With three NFC West teams carrying Super Bowl expectations into the 2026 NFL season, even one rookie outperforming expectations could help swing the division race.
In this series, we've been ranking the most impactful rookies in the NFL based on their potential role, their abilities, and the stakes their teams are playing this season.
The NFC West is in a unique place for the series.
That made the NFC West's rookie class a little different. The top teams in the division drafted near the end of most rounds, allowing them to focus more on adding depth to already talented rosters than finding immediate impact starters.
As for the fourth team, the Arizona Cardinals, they made plays for the future. A running back who might not stand out in year one because of his surroundings, an offensive lineman who is now injured for the year, and a dart throw at quarterback who won't start the season.
So it took some digging, but every rookie has a role to play. And with the stakes so high for three of these teams, there were plenty of rookies to choose from who could have an impact.
Except the Rams. Because "F them picks".
Ranking the NFC West rookies who could shape the 2026 season
8. San Francisco 49ers LG: Carver Willis
Carver Willis was a fourth-round pick by the 49ers in the draft. Willis was a three-year starter at left and right tackle for Kansas State and Washington in college. He's a lighter, faster offensive lineman (303 pounds, 78th percentile 40-yard dash), which is a match for Kyle Shanahan.
Willis is in the midst of the left guard battle in 49ers camp. Last year's starter, Ben Bartch, is now with Detroit, and it's an open competition on the line.
Willis is viewed as having longer odds than veteran Robert Jones and second-year man Conor Colby, but with the job available this late in August, and his draft pedigree, Willis could find himself as the Week 1 starter. And that job for a team with the expectations San Francisco has is very meaningful for the season.
7. Arizona Cardinals QB: Carson Beck
The Arizona Cardinals took Carson Beck with the first pick of the third round of the NFL Draft.
Like Fernando Mendoza in the last installment of this series, how impactful Beck is this year will be based on how much he plays.
Jacoby Brissett is the starter for Arizona this season, but it's a total unknown how many games he will start. Beck will likely get a few games at some point, but as a third-round pick, there isn't the same pressure for Arizona to "find out what they have" in him.
Gardner Minshew is listed as the backup on the depth chart. If Brissett gets benched early in the year for poor play, and the team wants to keep some confidence going, I could see Minshew playing over Beck. But if it's more than halfway through the season before they go another way, Beck might be the guy.
Beck's play, in wins or losses, won't necessarily determine the outcome of the NFC West, but it could impact where Arizona views itself in its rebuild. But a good Beck game late in the season could play spoiler to one of the division rivals.
6. Arizona Cardinals RB: Jeremiyah Love
Remember - this is a ranking about impact, not talent. Jeremiyah Love is a highly skilled running back who was taken third overall by the Cardinals. That sort of player would normally be in line for a large role in the offense. Which he could be.
But Love suffered a high ankle sprain in his second preseason game with Arizona. From the time of his injury, the recovery timetable for Love was about four weeks, which would make him technically healthy for Week 1 of the season.
But why would Arizona rush him back? High ankle sprains are significantly tougher injuries to recover from than low ankle sprains. So even if he played, he likely won't be at full strength.
If we aren't getting a fully healthy version of Love for even a few games this season, and Arizona is going to be as bad as we expect, how impactful can season one for the Notre Dame product be?
5. Seattle Seahawks CB: Julian Neal
Julian Neal was a two-year starter in college at outside cornerback for Fresno State and Arkansas. The 6'2, 203-pound Neal was the third-round pick by the Seahawks this spring.
Neal isn't listed as a starter, and isn't even in the running to be a starter for Seattle right now. But depth at cornerback is extremely important for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Just ask the Seahawks. During their run to the championship just last year, they had several backup defensive backs play key roles. Devon Witherspoon missed five games of the regular season. Nick Emmanwori missed three. And with that, Riq Woolen, who had lost his own starting job, ended up playing over 800 snaps. And this offseason, Woolen signed with the Eagles.
And the injuries are already piling up in Seattle's secondary. Emmanwori is still working back from his ankle surgery, and fellow rookie Bud Clark broke his own ankle in practice.
Neal could end up as a depth piece all season, starting just a few games here and there. But for a team that wants to win another Super Bowl, on a unit in the defense that is what got them there last year, and at a position that always needs depth, Neal is in a position to have a big impact on the season.
4. San Francisco 49ers EDGE: Romello Height
Similar to Neal, Romello Height is a depth piece at a high-value position, for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
The 49ers took Height in the third round of the draft to add to their growing collection of young defensive linemen.
At edge specifically, while Height is buried on the depth chart, there's an opportunity in front of him. Nick Bosa has not fully returned to practice due to his knee injury from last year, and 2025 first-round pick Mykel Williams is still on the PUP list.
In front of Height are NFL journeymen Sam Okuayinonu, Ogbo Okoronkwo, and last year's trade deadline addition Keion White.
With some in-house draft pedigree, Height could earn his way to snaps early, and potentially hold on to a key role throughout the season for San Francisco.
3. San Francisco 49ers DT: Gracen Halton
The 49ers took Gracen Halton in the fourth round of the draft, and he joins a very young defensive tackle room.
San Francisco selected Alfred Collins and CJ West in the second and fourth rounds of last year's draft, respectively.
Halton is a smaller and more athletic defensive tackle with a lot of pop. Listed at under 6'3, and under 300 pounds, he posted elite measurables in the broad jump, vertical jump, and 40-yard dash. He uses that athleticism to knife into the backfield against the run or as a pass rusher, and has an extra gear when there's a lane to the quarterback.
Halton was a steal in the fourth round of the draft. With his talent, and the emphasis on pressure from the middle of the defensive line across the NFL, he could be a major swing piece this season for the 49ers.
2. Seattle Seahawks RB: Jadarian Price
1,757 yards and 17 touchdowns. That's the running back production out the door for Seattle between Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet. That production helped Seattle to 14 wins in the regular season en route to winning the Super Bowl.
First-round pick Jadarian Price won't be counted on to provide all of that production himself, but as the only major addition to Seattle's running back room, there is a lot on his plate.
Price has missed the recent part of the summer due to "upper-leg soreness", which kept him out of some practices, and as a precaution, will keep him out of all of the preseason games.
But as a first-round pick in a room filled with unproven options, Price has a major role to play for the defending Super Bowl champions. How well he handles that responsibility could significantly impact Seattle's chances of making another championship run.
1. San Francisco 49ers WR: De’Zhaun Stribling
One of the most talked about draft picks since day two of the draft has the chance to be the most impactful rookie in the NFC West this season.
The 49ers made waves when they selected De'Zhaun Stribling in the second round back in April. Stribling is a tall and speedy receiver from Ole Miss who averaged 14.7 yards per catch last season.
The route to relevance is clear for Stribling. Ricky Pearsall is out for the season. Christian Kirk has missed the entire month of August with a calf strain. And Mike Evans exited practice on Tuesday with "groin tightness" - his second injury of camp.
Meanwhile, Stribling has earned rave reviews since suiting up for San Francisco and is in line to have a significant role in Shanahan's offense this season. Even with Deebo Samuel back in the mix, Stribling could emerge as one of Brock Purdy's top targets.
Given the injuries around him, his talent and San Francisco's Super Bowl expectations, no NFC West rookie has a clearer opportunity to make an immediate impact.
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