ESPN NFL

The most recent NFC West chat is heading into overtime thanks to Jeff from Seattle.

"I enjoyed it when the chat wrap used questions that weren't answered," Jeff wrote. "Any plans to bring that back to the feature?"

Sometimes there's not time, but this time, there is. It's May 24 and we -- OK, I -- recently ran a weather report, after all. The first section begins with a question about Kellen Winslow, but the answer touches on teams beyond Seattle. It also lets me break out a chart, always a plus.

Robert from Georgia asked whether Kellen Winslow's addition in Seattle will lead the Seahawks to use more personnel groupings with two tight ends.

"The way New England uses Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez is unbelievable," he wrote, "and while I am in no way trying to compare, does the addition of Winslow increase Zach Miller's production? Could Seattle have the second-best two-tight-end set in the NFL?"

That sounds optimistic. I expect the San Francisco 49ers to field the best two-tight end tandem in the division once again. Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker are very good together. Each is faster than his Seattle counterpart, although Winslow has obviously been more productive than Walker as a receiver (with quite a few more opportunities).

I've put together a chart showing how frequently NFC West teams and Winslow's former team, Tampa Bay, used two or more tight ends. John Carlson's injury suppressed the numbers for Seattle. The St. Louis Rams have a new coaching staff, so numbers from last season might not mean as much.

Seattle will use two-plus tight ends more frequently as long as Miller and Winslow are healthy. Winslow amassed 74 percent of his receiving yardage (565 of 763) as the only tight end on the field last season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. That figure mirrored the percentage of snaps when Tampa Bay used fewer than two tight ends, disregarding kneeldowns and spikes.

Miller's receiving numbers were going to climb anyway after he bottomed out at 25 receptions. Winslow has consistently been a 70-catch player. I would expect that figure to fall as he plays alongside another tight end to a degree he did not last season.

There is a chance Winslow will catch more passes than Miller.

Miller will likely be the in-line tight end, meaning he'll be more involved in run blocking. Winslow will be more of an H-back. That is consistent with assistant head coach/offensive line Tom Cable's vision for the offense.

Jacob from Missouri says it's easy to become optimistic while hearing good things from organized team activities and such.

"As a Rams fan, I could really use some optimism, but when is the best time to actually believe all the good things I'm hearing?" he writes.

Mike Sando: It's OK to believe the good things you're hearing now. Just remember to keep it all in perspective. For the Rams, pay close attention to the injury situation. This team was hit hard by injuries last season. It's important for the Rams to get through the offseason without starting to head down the path that led to the training room last season.

We should pay close attention to what the Rams are saying about Jason Smith at right tackle. We should listen for clues about Brian Quick's readiness to contribute right now, not just at some point in the distant future. We should pay attention to the source of information. When Jeff Fisher, a former defensive back, gushes over Janoris Jenkins and indicates he expects immediate contributions, that means something. I'd go ahead and buy into that a little bit.

Jeff from Fowler, Calif., asks whether NaVorro Bowman is the most logical young player to receive a contract extension from the 49ers.

Mike Sando: Yeah, I would think so. Dashon Goldson is operating on the franchise tag, so he could get a new deal as well. But he's been around a little longer. Bowman is younger and quickly became an All-Pro player. The 49ers should not feel pressure to do a deal with him right now, however. Bowman has the 2012 and 2013 seasons remaining on his contract. Waiting another year isn't disrespectful to Bowman. Why not get one more cheap season from Bowman and then reward him accordingly if Bowman backs up his strong 2011 season with another big year?

kualla83 from Phoenix asked whether the Arizona Cardinals' defense should be regarded on par with those from Seattle and San Francisco, even though those defenses were more consistent from start to finish.

"Obviously they have to prove it a little more on the field," he wrote, "but if the second half of last season is any indication of what is to come, I am really excited."

Mike Sando: First off, this question was one I answered in the chat. We had very few Cardinals questions and I answered them. FearTheTweetTweet even complained during the chat, asking whether I'd ever answer another Arizona question. I was looking for them and found only three (out of 140 questions, which was a low number for a chat anyway). So, we get a rerun of an answer.

It's fair to say the Cardinals should be optimistic based on the improvement they saw late in the season. It's fair to say the Cardinals have to prove it over the course of the season, which you indicated to be the case. The 49ers are in a different class defensively right now. Justin Smith and Patrick Willis were the two best defensive players in the division last season. The Cardinals do not have players quite on that level defensively. Now, they do have some very good players. The key variable, in my mind, is what production the team gets from its young outside linebackers. Again, there is reason for optimism there, but also much for the team to prove.

Good morning, NFC West.

After moving around the chat time in recent weeks, we're back on the usual Thursday schedule.

Hope to see you there at 1 p.m. ET.

We might need to consider Friday afternoon chats more regularly. Lots of fun in there.

The highlight for me, by far, was when blog regular Deccare, posting under the guise of Deccarizzle, lobbed a softball.

"Who's to blame for the 49ers losing the NFC championship game?" he asked.

Too easy.

"The Giants," I replied.

Gotta keep up your guard in the chats.

"I will sonic boom sando," Deccare replied in the comments beneath the full transcript.

The chat also generated spirited discussion on the St. Louis Rams, with Will from Tallahassee calling out my, shall we say, conservative projections for 2012.

"Are you saying that even if the Rams come into the season healthy, as opposed to last season, and maintain relative good health amongst their starters on offense and defense, that they would only get 4 or 5 wins?" Will wrote. "Really, Sando?"

I'm saying the Rams went 15-65 over the past five seasons, faring worse than expected at almost every turn. So, when asked for early victory projections in the NFC West, I had the Rams in the 4-6 range, with San Francisco (10-11), Seattle (nine) and Arizona (eight) ahead of them. Those projections invited another round of debate.

Once the chat had concluded, we had argued over how to characterize Alex Smith's career, with SFfan_inNY claiming in the comments section that "Sando is never gonna man up and admit what most of us know: Smith was a victim of a terrible situation that very well have ended the careers of Brady, Manning or Rodgers."

How many cans of worms could one NFC West chat open? Lets sift through a few more:

Griz from Montana asks whether I could see Pete Carroll switching to Russell Wilson at quarterback in 2013 if Matt Flynn were "moderately successful" as the starter this year, on the basis that Wilson's athletic ability might make him a better fit for Carroll's brand of offense.

Mike Sando: Moderately successful will not be good enough for Flynn to hold onto the job. The Seahawks love Russell Wilson and want to see if he can overcome the one big strike against him: lack of height. They feel like Wilson has everything else. They're optimistic, but they just don't know for sure based on the height. That one trait explains why Wilson was still available in the third round.

Randy from Toledo called my predictions a "kiss of death" and asked whether it was a "pact with Satan" when I pointed to the 49ers as division favorites in 2012.

Mike Sando: Football is largely unpredictable, especially in a division without established, reliable quarterback play. It's not like the AFC East, where everyone is trying to catch up to Tom Brady. We went into last season with Sam Bradford appearing on the rise, the 49ers breaking in a new staff under tough circumstances, Arizona spending big on Kevin Kolb, Seattle coming off a weird season featuring a 7-9 record and a playoff victory. So many variables in this division. The 49ers are the logical favorite based on what we saw from them last.

Will from Tallahassee also asked why Cortland Finnegan didn't land on an all-division team as published during a previous chat. "You really think that Carlos Rogers is a better corner than Finnegan?" he writes.

Mike Sando: I don't recall making that selection at cornerback, but the truth is, I watched Carlos Rogers every week last season. I did not watch the Titans very much at all. Might need to see Finnegan play in the division before putting him on an all-division team. Chris Long is very good and could be a worthy selection. He has competition in this division, however.

EDTGO from New York asks whether projections for Flynn dovetail with projections for Kevin Kolb a year ago.

Mike Sando: You could be 100 percent correct in that. I do see similarities, for sure. The feeling in Arizona last season was that the quarterback play had to improve even if Kevin Kolb were mediocre, and that the improvement would help the team win a few more games. The team did win a few more games, improving from 5-11 to 8-8, but how much did that have to do with quarterback improvement? The defense improved tremendously over the second half of the season. Patrick Peterson's punt-return touchdowns were huge. And then John Skelton, not Kolb, helped pull out some comeback victories.

Enjoy your Friday.

Here's the link. I'll be heading over momentarily.

In the meantime, I'm hoping to post a followup item comparing Vernon Davis to other NFC West tight ends based on production last season.

The race is on.

A chance to check out the Seattle Seahawks' organized team activities Thursday has led me to push back the NFC West chat one day.

We'll convene at 4 p.m. ET Friday.

I'll post the link ahead of time, and we can go from there. What loose ends from around the division need addressing as we transition into the slower portion of the offseason?

The word "concussion" came up zero times during the most recent NFC West chat. There was one "bounty" question, but I didn't get around to answering it during the chat.

"Do you think Kurt Warner would have come back for another year if he wouldn't have been smashed by the Saints after his interception in Bounty Gate?" Tony from Richmond, Calif., wanted to know.

Warner was headed toward retirement regardless, in my view. The Cardinals might have gotten him to reconsider had they offered a dramatic in crease in pay, but that is purely speculative. Warner was ready for retirement.

Full chat transcript here. Highlights below:

SeniorSwick from Montclair, N.J. asks whether any NFL teams take as many chances as the Seahawks when it comes to creativity, scheme and personnel. He points to the team's decision to convert new draft choice J.R. Sweezy from defense to offense.

Mike Sando: The 49ers converted Bruce Miller from college defensive end to fullback and got good play from him last season. Miller had not played offense since high school. Sweezy, like Miller, was a later-round pick. Teams have greater freedom to experiment with later-round choices. The key is to be creative without over-thinking things. More broadly, the concern in building around specialized or somewhat unique players -- think Red Bryant for Seattle -- is that specialized players can be tough to replace if injured. However, that is where staff flexibility can make up the difference. The Seahawks seem to have a good defensive staff and approach. Another potential concern relative to Sweezy is what the move represents: a clear push by an assistant coach to get a player he liked. Tom Cable also drove the selection of James Carpenter a year ago. Drafting players to fit the staff is important, but we should also watch to see if assistants have too much sway.

Ken from Anaheim, Calif., seeks a heads up on any Rams rookies who might become starters. All the early draft choices should be considered. I focused on undrafted players when putting together an answer.

Mike Sando: Watch the linebackers in general, Ken. That was a position of great need that the Rams didn't address sufficiently in the draft. As a result, the better free-agent linebackers were eager to consider the Rams; those players knew their chances would be better in St. Louis than elsewhere. Derrick Choice from Stephen F. Austin, Alex Hoffman-Ellis from Washington State and Noah Keller from Ohio State were the undrafted free-agent linebackers St. Louis signed recently. Seventh-round pick Aaron Brown is also new to the team.

Brandon Cards Fan from Arizona asks whether the offensive linemen the Cardinals drafted from the fourth through seventh rounds might see the starting rotation or play extensively as rookies.

Mike Sando: Yes, I think fourth-round choice Bobby Massie figures to get some starts at right tackle this season -- either out of necessity or because he wins the job. Jeremy Bridges would be the veteran fallback at right tackle. Moving right guard Adam Snyder into that spot would be another option, but that could weaken two positions. I could see Bridges opening the season as the starter at right tackle, with Massie taking over during the season.

The fun continues. I'm tentatively scheduled to join NFL Live some time after 3:30 p.m. ET for additional thoughts on Ben Roethlisberger's comments regarding the 49ers.

Good morning. We're back on the usual Thursday chat schedule this week. Here's the link.

A running joke on the blog is that we haven't had enough Deuce Lutui items lately, so if you've got any questions about, say, his offseason approach to nutrition, by all means, fire away. This could be a rare opportunity to discuss a subject that simply hasn't gotten enough play.

See you there at 1 p.m. ET.

Greetings, and Happy Cinco de Mayo.

A look back at the most recent NFC West chat shows the concussion issue permeating what are usually football-related discussions. The issue was a significant one for the division last season as several players, notably Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb and St. Louis Rams tackle Jason Smith, missed extended periods after suffering head injuries.

Both men absorbed inadvertent knees to the head (as did the San Francisco 49ers' Delanie Walker, who suffered a broken jaw as a result). There was not much anyone could have done to prevent these injuries, but as ESPN's Merril Hoge said Friday, how teams and players respond can make all the difference.

NFC West teams seemed to respond appropriately in these cases. Walker said he did not suffer a concussion, only the jaw injury. Kolb and Smith missed extended periods following their concussions.

Brian from Arizona asks whether Kolb, who suffered a concussion playing for Philadelphia prior to suffering one last season, would have to consider retirement if he suffered one serious enough to sideline him for multiple games in 2012.

Mike Sando: Reasonably, yes, but we have evidence suggesting players will try to keep playing, and teams will keep giving them chances. I wonder if we're headed for a day when players must go through some sort of neurological or medical board to get a license to play in the NFL. Sort of the way boxing requires boxers to get a license. I mean, Brandon Stokley is playing in the NFL after suffering more than 10 significant concussions, by his count.

David from Maryland asks which wide receivers are most likely to stick on the Rams' initial 53-man roster.

Mike Sando: We need to know whether Steve Smith is going to be healthy. A scout for an NFL team told me he though the Rams would cut a receiver who would catch on with another team. Brian Quick makes it as a second-round choice. Danny Amendola makes it as a slot receiver. I suspect Greg Salas makes it. Chris Givens has a decent shot as a fourth-round pick. We haven't even mentioned Brandon Gibson, Austin Pettis or Danario Alexander. My feel is that injuries will make some of the decisions for the Rams. Smith and Alexander are two players to watch on that front. Can they hold up OK?

Boothe from parts unknown asks which is a more plausible hypothesis: The 49ers approached this draft with an eye on giving Alex Smith more weapons, or that they drafted these players to pair with Colin Kaepernick (in the near future) in a more dynamic, high-speed offense? "Or is neither exclusive of the other?" he asks.

Mike Sando: The 49ers were adding to their offense, period. If Alex Smith makes the most of those weapons, good for him. If not, on to the next guy. I'm sure they're thinking in the backs of their minds about a day when Colin Kaepernick, A.J. Jenkins and LaMichael James are on the field together with Vernon Davis, etc. But for now, Alex Smith gets first crack.

Bernie from Burien, Wash., asks whether the Seattle Seahawks should consider converting Mike Williams to tight end, a position where the team needs additional depth.

Mike Sando: Mike Williams wouldn't offer enough as a blocker. Plus, he is 230 pounds, too light for a tight end, and he has had trouble staying healthy. The team needs to add a real tight end. Visanthe Shiancoe is the most logical candidate by far among veteran free agents. He is 32, but he has not missed games.

Enjoy your Saturday. I'll be ducking out to watch our youngest play baseball.

Just a reminder: The NFC West chat, rescheduled from Thursday, begins at 3 p.m. ET Friday right here.

I'm planning to chat from Seattle Seahawks headquarters. The team has a short workout session scheduled, followed by media access to quarterbacks Matt Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson. The chat falls afterward.

On a side note, all four NFC West teams have mandatory minicamps from June 12-14.

The NFC West chat regularly scheduled for Thursday will move to Friday at 3 p.m. ET to accommodate my jet-setting lifestyle.

Thanks to those who responded to my Facebook request for questions facing NFC West teams coming out of the draft. I used three of them for items scheduled to appear Thursday at noon ET. We can tackle some of the others during the chat Friday.

No need to ask about the jet-setting lifestyle, though. It doesn't exist. I've got a scheduling conflict Thursday, so Friday works better this week. Back to Thursdays in the future.

The NFC West chat began amid a report suggesting the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots had discussed a trade involving the 12th pick in the 2012 NFL draft.

By the time the chat ended, word had come that no such talks had taken place.

Just another NFC West chat, this one was not. Let's hit some highlights:

Birdman from Arizona thinks the Cardinals could use a first-round choice for a cornerback. He calls into question the team's quality depth at that position and says Stephon Gilmore or Dre Kirkpatrick would be the choice if tackle Riley Reiff were not available.

Mike Sando: That would be purely a value pick, Birdman. The Cardinals like their corner situation. They think they have four starting corners (Patrick Peterson, Greg Toler, A.J. Jefferson and William Gay). They also have Michael Adams, who has played a lot in sub packages. Corner is not really a big priority position for the Cardinals right now. I think we saw that in the value decision they made on Marshall. So, if they take a corner that early, it's because the value screamed at them, not because the need was primary.

Kyle from St. Louis asks whether the Rams appear likely to trade back from the sixth overall pick.

Mike Sando: My general feel is that the Rams have moved back enough in the first round, and now they need to maximize the value of the pick (unless someone makes a crazy offer). Right now, the Rams have the best of both worlds: a pick high enough to get the top-rated player at a position, but also additional picks (this year and in the future).

Gus from Seattle asks about the Seahawks possibly drafting a "touchdown maker" instead of a pass-rusher in the first round. "Does any part of you think they are playing possum and may jump on a Michael Floyd or Kendall Wright or Doug Martin instead?" he asks.


Mike Sando: Yeah, I could see them going in that direction. Mostly, I think they would like to trade back and then take what falls to them. We should account in our minds for the fact that Jason Jones' addition in free agency was seen by the team as a move to upgrade the pass rush. They could also get Dexter Davis back, with some thought he could help their pass-rush. So I would not lock in a pass-rusher as the pick in the first round. It would make a lot of sense, however.

Chex Norris from San Diego asks whether the 49ers would select Kendall Wright or Stephen Hill at No. 30 if other prospects, notably Kevin Zeitler and Janoris Jenkins, were not available.

Mike Sando: Wright was the projection to the 49ers at No. 30 in our initial Blogger Mock Draft. Hill might be the better fit from a physical standpoint. I might lean toward Wright on overall value, but Hill as the more likely fit because of his physical dimensions. Maybe they could move back a couple spots if faced with that dilemma? Thinking out loud here.

We're down to the final few hours before the draft. I'll be heading over to Seattle Seahawks headquarters and getting set up over there in the not-too-distant future.

A heads up: The NFC West chat takes place Thursday at its regularly scheduled time (1 p.m. ET). From there, I'll relocate to Seattle Seahawks headquarters for the 2012 NFL draft.

This might be a good opportunity to field a comment/question from Facebook friend Evan.

"I find it hysterical that the last few days leading up to the draft a bunch a guys are rocketing up, or falling off the board when these guys haven't played a snap of football in over four months," he wrote. "Why does it seem that teams are valuing more what guys are doing off the field then on?"

Teams tweak their player rankings in the final days before the draft. They generally do not make dramatic changes. However, strong divergent opinions exist within organizations. Coaches, scouts and general managers sometimes share their opinions with reporters. In some cases, it's just a matter of reporters finding out things teams have known for some time -- that concerns about a certain player could compromise the player's draft stock, etc.

No single person knows how all the teams feel about all the players. We're left to sift through opinions that might reflect what a single individual or team thinks about a certain player. I'd recommend filing away the things we hear, while guarding against giving too much credence to them.

A pile of puzzle pieces doesn't make for a clear picture.

The NFL draft information and misinformation is flowing freely this week as teams make available their coaches and general managers.

San Francisco 49ers GM Trent Baalke said Wednesday his team had one player in mind for the 30th overall choice, among others the team could consider.

Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, speaking Thursday, said it's tough to know which player his team will select at No. 13.

Both were telling the truth, unless they were bluffing.

I drove over to Seattle Seahawks headquarters Thursday for a pre-draft media session with GM John Schneider. He was vague on strategy, but did say the team has much greater flexibility than it had two years ago, when finding a starting left tackle was an overriding priority. And he said the draft has "a number of attractive linebackers for us" -- one reason the team felt re-signing David Hawthorne wasn't a necessity.

Our latest NFC West chat hopefully provided relief from the pre-draft smoke. A few highlights:

Dre from San Francisco asked which round the 49ers might draft a running back.

Mike Sando: Probably middle rounds or later. The short-term need isn't great, particularly with Brandon Jacobs joining the mix. But life after Frank Gore has to be a consideration. The 49ers have drafted seven running backs since general manager Trent Baalke joined the team. Two in the third, two in the fourth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh. When Baalke was with Washington, the Redskins took backs in the first and seventh rounds. When he was with the Jets, they took one in the sixth. The 49ers have taken them in the fourth, sixth and seventh rounds over the past couple years. Teams do not take many of them early. I'd be surprised if the 49ers broke from that.

Rahim from Hackensack, N.J., thinks the Cardinals should get a "decent No. 2 receiver" for quarterbacks Kevin Kolb and John Skelton. He asks why teams expect their quarterbacks to succeed with limited talent. He put the word "limited" in caps and asked why Arizona hasn't addressed "the receiver problem" in free agency.

Mike Sando: The receiver problem? For a team with Larry Fitzgerald? I saw a quarterback problem last year and think Andre Roberts would put up decent numbers with a better QB. Sure, the Cardinals could use another wideout, but I don't see that as their primary problem. They need an offensive tackle more than they need another receiver. Remember, they loaded up at tight end last offseason, too -- all to help the quarterback.

Mickey from St. Louis asks if the St. Louis Rams should feel "the league has it in for them" regarding strength of schedule.

Mike Sando: There is something to your point at the end. The other NFC West teams get to play the Rams. The Rams do not. That hurts the Rams' strength of schedule. As for the league having it in for the Rams, it's hard to say that. One, the opponents are determined by a formula that applies to every team in the NFL. Two, the schedule looks better for the Rams early in this season.

Chris from Rochester, N.Y., asks if I'm buying the "hype" that suggests Seattle has interest in Ryan Tannehill at No. 12.

Mike Sando: I'd add context to the interest by saying most of these scenarios go like this: If Ryan Tannehill were there at No. 12, the Seahawks would take him. That is different from saying they are going into the draft targeting him. Yes, I think they would consider Tannehill at No. 12, but they might also be willing to trade out of there in that case. I don't see it as a quest to get Tannehill.

On that last question, Schneider said Thursday there's no way Tannehill will be available at No. 12, making the subject pointless. His team might want Tannehill. His team also might not have that much interest in taking a quarterback in the first round this year, in which case having Tannehill go earlier would help Seattle by giving the team one additional non-quarterback to consider with the 12th pick.

Good morning. We're within one week of the 2012 NFL draft and there's much to discuss in the NFC West.

We've got Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest mock draft variation , former San Francisco 49ers guard Chilo Rachal finding work in Chicago, the 49ers breaking ground on their new stadium, Gregg Williams finding support in unexpected places and much more.

Here's the link for the NFC West chat. See you there at 1 p.m. ET.

Draft theorizing carried the NFC West chat Wednesday. Potential scenarios are virtually endless in quantity. We considered a few of them and expanded the conversation.

Full chat transcript here. A few highlights below:

Adam from Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., enjoyed the mock draft comparison, but he's not so sure the San Francisco 49ers will seriously consider a guard in the first round. He thinks adding to the defensive line or finding a speed player at receiver would carry move value.

Mike Sando: Thanks, Adam. I understand what the mock drafters are thinking. They are going with perceived needs because it's tougher to figure out value differentials for players drafted later in the first round. It's easy to give the 49ers a guard at that point in the draft. I agree with the thinking that a team should be able to develop a guard chosen later in the draft. It's OK to take a guard early if you're getting a special one, but harder to justify in other cases. The 49ers have a great defense already, but if they could find someone to project as an eventual Justin Smith successor, that would help the team. Bucky Brooks had that thought in mind in putting together his mock, which I linked to from the item you referenced.

D from Valley of the Sun thinks value would compel the Arizona Cardinals to select David DeCastro in the first round, if available. The team could move Adam Snyder to tackle, then draft a tackle in the third round, a pass-rusher in the fourth (think Sam Acho last year) and a receiver after that. Emphasizing the ground game would help Kevin Kolb this season, in his view.

Mike Sando: You've thought through the scenario well, I would say. That is a less-than-ideal scenario, however. The team already spent big for left guard Daryn Colledge in free agency. Investing a first-round choice in a right guard just doesn't seem like the preferred path philosophically. Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams need to stay healthy, first and foremost. Wells had 1,000 yards last season despite not being healthy much of the time. The thought of Snyder at right tackle isn't appealing, either. Jeremy Bridges might be a better starting option there.

Corey from Washington, D.C., proposes the following scenario: Ryan Tannehill slips past Cleveland at No. 4; Seattle trades up with Miami to take Quinton Coples at No. 8; and the Dolphins select Tannehill at No. 12, a position Corey deemed "more respectable" for the Texas A&M quarterback. "For the record, I have a hard time buying Kansas City passingon Luke Kuechly to get a raw QB, which I factored in," he added.

Mike Sando: I question whether the Dolphins would have the patience to try such a move. They're likely desperate for a quarterback. Can they really afford to get cute if they think Tannehill is their guy? I don't see how they could do that, given the risk of losing the player.

Roland from Winnipeg notes that three of the 14 mock drafts cited had the St. Louis Rams passing on Justin Blackmon for Fletcher Cox. He likes the thinking because he sees quality receivers available later, but he wonders whether the Rams have a great enough need at defensive tackle to justify the decision.

Mike Sando: The Rams are starting over in a lot of areas, but especially at defensive tackle. They flushed out Fred Robbins and are starting almost from scratch there. The thinking on Fletcher Cox would reflect Jeff Fisher's general belief that you build with a strong running game and strong defense. Yes, you need playmakers too, but the first priority is to take pressure off the QB by running the ball, perhaps diminishing the need to build right away with a receiver taken sixth overall, especially if that receiver isn't as appealing as some of the other receivers taken very early in drafts. Cox would then be a value selection.

Thanks for keeping the conversation going. The NFC West chat will return to its usual Thursday schedule next week.

Enjoy your Wednesday night.