Our preseason offensive line evaluations continue with the NFC West. RosterWatch Nation knows their best friend is a good offensive line. So do all the head coaches in this division. There’s been a lot of change out West, and we’re here to break it all down.

*We credit Pro Football Focus, STATS and Football Outsiders for many of the numerical rankings for offensive linemen from 2014 outlined below

Arizona Cardinals

Steve Keim is our favorite general manager in football. He and head coach Bruce Arians make a formidable front-office duo. They’ve worked arduously in recent years to correct what had previously been a horrendous OL unit, and a major liability on the roster. Still, the Cardinals fielded what was probably the worst offensive line in the division last year. In such a smash-mouth NFC West, we don’t interpret that as an indictment of the Cardinals recent personnel moves, we see it more as a summary of what it’s going to take to win this division – which is a Top 10 offensive line. There are some nasty defensive fronts in the NFC West. Fortunately, the 49ers seem to be in somewhat of a defensive limbo and Arizona has continued overhauling its front-line unit. The Cardinals stand to benefit in 2015.

Jared Veldheer, LT 6’8″ 321 pounds- Incredible FA signing in 2014 – he performed as a Top 10 OT while excelling in both pass protection and the run game, cornerstone of the future

Mike Iupati, LG 6’5″ 331 pounds- Only going into 6th season – has always been a Top 15 OG, he’s a mauler in the run game

AQ Shipley, C 6’1″ 307 pounds- Performed admirably in 10 starts at C in 2012/2014 grading as a positive run and pass-blocker; Bruce Arians brought in a familiar face from his time in Indy

Jonathan Cooper, RG 6’2″ 312 pounds- Loads of potential – was dominant in college and preseason his rookie year, his career has been derailed by major leg injury and mental lapse; now moves to RG and is now surrounded by better talent, we expect him to break out in 2015

Bobby Massie, RT 6’6″ 316 pounds- Still only 25 but has disappointed to date, did not perform as a starter in 2014, will be challenged by RD1 pick DJ Humphries

Notes-

Things are really shaping up in Arizona. We love the look of this unit for 2015. In many ways it mirrors the group Detroit has built in recent years, a unit we consider A caliber.

Truthfully, we believe first-round pick DJ Humphries will assume the starting spot at RT much sooner than later. NFL Draft Expert Mike Loyko ranked him as a Top 25 prospect in this year’s NFL Draft. Loyko says Humphries “has some of the highest upside at the position if coached up, but is far from a finished product”. He also states that he expects Humphries to be a better pro than collegian, and has the traits that translate as a left tackle.

The Cardinals plans to develop him as a right tackle should work wonders for his career. The addition of Humphries, and AQ Shipley in the offseason, solidified the depth of this unit with quality personnel. OC/OG Ted Larsen struggled out of position at LG in 2014. He flashed positive ability at center during his time in Tampa. Now, he’ll challenge Shipley at center to improve the position, or move to the bench as quality backup who offers center/guard flexibility.

Arizona will field one of the best offensive lines in the NFC West in 2015. It’s currently a B-group with A+ potential. Although we aren’t enamored with Carson Palmer’s return, this line is the best thing he could hope for.

On the other hand, we are definitely buying fantasy stock in Andre Ellington this offseason, as this group is poised to dominate on the ground.