Questions for each team before NFL Draft

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Offseason intrigue: Questions for each team before NFL Draft
By Jason La Canfora

We've reached the midpoint of the most active portion of the NFL offseason. Free agency has slowed to a trickle and the draft is only about a month away. We've seen a slew of older top players, some of them surefire Hall of Famers, be shopped around the league, with little trade interest, and a fair share of bombshell moves already this spring.

So it's as good a time as any to take stock of the league. Outside of draft week -- which always brings its fair share of trade action besides the picks that are made -- there are unlikely to be too many major transactions going down, with teams approaching their 2014 budget limits, most teams spending the bulk of their cap space and the NFL about to enter its OTA period, which is always primarily about gauging the development and readiness of the youngest players on the roster.

The odds of your favorite team adding a host of proven talent, by this point, is pretty limited. That's not to say rosters are set, by any stretch, and given how cheap these draft picks are in this collective bargaining agreement, that's always going to remain the most important piece of team-building. Plenty of youngsters will make an immediate impact, especially with this draft looking as deep as any in recent history. Several teams will improve from within simply with kids selected in the 2011-2012 drafts starting to find their form and hit their prime.

Time remains for players to emerge and for holes to be filled, but as we enter the dog days between free agency and the draft here is a look at some of the burning questions for each NFL team as we edge closer to the draft:

Here's the NFC West. Read the rest of the article at the link.

Arizona Cardinals: Can they do it again as the hunted and not the hunter? Can they replace the leadership and consistency of LB Karlos Dansby? Can they protect Carson Palmer, now a year older? Will they draft a developmental quarterback of the future? A year ago the Cardinals were getting no attention and had no expectations but a series of astute lower profile moves, including a trade for then-fading Carson Palmer, and a stellar draft resulted in a surprise 10-6 season.

The Cardinals won't surprise anyone this season, and many will be waiting to see if Palmer can do it again after a slow start. I like what GM Steve Keim has done to continue upgrading the offensive line, and this team to me is trending decidedly up.

St. Louis Rams: So, is this the year Sam Bradford stays healthy and look like a player who was drafted first overall? It's been the same primary question with the Rams for several years now. With Bradford already paid his guaranteed money on his massive rookie deal, is he playing for his future in 2014? Will Tavon Austin's size and limitations keep him from being a central cog in this offense? Are there more weapons on the way?

Just how much more fearsome might this already impressive collection of pass rushers be with Gregg Williams now commanding the defense? Is the offensive line competent enough? Oh, and does anyone really think owner Stan Kroenke bought that parcel in land in LA for anything other than a possible stadium, with his lease in St. Louis up after this season?

San Francisco 49ers: How long can Jim Harbaugh and GM Trent Baalke coexist? If or when does Harbaugh get that $8 million a year contract extension, and if he doesn't, then how likely is it the 49ers seriously explore trading him after this season? Will that backdrop in any way limit this team's ability to annually reach the NFC Championship, if not go further?

When does Colin Kaepernick become the next $20 million a year man in the NFL? Because that's going to be the magic number in his contract talks. Can NaVorro Bowman return from that grisly injury in the playoffs to give San Francisco a second-half boost? Just how cool will Levi's Stadium be, with all the latest techno bells and whistles available to man?

Seattle Seahawks: Can anyone repeat in the NFL anymore? It's a daunting proposition but one this loaded team just might be ready to meet. Which of their core of deserving players -- Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, Russell Okung -- gets his contract extension first? How many drafts picks are devoted to restocking the interior of the defensive line -- an area that took a hit in free agency?

Can GM John Schneider continue his wizardry in the draft? I see no reason why not, given his impeccable draft record. Can Percy Harvin stay healthy for an entire season and really boost the offensive explosiveness? How good of a fit could free agent TE Jermichael Finley be in this offense if healthy and signed? I think he is another nice piece of the puzzle there still waiting to be added.
 

CGI_Ram

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"Will Jeff Fisher be sporting a moustache this season?"

Maybe it's just this excessively long stretch waiting for the draft, but I'm finding myself annoyed by most pre-draft articles at this point.
 

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  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
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Yup, we're in a slow news cycle, the pre-dog days of summer. Pretty much just flinging anything at the barn door to see if it will stick.