NFL Draft Needs: NFC West

NFL DRAFT NEEDS

NFC-West

Original Story at Opensports.com

Arizona Cardinals- The Cardinals were never taken seriously by the NFL this year, as the made the playoffs due to being in a terrible division and now they find themselves playing in the Super Bowl.

The Cardinals still have trouble on the defensive side of the ball. They heavily improved their secondary in last year’s draft with star corner Dominic Rodgers-Cromartie. They need to improve the defensive line and rush linebackers.

The Cardinals' starting nose tackle, Bryan Robinson is 34 years old so he will need to be replaced sooner than later. They also need a 3-4 outside linebacker to complement Travis Laboy.

Aaron Maybin could be a good pick for them late in the first round. On offense, they still do not know if Hightower is the answer at running back. They might select Beanie Wells or McCoy in the first round to be the answer. Offensive line depth will be added late in the draft.




San Francisco 49ers- The 'Niners had a disappointing season, but they might have found their coach in Mike Singletary which is good news for the fans. The 'Niners still need a lot of help on both sides of the ball.

They still need to find a quarterback for the future as Alex Smith and J.T O’Sullivan don’t seem to be getting it done.

Mark Sanchez might be on the board for them in the first round but I don’t know if they will go in that direction. They still need to find a true wide receiver as Issac Bruce is getting old.

On defense, they need to find a great rush outside line backer for their 3-4 defenses. Everette Brown or Brian Orakpo would be great selections with their 10th overall pick. They also need to find a solid corner that will be able to start right away. A second round cornerback selection would not be surprising.





Seattle Seahawks- The Seahawks had their worse season in over eight years with a number of injuries and bad luck. The Seahawks will need to draft to fill holes and their first pick should be pretty easy to call.

The Seahawks need to find a big-time wide receiver to help Matt Hasselbeck out and that players name is Michael Crabtree.

The Seahawks will select Crabtree with the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft. The offensive line also needs a lot of help; they should draft a guard and a tackle in the middle rounds.

On defense, the biggest question mark is the corner position. The corners were constantly beat last season and an immediate starter would be nice to find in this draft, they should use their second round pick on a corner. They should take a playmaking safety later in the draft.





St. Louis Rams- The Rams had a terrible year, with Steven Jackson out with an injury one week and mark Bulger out the next. The Rams will need to rebuild in the upcoming years and they will all start with this draft. They need to find a replacement for their Hall of Fame left tackle Orlando Pace.

They will select that replacement in the first round with either Andre Smith of Alabama of Michael Oher from Ole Miss. I believe they will select Smith who is rated a little bit better than Oher right now.

The Rams will also need to address the quarterback position; Mark Bulger looks as he on the downhill of his career. The Rams need a lot of help on defense; almost every position needs to be upgraded. Cornerback and defensive tackle are the two most urgent positions of need. They should fill these positions in the middle rounds.