NFC West has busy draft night
Apr 26, 2013, 3:55 AM | Updated: 4:50 am
The Arizona Cardinals looked to solidify their offensive line Thursday, selecting guard Jonathan Cooper with the seventh pick in the draft.
From there, they watched as their NFC West rivals stocked up on talent and/or draft picks.
St. Louis Rams
No. 8 overall – Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
The Rams made a deal with the Buffalo Bills to move up and nab the speedster. Austin is arguably the most explosive offensive player in the draft. At 5-foot-8 he is a little on the small side, but his 114 receptions for 1,289 yards and 12 touchdowns last season prove he knows how to get it done. He’ll give Rams QB Sam Bradford a quality weapon in the passing game.
No. 30 overall – Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia
The Rams then made a deal with Atlanta to snag the inside linebacker, who is coming off a 2012 season in which he tallied 111 tackles — 11.5 of which went for a loss — with three sacks. He does have some character concerns, but the Rams proved that is not an issue for them last year when they selected Janoris Jenkins in the second round.
Trades: Picks No. 16 (EJ Manuel), 46, 78 and 222 in 2013 to Buffalo for picks 8 (Tavon Austin) and 71. Also dealt pick 22 (Desmond Trufant) in 2013 and a seventh-round pick in 2015 to Atlanta for picks 30 (Alec Ogletree), 92 and 198 in 2013.
San Francisco 49ers
No. 18 overall – Eric Reid, S, LSU
The 49ers moved up to grab a player who posted 91 tackles with seven pass breakups and two interceptions in his final season with the Tigers. He has good size and length and is thought to have substantial upside.
Trade: picks 31 and 74 in 2013 to Dallas for pick 18 in 2013.
Seattle Seahawks
Trade: Pick No. 25 was sent to Minnesota in exchange for WR Percy Harvin.
