Isn't the parody in the NFL wonderful? Just a season after selecting first overall in the 2010 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams nearly won the NFC West. Granted the NFC West was one of the worst divisions in NFL history last season, but either way the Rams were an improved ball club this past season.

The main reason for St. Louis's turn around was the play of rookie signal caller Sam Bradford. Bradford transitioned smoothly to the NFL throwing for over 3,500 yards and 18 touchdowns as a rookie. Now the Rams must shift their attention to surrounding their franchise quarterback with some weapons. The Rams have a decent stable of young receivers, but need to provide Sam Bradford with a legitimate number one threat for his arsenal. 

St. Louis also still has multiple holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball. The interior of the defensive line is suspect, and the departure of O.J. Atogwe leaves voids at both safety postions. The Rams could also be looking at a linebacker in the middle rounds after the struggles they had on the weak side in 2010.

 The construction of this roster is a long way from finished, but the Rams are on the right track in terms of building a winner.

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The Seattle Seahawks were the talk of the NFL heading into the playoffs this past season, but not for the right reasons. Seattle was the center for scrutiny after winning arguably the weakest division in football (NFC West) with a 7-9 record. The Seahawks earned the right to host the defending Super Bowl Champions in the Wild Card round of the playoffs in what many predicted would be a one-sided game. So how did Seattle face the criticism? The Seahawks went out and defeated the New Orleans Saints 41-36 in an exciting game.

Even though first-year head coach Pete Carroll made strides with Seattle in 2010, he still has a long way to go to earn respect from the NFL elite. Matt Hasselbeck showed his age this past season and it didn’t help that he battled injuries. His back-up, Charlie Whitehurst, led Seattle into the playoffs with a week 17 win over the St. Louis Rams, but there are still plenty of questions on whether he’s the quarterback of the future. Perhaps the best story in the NFL this past season, was the emergence of cast-off wide receiver Mike Williams. The former USC star finished the season with 65 catches and 751 yards. The Seahawks made a bold trade during the season to acquire running back Marshawn Lynch from the Buffalo Bills. With Lynch in the fold, Seattle now has a three-headed monster at running back along with Justin Forsett and Leon Washington. The Seahawks ranked 28th in yards per game last season so Carroll will have plenty of interesting decisions to make on offense. 

Defensively, Seattle didn’t fare any better as it allowed 386.6 yards per game which was sixth highest total in the league. The main root for the problem once again came from the secondary, where the Seahawks’ had the sixth worst pass defense. Despite a stellar rookie season from safety Earl Thomas (five interceptions), Seattle needs to add a player or two at cornerback. Brandon Mebane and Raheem Brock are both free agents so the Seahawks will need to address defensive line at some point. I expect Mebane to return at defensive tackle, but Seattle needs to add a consistent pass rusher to its fold.   

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Taylor Mays, who might as well be named "Runs Like A Cornerback, Hits like a Linebacker," (or so he was billed), is not happy with his biggest supporter and former coach.

Mays told the Sacramento Bee "I definitely thought from the relationship we had, the things that he had told me about what I needed to be aware of with the draft process and things that I needed to do, I felt he told me the complete opposite of the actions that that he took which was definitely - - it was alarming...I understand it's a business. But with it being a business, he needs to be honest. And that's all I'm asking for."

Mays fell to the 49ers at, ironically enough, the 49th overall pick. 

This is going to be an important offseason for the Arizona Cardinals. There are a lot of questions and the answers to those questions will greatly affect the future of this franchise. Is Kurt Warner retiring? Can Matt Leinart keep this franchise going in the right direction? How can the defense be improved? Below are the areas that I believe need addressing.

1. Tackle

- Jeremy Bridges cannot be counted on and Levi Brown has not developed as expected. So whether Warner returns or not this position needs an influx of talent. I also feel that Coach Whisenhunt would like to put more focus on his running attack, especially if there is a change at the quarterback position.

2. Linebacker

- The Cardinals could lose Carlos Dansby and need upgrades throughout the linebacking core. The draft is a great place to get depth and playmakers at the linebacker position.

3. Quarterback

- This is going to be a very hot topic throughout the offseason. Everyone is awaiting Kurt Warner’s decision and most anticipate that he will retire. So the big question is whether or not Matt Leinart can run this high powered offense. I am willing to bet that most Cardinal fans are not very comfortable handing the keys over to Leinart. While there may be other more pressing needs, a long term answer at the quarterback position has to be the most important.

Coach Singletary has created a buzz in San Francisco 49er territory. This buzz along with 2 first round draft picks has provided a lot of optimism. However, there are still a lot of holes on the roster and hopefully those two first round picks will help. Here is what direction the 49ers should go in with those picks.

1. Offensive Tackle

- Joe Staley is entrenched at the left tackle spot, so the focus will be on solidifying the right side. Adam Snyder is a very versatile back up but that is all the 49ers should count on him for. I believe that around pick 13 we could see our 2nd run on tackles. Think Trent Williams, Bruce Campbell, and Bryan Bulaga. The 49ers could take the risk that one of them falls to pick 16 or 17.

2. Safety

- The 49ers had some issues with their safety play this season. Dashon Goldson is a good special teamer and Michael Lewis is a major liability in the passing game. This position needs to be addressed to keep the development of this defense moving forward. Someone like Earl Thomas or Taylor Mays could be available when the 49ers are picking. Earl Thomas should be around with pick 13 but could be gone by 16/17. This is going to be a tough decision for the 49ers.

3. Cornerback

- The 49ers have struggled against the pass this season. Nate Clements is being paid a lot of money to be a #1 cornerback but he has struggled a little this past season. Shawntee Spencer has shown some promise but maybe more suited for a nickel role. This position needs an influx of talent for depth and competition purposes.

Win now or rebuild? The management for the Seattle Seahawks seems to be stuck on this question. Back to back poor season should answer the question for them but their actions seem to suggest they want to win now (passing on Sanchez and signing TJ Houshmanzadeh). This draft will be greatly affected by the direction Pete Carroll wants to go. There should be at least 1 quarterback left when they pick at # 6. But does management see quarterback as a top need? Here is the direction I feel the Seahawks should go.

1. Tackle

- Will Walter Jones retire? If I am Pete Carroll I would focus on a tackle either way. Jones is aging and Ray Willis is not a starting caliber tackle. Seattle can hope that Russell Okung falls to them at pick #6 or they could reach for one of the other tackles. Luckily, Seattle also owns the 14th pick where we might see the second run on offensive linemen.

2. Quarterback

- Hasselbeck has been injury prone the last few years which has exposed the weaknesses of Seneca Wallace. Picking in the top 8 the last two years should tell management that they are rebuilding and maybe it’s time to find their future quarterback. Both Jimmy Clausen and Sam Bradford could be available at pick #6.

3. Running back

- Julius Jones has proved that he is nothing more than a complementary back and the same could be said for Justin Forsett. Forsett has shown some promise but the coaches don’t seem to trust him, which is explained by his lack of carries late in the season. The Seahawks offense needs some speed and playmaking ability.

Having the #1 overall pick can sometimes be more of a curse than a blessing. The St. Louis Rams face a tough choice with that pick. Do they select a sure fire prospect like Ndamukon Suh or focus on need and select one of the top rated quarterbacks? We often hear about different draft strategies like "drafting for need" and "drafting the best available", what will the Rams do?

1. Quarterback

- Marc Bulger is no longer a NFL starting caliber quarterback and Keith Null never was. It has been proven time and time again that you need a good quarterback to be successful in the NFL. The Rams have a dilemma, is either Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen worthy of the #1 overall pick?

2. Cornerback

- There are issues at every level of this defense but the cornerback position has to be the weakest, or the least addressed. Adding a top flight cornerback can help stimulate the pass rush and maybe allow some safety help for the weaker cornerback.

3. Wide Receiver

- Donnie Avery and Brandon Gibson show some promise but if you’re thinking about adding a new quarterback you have to give him so weapons to play with. I am sure Steven Jackson wouldn’t mind having someone that can pull a safety out of the box, providing more running room.

 2008 Draft:

1 (28) Lawrence Jackson, DE  STARTER
	Well, maybe not a for sure starter, but he did start 14 games for the Hawks, starting nine at one end before being benched and subsequently coming back in and starting five more as an injury replacement at the other end.  If Jackson could be said to have a problem, it would be that he can't seem to generate any rush yet, though he flashes some tremendous explosiveness, and thus isn't starter quality material.  On the other hand, he is progressing nicely, which is standard issue for even the really good Dlinemen.  He certainly won't be going anywhere anytime soon.
2 (38) John Carlson, TE  STARTER
	As a rotational and package starter on the end of hte line, Carlson has impressed.  Probably the best pick of the 2008 draft for Seattle, he was also the highest rated TE.  Seattle had to trade their third rounder to move up and get him, but knowing they needed help at tackle, with none available in the draft, they did the next best thing in picking up an end blocker (who works hard at getting better) and quick outlet for the QB.
4 (121) Red Bryant, DT  Backup
	Bryant's less than stellar college career followed him to Seattle where injuries sidelined him too often.  Seattle looks to be trying to establish some depth in the rotation, despite losing linemate Rocky Bernard, and the worry is that any depth added could potentially bury Bryant amongst the backups for good.
5 (163), Owen Schmitt, FB  Backup
	Seattle refused to throw Schmitt into the mess that was 2008, probably because his pass blocking wasn't yet significantly better than Leonard Weaver's.  That won't be an option in 2009, and Seattle needs to findout whether the top rated blocking FB in the draft has what it takes to start.
6 (189) Tyler Schmitt, LS  Backup
	When a guy is drafted specifically to be a longsnapper, even if it is with a 6th round pick, it is a serious blow when they can't contribute.  After going to IR before the season, Schmitt didn't miss out on much, and his stock isn't likely hurt in Seattle.
7 (223) Justin Forsett, RB  Backup
	Another player with a lot of potential who was never given a chance to do anything in 2008.  With the 'hawks moving to a likely committee system int eh backfield, there is a good chance that 2009 could be Forsett's chance to get a lot of carries.
7 (235) Brandon Coutu, K  Backup
	The more of Ruskell's drafts I analyze, the less I understand what he is trying to accomplish.  Coutu wasn't able to win the starting job as a rookie, yet was retained on a roster that was decimated with injuries.  It is likely he goes into 2010 trying to win the starting job again, but I have to wonder what happens if he once again isn't up to tthe task...  Do they give him a raise?

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