Team Needs: NFC West

St.Louis Rams

The Rams are picking second overall for the second year in a row for good reason. They are not a very good football team. This OL has been an Achilles heel for years now, and Orlando Pace is clearly at the end of his probable Hall of Fame career. A top shelf pass blocking OL is an absolute must for this team within the first two rounds, but that’s not all. The defense is sorely lacking playmakers at several positions as well. With 2008 first round DE Chris Long and 2007 first round DT Adam Carriker in place, there are a few pieces to build with. Added into the mix is FS OJ Atogwe, who performed at a Pro Bowl level even with the surrounding talent. So I really don’t know where the Rams go. They could use another DE, two LB’s, at least one CB, and a run stopping SS. Second round pick Donnie Avery showed some real signs of life throughout the year, so WR is a bit less of a concern. I think you also have to question the long term proposition of the QB position. Bulger can be effective if he isn’t spending every snap on the ground under a defender, but he’s still not young anymore. I think with new defensive minded head coach Steve Spagnuolo that St. Louis will live with Bulger for now and maybe look to replace him in next year’s draft. To me, this team needs to go OT in the first, and then start addressing the defense in the remaining rounds. But this is definitely a rebuilding project that will take another strong draft or two before the Rams step back in to playoff contention.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks took a big dump on Mike Holmgren’s going away party, which is a shame. It was inevitable though as this team has performed extremely well for several years now, and seemed to always be in playoff contention. The WRs this team walked on to the field near the end of the season was unreal. Injuries hurt, but it was also fairly evident that depth isn’t there for this position either. I think it’s almost a foregone conclusion that if Michael Crabtree is available with the 4th overall pick that the Seahawks will run to the podium with their draft card. They really need to almost look at grabbing two WR in this draft that they can confidently put into the starting lineup sooner rather than later. The offensive line was not great either, and I think injuries are finally starting to take their toll on perennial Pro Bowl LT Walter Jones. Jones is still one of my absolute favorite OTs in the league, but I think it’s about time for him to look at hanging up the pads for good. I think he has one more good year left in him to groom his replacement, then it’s off into the sunset. Value will be there at fourth overall pick for his long term replacement, but I just think that the value and need for a WR is much more pressing. Playmaking OLB LeRoy Hill is a free agent and could draw some serious attention, but his recent arrest for possession of the sticky-icky could shy some teams away and give Seattle the home town discount they are probably hoping he takes. If he does go elsewhere, Seattle could think long and hard about Aaron Curry if he were to drop down this far. Free and strong safety are both big needs for this team as well, and I would not be surprised to see them grab a Great Northwest product like Oregon’s Patrick Chung early in the second round. Brian Russell is absolutely AWFUL, so they must replace him immediately. ESPN’s Todd McShay has Seattle going for DT BJ Raji, but I just don’t think that DT is pressing enough of a need to take a player like Raji over a bigger need like Crabtree. A position you should not sleep on as a surprise pick is QB. Hasselbeck is not getting any younger, and Seneca Wallace belongs in his long time role as a back-up. If for some reason the Lions don’t take Stafford, and a team like Kansas City takes Crabtree, then I could see the Seahawks going with the value of Matt Stafford at that point as their QB of the future. I think the Seahawks still have some fight left though, and have enough talent in place to still fight for the NFC West crown, but the window is closing slowly. So maybe a QB of the future would have to wait.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers may have to become Chicago’s second team now that Samurai Mike has taken the reigns. The team played much better after Singletary took over, and he was very deserving of getting the permanent job as head coach. But playing hard for a coach is different than being a contender. There is good young talent on this team, such as All Pro caliber MLB Patrick Willis and RB Frank Gore. But there are a few positions that need improvement. What’s first and foremost is whether the 49ers are sold on having Shaun Hill as their QB. He played alright when given a chance this past year, but to me he’s a nice back up, not a starter. It’s quite possible that the 9ers could be staring down Cali product Mark Sanchez at the 10th pick overall. It would be awful hard to pass on a potential franchise QB, not to mention the marketability of having a home town hero leading this team. I’m just not sure that San Francisco will make this choice though as Singletary has made it very clear that he plans on being a run first offensive team. So to me, that screams new starting RT. Now will the value be there? It’s possible, but it would take a tackle like Michael Oher falling down further than I think he will go. WR is also a major need for this team. Not to slam Isaac Bruce and his resurrection season, but the man is playing on borrowed time. So if the OT’s are all gone, and Sanchez is not an option, I would not be surprised to see San Fran go after speedy Missouri playmaker Jeremy Maclin. If they do not get a WR in round one, they have to get one in round two as it’s a glaring issue on this team. The defense could use some more depth as well, especially an upgrade at the OLB spot. Some may say the defensive backfield needs help, but I’d argue that their lack of performance is more due to the glaring lack of a pass rush. So there is also the possibility that San Francisco picks one of the undersized pass rushing DE’s like Brian Orakpo, Everette Brown, or Penn State’s Aaron Maybin. So now that I’ve given the DB’s a break, I’ll also say that the 49ers do need another CB and a FS as well. To me, it’s just not as dire as these other positions.

Arizona Cardinals

I will readily admit that I bet against the Cardinals in every playoff game this year. I just did not believe in them after their late season collapse, but they absolutely deserved to play in the Super Bowl, and they proved it by almost pulling out the improbable victory. It’s about time this team started to play to it’s potential. Arizona has had some of my favorite drafts over the past three to four years, and it’s finally starting to show. Darnell Dockett was an absolute beast, and if you actually were one of the early readers of my word document based coverage, you may remember this:

I may be a bit high for Dockett but I really like this kid. Great pass rusher up the middle. If he keeps working hard all of the time, he can be a pro bowler.

Yes, I had him going in the first round in my 2004 mock draft. And where did he actually get drafted you may be asking yourself? In the third round. Can you believe that the 2004 draft brought the Cardinals Fitzgerald in round one, Karlos Dansby in round two, and Dockett in round three. You can easily say those are three of the biggest reasons this Cardinals team was even in the game against the Steelers. And since I already bored you with one instance of back slapping, I won’t cut and paste my dead-on pick of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from last year. Rodgers-Cromartie is a superstar in the making and the Cardinals defensive backfield will always be in good shape as long as SS Adrian Wilson and DRC are playing. Like the Steelers, Arizona doesn’t have a great deal of needs, and that’s the way it should be for a team that made the Super Bowl. An upgrade at center would be huge, and it’s quite possible Alex Mack will be there at pick #31. With Edge unhappy and old, a RB on the slide like Knowshon Moreno would also be an excellent pick to split carries with Tim Hightower. The biggest concern for the Cardinals has to be the pending free agency of Karlos Dansby. They franchised him last year, and will hopefully sign him long term. He’s going to command big money, but he’s worth every penny of it. If the lose Dansby, OLB is a huge need. If they retain him, it’s still a need but not terribly pressing. A LT to groom as a replacement for Mike Gandy (seriously Bears fans, how pissed off were you seeing MIKE F’ING GANDY start in a Super Bowl while our team was at home?) is a definite need, and getting a developmental guy like Connecticut’s William Beatty at the end of the second round would go a long way to help. A FS to help cover the deep half of the field and let Adrian Wilson continue to wreck havoc in the box is actually a bigger need than one may think. To be honest the only reason I know who their FS is, is that he was the guy getting bitch slapped around by James Harrison (the play where Madden said Harrison should have been ejected for throwing a punch). That’s not a good thing, the guy should be known for making plays, not for being made someone’s bitch.