Last season was a transitional year for the AFC West. For four seasons before, the division was dominated by the Denver Broncos led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning retired after a Super Bowl win just in time for the Oakland Raiders to ascend and the Kansas City Chiefs to stake their claim as the new power in the west.
Will this draft help shift the power again? It could, but maybe the two new head coaches in the division are the wild cards that keep it from happening.
Los Angeles Chargers
2016: Round 1: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson, Round 2: Forrest Lamp, OG, Western Kentucky, Round 3: Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana, Round 4: Rayshawn Jenkins, Safety, Miami, Round 5: Desmond King, Safety, Iowa, Round 6: Sam Tevi, OT, Utah, Round 7: Isaac Rochell, DT, Notre Dame
Grade: A+ (with honors)
What you are looking at here with the Chargers’ draft picks is a franchise-defining draft. Los Angeles selected not one, not two, not three, not four, but five players that can be day one starters on their team for the next decade. What’s insane is the Chargers did absolutely nothing to make that happen. Every single pick from rounds one through seven were exactly where L.A. was when the draft order was originally set. They didn’t make a single move and probably had the best draft of the entire night. Crazy.
It’s the kind of draft haul that really makes me hope Anthony Lynn was the right hire as head coach. I didn’t like it at the time and still don’t, and if he can’t get the job done with the Chargers, there’ll be no excuse. He has all the tools on the roster right now to win 10 games.
Mike Williams was my No. 1 wide receiver in this draft. Lamp was the No. 2 guard and Feeney was the No. 3 guard. The only thing I don’t get about the Jenkins and King picks is that the Chargers should have picked King first. He had a second round grade in my book and a year ago was the best safety in college football. King could work a little nickle too as long as Jahleel Addae is healthy, but that’s a big caveat. Addae staying healthy. It’s why the Chargers drafted two safeties of this caliber to begin with.
When you look at the final two picks in this draft, there’s every chance Tevi can develop into a starting right tackle. If Rochell even remains on the roster for a few years in the defensive line rotation, this may be one of the best total draft classes of the decade.
Denver Broncos
The Haul: Round 1: Garrett Bolles, OT, Utah, Round 2: DeMarcus Walker, DE, Florida State, Round 3: Carlos Henderson, WR, Louisiana Tech, Round 3: Brendan Langley, CB, Lamar, Round 5: Jake Butt, TE, Michigan, Round 5: Isaiah McKenzie, WR, Georgia, Round 6: De’Angelo Henderson, RB, Coastal Carolina, Round 7: Chad Kelly, QB, Ole Miss
Grade: A-
The only move the Broncos made was late in the draft, trading down with the Cleveland Browns to land a third fifth round pick, then moving a different fifth round pick and a player, Kapri Bibbs, to the San Francisco 49ers for a fourth round pick in 2018. It’s not exactly meat for a Draft Day sequel.
For the rest of the draft, especially the early rounds, the Broncos stood pat where they landed and significantly upgraded an already talented roster. In the first round Denver took the best left tackle in the draft in Garrett Bolles, a desperate need that just happened to hall in their lap. In the second round they grabbed the severely underrated DeMarcus Walker from Florida State. I don’t know how anyone can explain to me how a guy that played in the ACC had record 67 tackles, 19.5 for a loss and 16 sacks last season fell to the bottom of the second round. The Broncos won the lottery with that pick.
Carlos Henderson is a starting caliber NFL receiver the Broncos will have the luxury of putting in the slot with Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders on the outside. Tight end Jake Butt, when he’s healthy, will push Virgil Green as a starter the second he laces up his cleats and Isaiah McKenzie should add plenty of excitement in the punt and kick return game. He could also find his way onto the field with some Tyreek Hill style play calls. Chad Kelly as Mr. Irrelevant could, at worst, be a solid back up for the next 15 years.
Oakland Raiders
The Haul: Round 1: Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State, Round 2: Obi Melifonwu, Safety, UConn, Round 3: Eddie Vanderdoes, DT, UCLA, Round 4: David Sharpe, OT, Florida, Round 5: Marquel Lee, LB, Wake Forest, Round 7: Shalom Luani, Safety, Washington State, Round 7: Jylan Ware, OT, Alabama State, Round 7: Elijah Hood, RB, UNC, Round 7: Treyvon Hester, DT, Toledo
Grade: B-
This grade was nearly a C+, but I had to inch it up by the sheer quality of the Conley and Melifonwu picks. The absolute goal of any NFL team should be to get two players in the first two rounds that can start on day one, whether they need them to or not. There’s no question the Raiders accomplished that with these two defensive backs.
Sharpe will probably become a starter in the next couple of seasons. I think third round was too high for Vanderdoes. I like both defensive tackles taken after him (Montravious Adams by the Packers and Nazair Jones by the Seahawks) better. Hell, I like Hester better than Vanderdoes and the Raiders picked him in the seventh.
Shalom Luani and Jylan Ware are guys that weren’t even on my radar. Elijah Hood should have been a UDFA.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Haul: Round 1: Patrick Mahomes, Round 2: Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE, Villanova, Round 3: Kareem Hunt, RB, Toledo, Round 4: Jehu Chesson, WR, Michigan, Round 5: Ukeme Eligwe, LB, Georgia Southern, Round 6: Leon McQuay III, Safety, USC
Grade: D+
The Chiefs basically just tossed this draft in the trash and their first round pick for next year right along with it. There is not a single guy on this list that will contribute meaningful downs of NFL football this season. Mahomes shouldn’t have even been taken in the first round, let alone cost an extra first round pick. If he develops perfectly into the starting quarterback of the future, the Chiefs won’t send him out on the field until 2019 at the very earliest. And maybe not even then.
Kpassagnon is a project that will take another year to even learn defensive end at the NFL level. Hunt would be a solid pick, but will probably be no more than the No. 3 running back in Kansas City’s depth chart. When you look at who they could have had, Davis Webb, just a pick later without the trade it should make any Chiefs fan sick to his/her stomach.
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