The NFL Draft is over and with a number of teams making deals and drafting for need, the power rankings are filled with playoff teams from last season and many should make an impact early in the year, including the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West.
The NFC West was called the worst division in sports a few years ago, but now it may be one of the best, as two Super Bowl contenders are in the division and another team in the St. Louis Rams is heading in the right direction, while the Arizona Cardinals have a new quarterback in Carson Palmer and some hope on the horizon.
The free agency period gave some teams boosts as they moved into the draft, including the Miami Dolphins and the Browns and as offseason workouts continue many teams will still look to improve with undrafted free agents and other signings. Here is a look at some of the top teams heading into the offseason workout period.
Seattle Seahawks: The team went 11-5 last season and have only gotten better since losing to the Falcons in the playoffs. The team had a solid draft and was the winner in free agency, trading for Percy Harvin, signing Cliff Avril as well as Michael Bennett and Antoine Winfield. Russell Wilson is becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the league and with Harvin in the fold the team will be high scoring and exciting. The Seahawks have high expectations heading into next year and the team should be even better than they were in 2012.
San Francosci 49ers: The team made the Super Bowl last season so it only makes sense that they are one of the best, but the team could be even better than last year after trading for Anquan Boldin and giving Colin Kaepernick another year of preparation. The team had an excellent draft after trading up for Eric Reid and despite losing Dashon Goldson, they made some good signings and the defense should improve as well.
The following teams in the rankings are the Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, Patriots and Green Bay Packers and all improved during the offseason, including the Broncos who signed Wes Welker. Adding Welker to the offense with Manning is an amazing move and the team had a solid draft to go with it as well. The Falcons brought back Tony Gonzalez and drafted Marcus Trufant and also signed Osi Umiyenora. The Packers drafted Eddie Lacy and should be much improved in the running game.
