The NFC WEST is a bit of a conundrum heading into the 2026 season. It is home to the Super Bowl Champion SEAHAWKS, but that team will look almost too much the same because of Cap limitations, despite having over $30-million in Cap Space right now. They have added pretty much nothing in VFA and they have only 4 Picks in the 2026 Draft. The RAMS have rebuilt their secondary, but not much else. They also have but 6 Draft Picks to use. The 49’ers have $28-million in Cap space but a big issue to resolve with their All-Ro OT Trent Williams scheduled to cost them $46-million this season, with most of it guaranteed. And the CARDINALS… well, they are starting over again with a new coaching staff under Mike LaFleur (yes MATT’s brother) and they lead the division with 7 Draft Picks . They also signed over a dozen VFA, but only a few are likely to start for them.
As a Division they have only 24 Draft Picks, among the lowest division total in the League.
ARIZONA CARDINALS (3-14)
The best news for the Cards may be that they still have MONTI OSSENFORT as their GM. This will be his 4th Draft and the track record looks good, if not great for those previous Drafts. He has executed 3 Drafts and a total of 28 Picks, with 9 of them currently listed as starters on Depth Charts. In VFA their best signing has to be TYLER ALGEIER/RB who has recently backed up Bijan Robinson in Atlanta. But he is a hard charging, Red Zone demon. He also shows up as a solid receiver. With James Conner in his 30’s now, and ERNIE DeMERCADO departed in VFA, I look for ALLGEIER to be the backfield workhorse, and a productive one at that. They signed GARDNER MINSHEW/QB to back up Jacoby Brissett but they have ended the KYLER MURRAY-era in the desert. They should get some help from OG SEUMALO, LB/JACK GIBBENS, S/A. WINGARD, WR/RS DUVERNAY.
I do not see the Draft being their source for a young QB this year. They are likely to be Top 10 in next year’s Draft and that should net them a better option than TY SIMPSON to be their next young Franchise QB option. So with needs all around their roster lets Mock up their Top 100 Picks.
Round 1, Pick 3 DAVID BAILEY ER Texas Tech 6’4/251
Round 2, Pick 34 Anthony HILL LB Texas 6’2/235
Round 3, Pick 65 CHASE BISONTIS IOL Texas A&M 6’5/315
Day Three 104 143 183 217
Clearly the clear dweller for this Division and no sure thing to avoid another double digit loss season’s record.
LOS ANGELES RAMS (12-5)
Many thought they were the League’s best overall team last season, but they stumbled down the stretch and fell out of home field advantage for the NFC Play-Off run. So the brain trust of SNEAD/McVAY dug deep and set out to improve their CB play and Special Teams work.
They were able to sign former Patriots LS JOE CARDONA, Traded with the Chiefs for Pro Bowl, CB TRENT McDUFFIE, also signed VFA JAYLEN WATSON of the Chiefs and more help for their Special Teams units with GRANT STUARD, a Special Teams vet, who can also play a bit of backup LB . They currently are listed as having Cap Space of just over $26-million as the Draft approaches. Look for them to sign a couple of one-year Free Agent contract players to fill a few weak spots after the Draft.
After trading their own Pick in the Draft for McDuffie, they still have Pick 13 which they acquired from the Falcons last April, plus 6 other Picks. For this team that is a healthy cache of choices to exercise. So let’s look at some possible Top 100 Picks for them.
Round 1, Pick 13 MONROE FREELING OT Georgia 6’7/315
Round 2, Pick 61 ANTONIO WILLIAMS WR/RS Clemson 6’0/187
Round 3, Pick 93 HAROLD PERKINS LB LSU 6’1/223
That leaves them with another 4 Picks to boost the roster depth.
I look for the RAMS to tighten things up a bit on Special Teams and CB, while returning almost everyone else of significance to their roster. I say they don NOT fold during the late season barring injury and go 13-4 to capture the NFC West division.
SAN FRANCISCO 49’ERS (12-5)
I am still amazed that this team won 12 games last season with the number of key injuries that plagued the roster for the entire season. They have added some solid VFA and a couple of depth providing trades. They have 6 Picks as I write this, but only 2 in the Top 100. They also have to work out something with OT Trent Williams, who is still solid, but past his prime and right now counts for $46-million against their Cap. Gonna take some serious creative book keeping to whittle that figure down. And his future replacement at LT does not appear to be on the roster at this time.
They worked VFA well to rebuild their WR room. They added MIKE EVANS & CHRISTIAN KIRK , and likely another youngster via a Draft Pick. DRE GREENLAW is back after failing to return to full health in Denver. He appears as a back-up on their current depth chart, but if he recaptures most of his old form he’s a big addition. They acquired DL OSA ODIGHIZUWA from the Cowboys and he should be a solid rotational DL addition. NATE HOBBS will get a chance to win a job in their secondary after an injury riddled season in Green Bay.
Despite having only 2 Top 100 Picks in their Drafting quiver, I like the fact that their remaining 4 Picks after that are all in the 4th Round @ 127, 133, 138, 139. The should be able to get some useful young back-ups from that group.
Round 1, PIck 27 CALEB LOMU OT Utah 6’6/313
Round 2, Pick 58 ELI STOWERS TE Vanderbilt 6’4/240
Look for the 49’ERS to have a 10-7 record, and perhaps another Wild Card spot for the Play-Offs.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (14-3)
GM JOHN SCHNEIDER & HC MIKE McDONALD did a superb job last year taking a young reshuffled roster and winning 14 games, and the Super Bowl. But as often happens in today’s NFL, building a multi-year dynasty is very hard to do with tight Salary Caps, aging vets, and having loading up on Draft Picks one year, then paying the price without extras for the next couple of years.
The team showed a major net loss in the early VFA market. Gone is KENNETH WALKER/RB and Super Bowl MVP. Gone is starting CB RIQ WOOLEN. Gone are BOYE MAFE/ER & COBY BRYANT /S. RB E.J. WILSON arrives from Green Bay, while S/Rodney Thomas comes in from the Colts. The team currently has $33.2-million in Cap Space and may be able to do some minor VFA bargain hunting after the Draft. After all, who wouldn’t want to play on a Super Bowl winning team.
The 2026 Draft itself may be the most bitter pill to swallow in the next month. Because of some of the wheeling and dealing GM SCHNEIDER pulled off to assemble a Super Bowl worthy roster for 2025, the team has a paltry 4 Picks to work with this year. When the curtain goes up on Day 3 of this coming Draft the team with have 1 PIck at 188 to exercise. The good news they have their 3 Picks in the Top 100.
Round 1, Pick 32 BRANDON CISSE CB South Carolina 6’0/190
Round 2, PIck 64 MIKE WASHINGTON RB Arkansas 6’1/223
Round 3, Pick 96 DOMONIQUE ORANGE DT Iowa St 6’2/322
A tough schedule, some key missing pieces, and playing a tough schedule, including 2 games each against the RAMS & 49’ERS, I just don’t see this team winning more than 10 games next season. But that could be good enough to get them into a Play-Off spot.
Next up: AFC West.
