A thorough assessment of a team’s draft can’t truly be reached for another three years or so. That said, with tighter rosters and larger rookie contracts, a successful draft must yield at least some immediate help. With that in mind, here’s a look at how NFC West teams fared over the weekend—both from a big-picture NFL standpoint as well as a fantasy perspective—taking into account how key needs were (or weren’t) addressed and the impact potential of the players acquired.

Arizona Cardinals

The worst-kept secret in the draft was a pass-catching back going to the Cardinals, but apparently someone forgot to tell the Colts. So Arizona was left with Chris Wells—not exactly the fit most imagined for that offense, but hardly a consolation prize. In Round Two the Cards did get their UConn Brown, but it was DE/OLB Cody, not RB Donald. On Day Two Arizona added some depth to their secondary with S Rashad Johnson and CB Greg Toler and picked up a pair of oversized developmental offensive linemen in 6-7, 364-pound Herman Johnson and 6-5, 307-pound Trevor Canfield. Sixth-round DE Will Davis may wind up at OLB. Seventh-round RB LaRod Stephens is small (5-7, 180) but will return kicks and could eventually become the lightning to Wells’ thunder.

Fantasy nugget: Before hitting the panic button on Arizona not finding a back to fit their pass-happy style, let’s not forget that Ken Whisenhunt oversaw a Steelers offense that featured Jerome Bettis to the tune of 22 touchdowns over two seasons. Wells isn’t the same back as Bettis, but despite his inexperience in the passing game it’s tough to see him going unused in the Cardinals backfield.

You must be a Huddle Member to continue reading this article or feature.

Already a Member?  Log In Below: Username: Password: Remember me? Forgot your password?

Become a Huddle Member today. Join or Renew Now! Want to know more? Member Benefits (In other words, why join?)