Jan 2, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Florida Gators defensive lineman Sharrif Floyd (73) sacks Louisville Cardinals quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) during the third quarter of the Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

NFC WEST

Arizona Cardinals

1. Corner
2. Linebacker
3. Tight End

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Thoughts:

The Cardinals have done a good job of turning their image from a perennial cellar dweller into a dangerous match-up. They’ve won the NFC West and at least one playoff game in each of the last two seasons. Sadly, a few of the players responsible for that success were lost this offseason including QB Kurt Warner, WR Anquan Boldin, OLB Karlos Dansby, and OLB Bertrand Berry. Arizona will be relying heavily on younger players to help fill in at these positions. Even with these losses, the Cardinals have bigger depth problems at corner. Second year pro Greg Tolar will be expected to lock down opposite Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and I am sure most Cardinal fans remember Michael Adams getting burned often in the playoffs last year. Better overall talent at the position will be needed as the linebacking core will be getting a new look over the next few seasons. By October, every expected starter at linebacker will be over the age of 30 and everyone behind them are inexperienced. Drafting linebackers Daryl Washington and O’Brien Schofield is a start, but you can never have too many good linebackers in a 3-4 defense. O’Brien Schofield and 2009 2nd round pick Cody Brown are coming off of knee and wrist injuries. Tight end has been a tough position to fit into the spread offense the Cardinals have run the past few season as no one player has really locked down the spot as a consistent starter. Due to the scheme, an H-Back is more of a fit than a tight end. Ben Patrick fits the mold physically, but doesn’t have the speed to take attention away from the wide receivers.

San Francisco 49ers

1. Cornerback
2. Defensive Line
3. Quarterback

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Thoughts:

The 49ers back up cornerbacks got a lot of action last year as both Walt Harris and Nate Clements were lost to injury. Shawntae Spencer had some impressive games, but the secondary got beat a lot. Clements is coming back, but he is going to be 31 this year and a needed talent upgrade for the group is inevitable. San Fransisco has a very good group of starting defensive lineman, but DE Justin Smith and NT Aubrayo Franklin are both over 30 and Franklin is currently only with the 49ers because of the franchise tag. He will be looking for a multi-year contract. 2008 1st round pick Kentwan Balmer has yet to make an impact and every other backup is pretty green in the experience department. The Niners are going to give QB Alex Smith every chance possible this season to be their long term starter, but if they still can’t make the playoffs with the team they have around him, then they will still be looking for their guy.

Seattle Seahawks

1. Defensive End
2. Cornerback
3. Quarterback

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Thoughts:

The Seahawks are going to be looking a little different this season with an all new coaching staff, but one thing that looks to remain the same is their lack of a pass rush. The expected starting defensive line totaled nine combined sacks last season. Seattle has had only three players register double digit sacks this decade: newly Hall of Famed DT John Randle (11 sacks, 2001), LB Julian Peterson (10, 2006), and DE Patrick Kerney (14.5, 2007). We’ll see how the current group plays in the new scheme, but Seattle is going to have to find ways to pressure the quarterback. On defense, they have struggled to find a consistent presence opposite CB Marcus Trufant, who had a hard time recovering from a back injury last season. Josh Wilson and Kelly Jennings would be better as back ups and 2010 4th round pick Walter Thurmond is coming back from ACL, MCL, and PCL tears in his knee. He should be ready in time for training camp, but that will be one tough injury to fully heal from. QB Matt Hasselbeck has had a tough couple of year due to injury and he isn’t getting any younger. The big difference this year is that none of the depth behind him has ever played. Makes it tough to get a true read on what they can do and if the Hawks have another high draft pick in 2011, a local talent could be the gem of new coach Pete Carroll’s eye.

St. Louis Rams

1. Wide Reciever
2. Offensive Line
3. Cornerback

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Thoughts:

You can’t turn a franchise that has won six games over the last three seasons in one draft, but the Rams got a start. Now that they have identified their QB, its time to upgrade his weapons and defense.  Because of injuries and lack of production, just about every wide receiver on the roster got experience which should be helpful to this young group, but none are a clear number one receiver. With so much top tier talent at the position expected next year, the Rams would do well to grab one of them. St. Louis already has a pair of young tackles in 2009 first round pick Jason Smith and 2010 second round pick Roger Saffold (when healthy) and could use similar upgrades at guard. Protecting their #1 investment and improving their run game at the same time. An upgrade is needed on the defensive line, but there is also a lot of young talent that will get a chance to play more before they start replacing players. Corner is a more desperate situation. The Rams ranked 25th in pass defense, tied for last in interceptions, and will be starting players that are better suited for backup roles. The NFC West has some great receiver match-ups and St. Louis doesn’t have the talent to match back.

NFC SOUTH

Atlanta Falcons 

1. Cornerback
2. Defensive Line
3. Utility Man

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Thoughts:

Atlanta is one of few teams that have few needs and look toward the draft to grab guys who will develop. You could say that they could afford a luxury pick. This past season was derailed by injuries, but there is still a very talented team in the dirty south. CB Dunta Robinson improves the secondary, but losing CB Chris Houston leaves a big hole across the field. 2010 5th round pick CB Dominique Franks has a lot of talent, but shouldn’t be relied on for more than spot duty for now. The Falcons have good depth players at cornerback, but a top end corner talent opposite Robinson would make them more dangerous for a team that plays New Orleans twice a year. The defensive line was pretty weak in the middle last season and a lot of hope rest on 2009 1st round pick Peria Jerry coming back healthy, but even if he comes back 100%, the defensive tackles on the roster barely average 300 pounds between the six of them. Unless the Falcons run a defensive line where quickness is valued more than size (Falcon fans can help us out with that one), a large frame heavy weight defensive tackle to stuff up the middle and allow the defensive ends could help keep John Abraham around longer. One thing I don’t really see on the roster is a good offensive utility man. Who is Atlanta’s Reggie Bush? Percy Harvin? Dexter McCluster? Matt Ryan is an elite quarterback and should be surrounded with more weapons.

Carolina Panthers

1. Defensive Tackle
2. Defensive End
3. Safety

Thoughts:

Carolina has suffered heavy losses on the defensive line this offseason with DE Julius Peppers, DT Damione Lewis, and DT Maake Kemoeatu leaving in free agency. DE Greg Hardy was drafted in the 6th round in 2010 and DE Everette Brown was drafted in the 2nd round last year in a trade that shipped this year’s 1st round pick to San Fransisco. DE Tyler Brayton is the only returning starter and he’ll be 31 this year. Defensive tackle is even more bleak as a long list of developmental players are fighting for snaps on the field. Could be ugly against teams with good run games this year.  With the trading of S Chris Harris, the Panthers must be relying on Sherrod Martin to move into his spot. He has had a few good games as a back-up, two picks vs. Arizona this past year, but not sure how well he will hold up as a full time starter. Carolina pulled in a 10-man draft class in the 2010 Draft and will be hoping quite a few of those to fill in right away.

New Orleans Saints

1. Defensive Tackle
2. Running Back
3. Outside Linebacker

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Thoughts:

New Orleans is injured and old up the middle of their defense save DT Sedrick Ellis. He is just injured. A run stopping nose tackle will keep performances like overtime against Tampa Bay last year to a minimum. The running back committee is effective, but do you think Sean Payton is going to settle for just effective? RB Pierre Thomas and Lynell Hamilton are a good combo, but a back in the vein of a Beanie Wells would make the offense that much more dangerous. Strong side linebacker Scott Fujita is gone and a long list of back-ups will fight for his spot. Jonathan Vilma seem to be the only linebacker who is an ideal fit in the blitzing defense of Greg Williams.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

1. Defensive End
2. Safety
3. Running Back

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Thoughts:

The Buccaneers need help all over. They had an impressive 2010 class, but one class isn’t going to do it. Now that they have found the middle of their defense for the next few years, they need to get much better at defensive end. DE Jimmy Wilkerson is now in conference rival New Orleans, leaving DE’s Tim Crowder and Stylez White to man the outside. Both are relatively young, but they are only relatively athletic as well. An upgrade in talent at the end spot will make this defense as feared as in its hey day. If the Tampa Bay organization cares, at all, for the well being of RB Cadillac Williams and his surgically repaired knees: they need to find someone more reliable to take rushes away from him. I really like Williams, but I fear he is going to get hurt every time he rushes more than ten attempts in a game. No one else has really been able to compliment him.

NFC NORTH

Chicago Bears

1. Interior Offensive Line
2. Defensive Line
3. Linebacker

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Thoughts:

The Bears are a team in flux. They have been getting older on both sides of the ball and haven’t brought in a lot of top level talent though the draft the last five seasons. A lot of that has to do with not having first day picks, but not having those picks has forced them to take a slow approach to developing and replacing at certain positions. Offensive line is the most neglected is this regard, particularly at center and guard. C Olin Kreutz has been one of the better centers in the NFL over his tenure, but he is 33 and coming off of either surgery to repair bone spurs or surgery to repair his Achilles tendon, depending on which Chicago newspaper you read. OG Roberto Garza is the next best lineman, and he is 31 and struggles against powerful bull rushes. Not good when he will have to go against NFC North DT’s twice a season. Finding a guy who can play both center and guard should be a high priority. Outside of DE Julius Peppers, the Bears have a whole lot of question marks on their defensive line. Will DE Mark Anderson become more consistent opposite Peppers? Can any of the younger DT’s play better than Anthony Adams? Will they find a position for DE/DT Jarron Gilbert? Will Tommie Harris ever play like he used to or will he have to resort to throwing more punches on the field? The Bears defensive scheme is supposed to rely on the defensive line to be the strength of the entire defense, but right now its questionable at best. The Bears are in need of depth at every position on defense, but they don’t have a cornerback over the age of 30 and have an entirely new safety combination in traded for Chris Harris and newly drafted Major Wright. Where they seem to have a bigger need is at linebacker. No starters is under the age of 30. The top linebacker, Brian Urlacher, lost last season to a dislocated wrist, is 32, and has seen his production slipping since 2006. The back ups are Tim Shaw (on his third team in 4 years), Pisa Tinosamoa (coming off a season ending knee injury with a one year contract), and Nick Roach (good special teamer, not a 16 game starter).

Detroit Lions

1. Cornerback
2. Offensive Line
3. Safety

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Thoughts:

Tough to have anything but optimism when looking at the Lions, but they still have a long way to go. CB Chris Houston was a good pick up from Atlanta and is instantly the best cornerback on the roster. However, he should ideally be the teams number two cornerback because he is good, not great. Third round pick Amari Spievey and CB Jonathan Wade appear to be battling for the other spot, but again, top end talent is needed for a defense that was dead last against the pass last year. The Lion’s also did a good job in acquiring OG Rob Sims from the Seahawks, but like the cornerback position, the top level talent isn’t there on the line. They could use another guard and while drafting OT Jason Fox was a step in the right direction for upgrading the depth of the line, with his injury history and current talent level the Lions don’t want him playing a whole season at left tackle. They’ve made a huge investment in QB Matthew Stafford and would do best to protect that investment by upgrading the talent of their line. We mentioned the Lions were bad at pass defense right? Because they were really bad and upgrading all levels of the secondary will be a priority next season. Safety Louis Delmas had a terrific rookie season, but has a long list of nobodies playing next to him. They have done a good job of addressing the defensive front seven and should do the same with the back end in 2011.

Green Bay Packers

1. Cornerback
2. Linebacker
3. Offensive Line

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Thoughts:

The Packers are widely credited for having the youngest roster in the NFL, but one position where they are a little long in the tooth is at cornerback. The starters have been very talented throughout their time in Green Bay, but Al Harris is not only turning 36 before the end of 2010, he is coming off of a serious knee injury and will not be ready to play at the beginning of the regular season. Its questionable if he is ever 100% again. Charles Woodson is turning 34 this season, but is coming off arguably his best season as a pro. 34 is still pretty old for any position in the NFL and the young talent level behind Woodson/Harris isn’t nearly as good as the current starting combo. The recent defensive switch from 4-3 to 3-4 created a bigger need at linebacker for the Packers. Clay Matthews has proven his worth and looks to have a bright future ahead of him. However, Nick Barnett has had injuries and surgeries each of the past two seasons, A.J. Hawk has been underwhelming as the #5 overall pick in 2006, and everyone else on the roster is better of as subs or package specific. Another rush OLB and a bigger inside linebacker would be a big improvement to their front seven. The Pack lucked out when Bryan Bulaga fell to them this year, but the interior of the line is still largely unsettled with C Scott Wells being the only consistent performer and everyone else is serviceable to good. I am sure Aaron Rodgers would like better than serviceable lineman protecting him.

Minnesota Vikings

1. Quarterback
2. Offensive Line
3. Linebacker

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Thoughts:

The common thought amongst Vikings fans is that if this is truly Brett Favre’s last year, the Vikings will have no bigger need than at quarterback. If Brett does retire, it will be the biggest talent hole compared to every other position on the team and the Vikings could have to put together a big package of picks and players to move up high enough in the draft to get their quarterback of the future. It’s still early, but there seems to be one question that I don’t seem to see being asked: When Brett retires, what is going to stop Childress from starting Tarvaris Jackson for at least one year before drafting a quarterback high in the draft? Perhaps next years draft strategy won’t be finding the quarterback of the future, but shoring up the offensive line and skill positions around the QB and depth on defense. Just playing devil’s advocate since its so early because the Vikings really should be looking to add a top level quarterback from the draft in 2011. The offensive line has come under fire this offseason since the running game suffered in 2009 (even though the passing game was significantly better and one is usually better at the expense of the other) and could use better depth and overall talent. First year starters C John Sullivan and ROT Phil Loadholt will get every opportunity to improve, but the other positions are getting older and suffered injuries this past season. OT Ryan Cook and OL Chris DeGeare are capable of playing multiple positions along the line, but neither should be counted on to start for more than a couple of games. The Vikings are pretty set at every starting position, but a future problem area will be at the linebacker position. E.J. Henderson is coming off of one nasty injury for the second year in a row, Ben Leber and Chad Greenway are both in contract years with it likely just one of them gets re-signed, and the depth at the position isn’t ready to step up and be full time starters. A linebacker that can cover tight ends and play zone will be a welcome addition to the defense.