2020 preseason All-NFC West team...

2020 preseason All-NFC West Team: Aaron Donald leads dominant defense packed with superstars

[www.cbssports.com]

Over the next two weeks, we will unveil our preseason All-Division teams. They were compiled largely by a panel of one, though there was significant input from the writing and editorial staff at CBSSports.com after I took an initial run at the rosters on my own.

We began Tuesday with the NFC East, continued with the NFC North and NFC South, and finish out the conference today with the NFC West. Next week, it's on to the AFC.

Offensive skill positions

QB: Russell Wilson (SEA)

RB: Raheem Mostert (SF), Chris Carson (SEA)

WR: DeAndre Hopkins (ARI), Tyler Lockett (SEA), Robert Woods (LAR)

TE: George Kittle (SF), Tyler Higbee (LAR)

Let Russ cook.

Mostert looked like the best back in San Francisco last season, and he remains an excellent fit for Kyle Shanahan's scheme due to his speed and vision. The 49ers didn't have to give him more money this offseason but they did it anyway, which would seem to indicate they have plans for him to be heavily involved again this year. Carson has fumbling issues and the Seahawks keep bringing in more and more backs to compete with him, and he just keeps out-performing them on the field. He is an incredibly physical runner and last season he showed more ability to contribute in the passing game.

The Cardinals pulled off an absolute heist with the Hopkins trade. It still makes no sense. He may not see quite as much raw volume in Arizona as he did in Houston, but he'll remain one of the best weapons in football. Lockett and Wilson just make magic happen. It's one of the most efficient quarterback-to-receiver combinations in the league, and if the Seahawks ever let them get to something resembling real volume, everybody would know it. It was a tough call between Woods and teammate Cooper Kupp for the final spot, but Woods' consistency and more secure role as the guy who stays on the field when the Rams go into two-tight end sets gets him the nod.

Kittle is the best tight end in the league right now. Travis Kelce might have a slight edge as a pass-catcher, but Kittle is basically a third tackle as a blocker and is arguably they key to San Francisco's run game. He seems likely to take on a larger pass-catching role this year with Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd injured, and he's due for some positive touchdown regression as well. Higbee had largely worked behind Gerald Everett before breaking out down the stretch of last season. With the Rams trading Brandin Cooks, Higbee is seemingly in line for a larger role in the offense as well.

Offensive line

OT: Trent Williams (SF), Andrew Whitworth (LAR)

G: Justin Pugh (ARI), J.R. Sweezy (ARI)

C: Weston Richburg (SF)

Williams has been one of the very best tackles in the league for a long time. Taking a year away from the dysfunctional Washington franchise should not change that, and he'll easily step into the role formerly filled by Joe Staley. Mike McGlinchey would have been an equally good choice for the second tackle spot, but we instead bet on Whitworth getting back to the level he had previously maintained for about a decade.

This is not a great division for guard play, but the Cardinals' interior duo look like the best of the bunch. They are, at least, reliable starters. Richburg went down with an injury midway through last year and the 49ers didn't miss a beat, but that doesn't make him any less quality of a center. Back in the lineup, he should be back to playing well in the middle of one of the NFL's best offensive lines.

Defensive front

EDGE: Chandler Jones (ARI), Nick Bosa (SF)

IDL: Aaron Donald (LAR), Michael Brockers (LAR)

LB: Bobby Wagner (SEA), K.J. Wright (SEA), Fred Warner (SF)

Jones has more sacks than anybody in the NFL since arriving in Arizona four years ago, and Bosa might be the best bet of anybody in the league to top that list over the next four years. Still in his prime at 30 years old, Jones is an absolute terror coming around the edge, and as good a bet for double-digit quarterback takedowns as anybody in the league. Bosa deservingly won Defensive Rookie of the Year last season, and he arguably could have won Defensive Player of the Year. He'll compete for that award annually as long as he stays healthy.

Donald is the best defensive player in the NFL. Full stop. He might even be the best player, period. You can actually make it an argument with him and Patrick Mahomes, which is completely insane. Brockers, meanwhile, benefits from Donald's presence, but is a productive interior lineman in his own right.

Wagner remains one of the league's premier linebackers, and he is particularly proficient in coverage. Seattle loves nothing more than staying in its base defense at all times, which puts a ton of pressure on both him and Wright to cover a lot of ground over the middle of the field. More often than not, they are up to the task. Warner and teammate Dre Greenlaw both could have gotten a spot here, but we ended up going with Warner, who carries a bit more responsibility in the middle of the defense.

Defensive backfield

CB: Jalen Ramsey (LAR), Richard Sherman (SF), Patrick Peterson (ARI)

SAF: Jamal Adams (SEA), Budda Baker (ARI)

Woooo boy this secondary is good. Ramsey is as good a corner as there is in the league when he is on his game. The Rams let him shadow guys a bit more often than the Jaguars would, and that should continue in 2020. He's going to get paid and he's going to deserve it. Sherman had another fantastic season a year further removed from his Achilles tear. He looked great, like his usual self prior to the injury. We're betting on that guy showing up again. Peterson was suspended for six games last season but had otherwise never missed a single game -- or the Pro Bowl -- in his entire career. We're fully expecting that same guy this year.

Adams moving from the AFC East to the NFC West changed the construction of these teams a bit, as he absolutely had to take one of these spots. He is one of the best box safeties in the league, and a better cover guy than almost everybody else who plays that role. Baker, meanwhile, is turning into a versatile playmaker on the back end of the Arizona defense and should only get better in his fourth NFL season.