Deal for Seattle: Back in 2008, I mocked Balmer to the Seahawks with the 25^th pick, as did several others. Balmer eventually slipped to 29^th where the Niners drafted him. However, the Balmer era in San Fran was a colossal failure. With a mere 19 tackles in two years and 0 sacks, Balmer could never consistently break into the rotation at defensive end for the Niners, so the Seahawks are hoping a return to the 4-3 and his natural position of defensive tackle will bring his former first round talent out of him. For a mere 6^th round pick, I’d say that’s a risk worth taking.

Grade: A

Deal for San Francisco: The Niners had absolutely no need for him. He wasn’t going to play significantly on their 3 man line this year at all and really never fit their 3-4 scheme well at all. Getting a 6^th rounder for him is pretty solid considering we’ve seen starting cornerbacks like Chris Houston go for 6^th rounders and star receivers with legal trouble go for a 5^th rounder. The Balmer reclamation project is less likely to work than a possible Adam Carriker bounce back year in Washington, yet the Rams got significantly less for their former 1^st round pick bust.

Grade: A