine sacks in both seasons. In his final season at FSU, he had 41 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.
Verse is 6’4″ and weighs 260 lbs.
Although Verse had a year of college eligibility left, he declared for the NFL Draft on December 19, 2023.
Mel Kiper, Jr. rated Verse as the best defensive end available in the draft. Kiper did not believe Verse would be available anywhere below the No. 15 or No. 16 positions.
NFL.com predicted Verse would go to the Denver Broncos with the No. 12 overall pick.
The Rams’ selection of Verse has been widely praised.
"Jared Verse is powerful and explosive..
There's so much to like about this guy"
Bill Belichick #PMSDraftSpectacular pic.twitter.com/vvuXu0JHMM
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 26, 2024
The stokage from Chris Shula and Joe Coniglio walking through the house: High https://t.co/fTxZ2EyWo1
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) April 26, 2024
The sky is the limit for this guy!@AndrewWhitworth is happy with the Rams taking Jared Verse#EnEffElDraft pic.twitter.com/Mun5KGXEt4
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) April 26, 2024
The 49ers Reached And Possibly Tipped Their Hand By Selecting Ricky Pearsall
The San Francisco 49ers’ use of the No. 31 pick to select wide receiver Ricky Pearsall received mixed reviews from fans. However, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. was directly critical. He placed the selection on his list of ‘head-scratching’ first-round picks.
Kiper rated Pearsall below multiple wide receivers on his big board. He observed:
“This one makes you wonder what’s going on with Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, right? Could the 49ers have more moves coming? In the end, though, I had Pearsall ranked below … Xavier Legette, Keon Coleman, and Adonai Mitchell, all of whom were still available at the end of Round 1. Pearsall lit up the combine with his testing numbers, and he could be a better pro than college player. He’s my No. 10 wideout.”
Like Kiper, Colin Cowherd is concerned that Pearsall will be a bust. He considers the 49ers’ selection of him puzzling at best.
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