AFC West Draft Review

Denver Broncos
(64) Nik Bonitto OLB Oklahoma
(80) Greg Dulcich TE UCLA
(115) Damarri Mathis S Pitt
(116) Eyioma Uwazurike DL Iowa St.
(152) Delarrin Turner-Yell S Oklahoma
(162) Montrell Washington WR Samford
(171) Luke Wattenberg OL Washington
(206) Matt Henningsen DL Wisconsin
(232) Faion Hicks CB Wisconsin

Immediate Impact: QB Russell Wilson
They traded multiple picks to finally solve their QB issue and one way or the other Russell Wilson will have an immediate impact on the Broncos’ fortunes. The rest of this draft class probably isn’t making much of an immediate impact.

Best Value: OLB Nik Bonitto
The Broncos didn’t have their own first or second round picks so their first one was the one they got in the Von Miller trade last year from the Rams. They got Bonitto with the last pick of the second round. He wasn’t necessarily valued a lot higher than that but he had potential to go early in round two. Bonitto will be a pass rush specialist behind Bradley Chubb, Randy Gregory, and Malik Willis. Chubb and Gregory have been known to miss time so depth is nice. Bonitto will flash in a designated pass rusher role.

Sleeper: DL Eyioma Uwazurike
The Broncos traded away Shelby Harris in the Russell Wilson deal and they don’t have a lot of depth or size on the defensive line. DT DJ Jones is the only really big guy and beyond Dre’Mont Jones and McTelvin Agim, they don’t have much else. Mike Purcell is the only backup and he’s 31. Uwazurike played multiple positions at Iowa St and he’s 6’6 320 lbs. He should be able to find some snaps to show he belongs and he has a chance to stick around and contribute.

Overall Analysis
You can’t evaluate the Broncos draft without considering the Russell Wilson trade. They gave up multiple draft picks and players to get him but he’s the first real answer they have had at QB since Peyton Manning retired. Wilson didn’t have a great year in Seattle but that offensive line was a disaster and he should have better protection in Denver. He also has some good offensive players around him. This draft class isn’t going to change their fortunes, only Wilson can do that.

Bonitto and Greg Dulcich are good depth pieces. Dulcich won’t unseat Albert O as the starting TE but they traded away Noah Fant and they don’t have any depth. Damarri Mathis and Delarrin Turner-Yell are undersized safeties who are going to find snaps hard to come by in the secondary and CB Hicks isn’t making this roster. Uwazurike has a shot to contribute. Henningsen is a good athlete but he feels like a practice squad guy. The interior of the Broncos line has been underwhelming at times so Luke Wattenberg has a chance to stick around. He’s not a starter but he’ll make Lloyd Cushenberry a little less comfortable.

Kansas City Chiefs
(21) Trent McDuffie CB Washington
(30) George Karlaftis DE Purdue
(54) Skyy Moore WR Western Michigan
(62) Bryan Cook S Cincinnati
(103) Leo Chenal LB Wisconsin
(135) Joshua Williams CB Fayetteville St.
(145) Darian Kinnard OL Kentucky
(243) Jaylen Watson CB Washington St
(251) Isaih Pacheco RB Rutgers
(259) Nazeeh Johnson S Marshall

Immediate Impact: CB Trent McDuffie, DE George Karlaftis, WR Skyy Moore
The Chiefs defense had some holes to fill and they filled them alright. McDuffie was one of the better cover corners in the draft. The only knock on him was he doesn’t have elite size. That doesn’t matter when you cover like he does. He may start quickly but if he doesn’t, he’ll at least be the nickel corner and there’s a chance the Chiefs use him a little bit like they used Tyrann Mathieu. The team has Frank Clark and not much else at DE and they should avoid moving Chris Jones back outside, he’s better at DT. Enter George Karlaftis. He may not have the athletic ceiling of guys like Travon Walker or David Ojabo, but he can start right now and his pass rush skills translate immediately. He’s a power end who’s going to make life hell for opposing offenses. WR Skyy Moore isn’t a Tyreek Hill replacement but he adds another piece to the WR puzzle. I wasn’t as high on him as some of the pre-draft hype but he went 54th overall, he was the 13th WR drafted and he’ll be playing with Patrick Mahomes. He’s in the early consideration for offensive rookie of the year.

Best Value: Moore
Look at what I just wrote. 54th overall and the 13th WR taken, that’s a steal. The team has Marquez Valdes-Scantling on the outside, JuJu Smith-Schuster in the slot and Mecole Hardman. I’ll actually take Moore over Hardman’s inconsistency. Moore can play in the slot or at the Z receiver and mix and match with Smith-Schuster and I think he’ll be more consistent for Mahomes than Hardman has been. The pre-draft hype got a little out of control but this was a value spot for him, he’s better than the 13th WR in this draft class.

Sleeper: OL Darrian Kinnard
Kinnard is not the most refined player to watch, that’s the nice way of saying he wins ugly, which is the nice way of saying he’s sloppy. His technique is all over the place and he doesn’t do things consistently. That said, the guy is a beast and he wins, a lot. Just because it isn’t pretty doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. Now the question is, how good can he be if a coach can clean up his technique? Andy Reid has had some experience coaching up offensive linemen. Kinnard played OT at Kentucky and most think he has to move inside in the NFL, not so fast. I think for now, he can become a backup all over in Kansas City and I wouldn’t count him out as a future RT. Let’s see what Reid can do with him. If I were RT Lucas Niang, I wouldn’t feel great right now.

Overall Analysis
This is a good draft that has a chance to be elite. The two first-round picks can start on day one. Skyy Moore was a steal and he puts Mecole Hardman on notice, it’s now or never to reach his potential. Bryan Cook was a good safety at Cincinnati. He’s athletically limited but he’s smart and he doesn’t get beat. He’s basically the good version of Daniel Sorenson. Leo Chenal is a tank at LB. He tested better athletically than he plays, but he plays like a madman and no one is running on him.

Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson are two 6’3 CBs who are great athletes and are pretty raw as corners. Steve Spagnuolo is the defensive coordinator and he needed more corner help and he likes long corners so they got him two. They also drafted another safety in round seven, Nazeeh Johnson, who is very experienced but he’s thin as a rail. Kinnard is a bet on the coaching skills of Reid and his offensive staff, solid bet. RB Isaih Pacheco runs faster on a track than he does on the field and I have my doubts he sticks on this roster.

Las Vegas Raiders
(90) Dylan Parham OL Memphis
(122) Zamir White RB Georgia
(126) Neil Farrell Jr. DL LSU
(175) Matthew Butler DL Tennessee
(238) Thayer Munford OL Ohio St.
(250) Brittain Brown RB UCLA

Immediate Impact: WR Devante Adams
The Raiders traded their first and second round picks to get Adams and he’s the best WR on the team since…Tim Brown? I may be missing someone but don’t say Randy Moss because he was terrible for his short stint there. They aren’t going to get a lot from this draft class immediately, but Adams is arguably the best WR in the NFL.

Best Value: RB Zamir White
White is one of the better RBs in this draft and the Raiders got him in the fourth round, that’s solid value. They declined the fifth-year option on RB Josh Jacobs contract making this his last year before free agency and White is a good hedge against him leaving. He’s a legitimate potential starting RB. This is what teams should do, draft a RB in the middle rounds to replace a guy you really don’t want to give a second contract to.

Sleeper: OL Thayer Mumford
Mumford started at LT at Ohio St until they needed his versatility to move inside because Nicholas Petit-Frere couldn’t play anywhere but LT. He’s not a natural at guard so he didn’t have a great year. If the Raiders focus on developing his technique at OT and working on his functional strength a bit, he could be a future starting OT. I like his upside there better than their first-round pick from last season Alex Leatherwood.

Overall Analysis
The Raiders took some big swings this off season but none bigger than trading for Devante Adams and giving him huge money. He’s part of the calculus to this draft class because they gave up two picks for him. He’s arguably the best WR in football and they are in win now mode with him and Derek Carr having new expensive contracts. They spent big money in free agency so they don’t need this draft class to add too much but they got a few solid pieces here.

OL Dylan Parham is a bit undersized but he can be a mauler inside. Many teams think he can move to center and he may eventually do that for the Raiders, for now he will compete at OG. White may have to wait his turn with the Raiders having Josh Jacobs, Kenyan Drake, Brandon Bolden (a coaching staff favorite) and even Ameer Abdullah around, but 2023 might be his year. I actually think Josh McDaniels and that staff will use White, maybe more than Drake. Neil Ferrell Jr is a big-bodied NT type they can develop behind Jonathan Hankins who is over 30. Matthew Butler is the quicker penetrating DT; they can use that too. Mumford is nice OL depth with upside. RB Brittain Brown? I have no idea why they drafted him; he’s not making this roster.

Los Angeles Chargers
(17) Zion Johnson OG Boston College
(79) JT Woods S Baylor
(123) Isaiah Spiller RB Texas A&M
(160) Otito Ogbonnia DL UCLA
(195) Jamaree Salyer OL Georgia
(214) Ja’Sir Taylor CB Wake Forest
(236) Deane Leonard CB Mississippi
(260) Zander Horvath RB Purdue

Immediate Impact: OG Zion Johnson
The Chargers need help on the offensive line and Johnson is just the guy to do it. He has versatility to play OG or OT and some think he could eventually move to center. However, Johnson didn’t enjoy his time at OT and the Chargers have a center so they can just plug him in at guard and leave him there for the next decade. Justin Herbert says thank you.

Best Value: RB Isaiah Spiller
Austin Ekeler has a couple years left on his contract but he has a tendency to get banged up during the season. Joshua Kelley and Larry Roundtree III are nice players but they aren’t the guys to eventually replace Ekeler. Spiller is arguably the best all-around back in this draft and he could be their eventual starting RB. A fourth-round pick on a RB as talented as him when your starter has issues staying healthy, that’s value.

Sleeper: OL Jamaree Salyer
Salyer was the starting LT at Georgia last season. He isn’t your prototypical OT for the NFL and he probably has to move inside but I wouldn’t count on that just yet. The Chargers solved one OG spot with Zion Johnson but they need a RT also. Salyer could potential start out trying RT and I’m pretty sure he would be better than Storm Norton pretty quickly, that’s a low bar to clear. He does also give them the option of playing him at OG and moving LG Matt Feiler to RT, he’s played the position before. Either way, I think Salyer could end up a starter on the offensive line and he was somehow a sixth-round pick.

Overall Analysis
There are a few things to love about this draft. Zion Johnson has Pro Bowl potential at OG and I really like the pick-up of Salyer. RB Isaiah Spiller is a steal and he has starter potential at some point. They drafted safety JT Woods in round two and he gives Brandon Staley a third safety that I could see him using in sub packages. Woods can play deep while they move Nassir Adderley up and let Derwin James roam around. DT Otito Ogbonnia is a solid choice in round five. The Chargers signed a couple of DTs to help improve their run defense but Ogbonnia is a really tough run defender and he gives them some more depth inside. Teams ran on the Chargers defense at will last year, that’s going to be much tougher to do this year.

The last three picks aren’t as easy to like. You can certainly make the case the Chargers need more depth at CB but I’m not sure Ja’Sir Taylor and Deane Leonard are going to be that depth. Taylor is undersized and Leonard is underdeveloped in coverage. Taylor may bring some returner value but that’s it. RB Zander Horvath is one big RB, he’s built like a FB, he just doesn’t block like one. I don’t think Horvath is going to make this team as a RB, maybe they want him to play TE or special teams.