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NFC West teams naturally expect more from earlier draft choices such as 2013 first-rounders Jonathan Cooper, Tavon Austin, Eric Reid and Alec Ogletree. All four of those early choices could wind up starting in 2013. It's an upset if they do not. ...

The NFL's rookie wage scale has diminished the negotiating part of contract negotiations. As a result, the Seattle Seahawks announced Friday they had signed seven draft choices. The San Francisco 49ers announced they had signed five of theirs. The...

Sometimes it takes a few years to fully assess an NFL draft class' impact. Imperiled veterans can't afford to wait that long. Among the NFC West veterans on alert as 2013 rookies arrive for minicamps Friday: Arizona Cardinals: Adding guards Jo...

College graduation dates can affect whether a rookie draft choice participates in his team's offseason program, and to what extent. Beanie Wells (2009) and Isaiah Pead (2012) are two higher-profile examples from the NFC West. Rules prevented both ...

NFC West teams loaded up on halfbacks (as opposed to pure fullbacks) during the recently completed 2013 NFL draft. The division selected six of them, two more than any other division selected. 2013 NFL Draft: Halfbacks by Round Range ...

Matt Williamson, NFL scout for ESPN.com, is back with post-draft thoughts regarding the recently published NFC West positional rankings. We won't cover every position. Some haven't changed enough. But with the four NFC West teams combining to draf...

The St. Louis Rams had a long list of needs heading into the 2013 NFL draft. They have addressed most of them by selecting receiver Tavon Austin, linebacker Alec Ogletree, safety T.J. McDonald, receiver Stedman Bailey, center/guard Barrett Jones a...

Scouts Inc. offers a full seven-round projection for the 2013 NFL draft.

Story | Conversation | April 24, 2013

Starters in, starters out. That's college football. Players' eligibility expires, and they leave for the rest of their lives, whether that includes the NFL or not. And they leave behind shoes of various sizes that need to be filled. Our concern...

If Washington defensive back Desmond Trufant was on the first-round fence prior to the NFL scouting combine, he might have swung the other leg over. After posting impressive measurables, Trufant has climbed from first-round possibility to legitimate ...

Fast receivers such as Tavon Austin stole spotlight from an unexceptional quarterback crop at Sunday's combine, writes John Clayton.

Let's give Michael Turner his props. If he's not the best running back in the history of the Atlanta Falcons, he certainly is close to that. Turner is a major reason the Falcons made the playoffs in four of the past five seasons. He gave the Falco...

Our countdown of the top 25 players in 2012 continues. You can see our preseason top 25 here. No. 8: Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford 2012 numbers: Taylor rushed for 1,530 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and scoring 13 touchdowns. He also c...

Kevin Weidl looks at the Arizona Cardinals' needs on offense, and whether they can find their quarterback of the future in the 2013 class.

Blog | Conversation | February 11, 2013

Apparently I offended Stanford fans yesterday by saying I don't think the Cardinal can go undefeated -- which was promptly followed by the fact that I don't think any team in the Pac-12 can go undefeated. Sounds like a good poll question for later to...

What does 2013 hold for the Pac-12? If you buy Mark Schlabach's early Top 25, then it looks like a pretty good start for the conference. Schlabach taps five Pac-12 teams in his 2013 Top 25 -- including two of the top three. Oregon checks in at No....