The Arizona Cardinals are coming off a tremendously successful season that came to an unfortunate end in the first round of the playoffs after dealing with major injuries to some of their top players. Now entering an offseason with the Seattle Seahawks clearly in vision in the NFC West, Arizona is going to do what it can to contend for the top spot in the division. 

Salary cap issues will force this team to add through the draft rather than free agency. And that's where my NFL Executive of the year Steve Keim comes into play. The Cardinals general manager has been among the best in the business since becoming the team's head of player personnel and will look to continue that come April. 

1. Edge Rusher

Arizona runs a standard 3-4, so it shouldn't be a surprise that its defensive line racked up just 17 sacks. However, the larger issue at hand here is that Alex Okafor led all edge linebackers with eight sacks. Outside of that, the second most was two. Needless to say, whoever the team's new defensive coordinator is will need another pass-rush threat opposite Okafor. Utah's Nate Orchard, a 6'3", 255-pound pass rusher, makes sense, potentially in the second round. 

2. Inside Linebacker

There is no telling whether Daryl Washington will even be back with the Cardinals next season. And in reality, Larry Foote was probably the worst cover linebacker in the NFL last season. Why Todd Bowles and company kept putting him in that situation, I will never know. Kevin Minter figures to be a starter next season, so Arizona's need at inside linebacker will depend a great deal on Washington's status. If the Cardinals do decide to look at an inside linebacker early in the draft, UCLA's Eric Kendricks could be a solid late first-round option. Oklahoma's Frank Shannon also seems to be a fit, especially as a depth player later in the draft. 

3. Center

Lyle Sendlein has been a pretty good starting center over the years, but he was absolutely atrocious this past season. Sendlein ranked second-to-last among all NFL centers (via Pro Football Focus) and allowed a ridiculous 11 quarterback hits. Florida State's Cameron Erving, who can play all three offensive line positions, would be an immediate starter from Day 1 and will likely be there when Arizona selects in the first round. If not, the team could go with a lesser option such as Oregon's Hroniss Grasu on Day 2. 

4. Guard

Ted Larsen and Paul Fanaika were absolutely atrocious during the regular season. And while Jonathan Cooper played well when he hit the starting lineup, the Cardinals need to add another starting guard in the offseason. Outside of hitting the free agent market, general manager Steve Keim and company will be looking to add through the draft. In a normal year we don't see guards go high in the draft. That's only magnified this year with a relatively weak draft class at that position. Considering Arizona's blocking scheme, a more athletic guard like Notre Dame's Conor Hanratty could make sense late on Day 2. 

5. Cornerback

Patrick Peterson is one of the most overrated cornerbacks in the entire NFL. But that's not really the point here, he will be starting for the Cardinals for years to come. The issue is at that other cornerback position where Antonio Cromartie held down the fort. Tyrann Mathieu is a slot corner/safety hybrid, and won't be playing outside on a consistent basis. The rest of Arizona's secondary is loaded, especially with the emergence of rookie Deone Bucannon. If the Cardinals want to have a truly shutdown corner, they're going to need to add another option opposite Peterson. I am really liking Washington's Marcus Peters in the first round, but it's hard to imagine the Cardinals hitting the secondary in the first round for a second consecutive season. One player to keep an eye on heading into draft season is Lorenzo Doss from Tulane. He's a great on-ball cover corner that does a tremendous job in man coverage. Doss could also potentially be had in the mid rounds.