Top: Sam Bradford (left), Dan Williams.
Bottom: Earl Thomas (left), Taylor Mays.
The NFC West is generally regarded as the weakest division in the NFL, and the retirement of Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner weakens it even further. The Cardinals have been the class team of the division but are now clearly just one of the pack. The addition of a couple of impact rookies to the roster could catapault any of the other teams to the top of the division. The St. Louis Rams, buried at the bottom of the division in recent years, drafted the player likely to have the most impact for his team, if not this season then in the next few years. That would be QB Sam Bradford, the top choice in the entire draft. Bradford looks like a keeper in his early outings, and may be starting sooner than expected. The Rams also drafted a major weapon who should develop along with Bradford in receiver Mardy Gilyard, who should be on the field making plays this year. Any team that has had as little success as the Rams is always looking to upgrade its’ roster, and another building block for the franchise is offensive lineman Rodger Saffold, who should be a starter on opening day. The Cardinals not only lost Warner but also some other major pieces in free agency, WR Anquan Boldin and LB Karlos Dansby being the biggest losses. The Cards already had enough depth at the receiver position to offset Boldin’s loss, and rookie Daryl Washington will get a great opportunity to play with Dansby gone. Top draft pick Dan Williams is expected to step in and help bolster the defensive line also. Pete Carroll’s new regime in Seattle starts this season and there will be major contributions expected from 3 big name rookies – Russell Okung on the offensive line, Earl Thomas at safety and Golden Tate as a downfield weapon for QB Matt Hasselback. Any time a new coach takes over there are always massive opportunities for new players to establish themselves and oust veterans on the roster. The best team in this division, on paper at least, has to be the San Francisco 49ers. They have improved steadily since Mike Singletary took over as coach and the only question with them now is whether they can handle the pressure now that there are expectations on them to succeed. The Niners could possibly have 2 rookies starting on their offensive line in Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati, and backup RB Glenn Coffee’s sudden retirement opens up an opportunity for rookie RB Anthony Dixon. The most intriguing Niner rookie is safety Taylor Mays, whose ball skills are supposedly lacking but who has the physical presence of Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott. His style of play is right up coach Singletary’s alley and may get him significant playing time as the season progresses.
