AFC west Draft Grades

[kccrow]

Originally Posted by oaklandhater

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/nfl...e74954377.html

Kansas City Chiefs: C
▪ 2. (37) Chris Jones, DT, Mississippi State

▪ 3. (74) KeiVarae Russell, CB, Notre Dame

▪ 4. (105) Parker Ehinger, G, Cincinnati

▪ 4. (106) Eric Murray, CB, Minnesota

▪ 4. (126) Demarcus Robinson, WR, Florida

▪ 5. (162) Kevin Hogan, QB, Stanford

▪ 5. (165) Tyreek Hill, WR, West Alabama

▪ 6. (178) D.J. White, CB, Georgia Tech

▪ 6. (203) Dadi Nicolas, DE, Virginia Tech

The Chiefs drafted for need, and landed some good athletes. That certainly applies to their first two picks, Jones and Russell, who both fit the team’s profile under general manager John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid; they are plus athletes who check all the physical boxes. A pair of tradedowns landed the Chiefs the some extra picks, which they used to select Russell — a physically-gifted corner with toughness — Ehinger, a technically-sound lineman with good size, and Murray, a fluid corner with toughness and a knack for forcing fumbles. They also added a pro-style quarterback in Hogan, another intriguing cornerback in White and a talented return man with some significant character concerns in Hill. The consternation that pick caused among Chiefs fans on social media alone would warrant a lower overall grade if the rest of the draft wasn’t as solid as it was. Nicolas is lean but he’s very quick off the ball and has some upside as a pass-rushing outside linebacker

Oakland Raiders: A
▪ 1. (14) Karl Joseph, S, West Virginia

▪ 2. (44) Jihad Ward, DE, Illinois

▪ 3. (75) Shilique Calhoun, DE, Michigan State

▪ 4. (100) Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State

▪ 5. (143) DeAndre Washington, RB, Texas Tech.

▪ 6. (194) Cory James, LB, Colorado State

▪ 7. (234) Vadal Alexander, G, LSU

The Raiders added a big piece to their secondary by adding Joseph, an aggressive, fast ball hawk to a secondary that has already added Sean Smith and Reggie Nelson this offseason. He has injury concerns and size concerns, but there’s little doubt about the talent. Ward checks the physical boxes, but he has a lot to learn about playing 3-4 defense. Calhoun is an excellent value pick who will add to a increasingly imposing Oakland defense. The Raiders also traded up to get Cook, a nice value pick who adds depth behind Derek Carr. They also landed LSU guard Vadal Alexander in the seventh round, which is much lower than he was widely expected to go.

Denver Broncos: A
▪ 1. (26) Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis

▪ 2. (63) Adan Gotsis, DT, Georgia Tech

▪ 3. (98) Justin Simmons, S, Boston College

▪ 4. (136) Devontae Booker, RB, Utah

▪ 5. (144) Connor McGovern, G, Missouri

▪ 6. (176) Andy Janovich, FB, Nebraska

▪ 6. (219) Will Parks, S, Arizona

▪ 7. (228) Riley Dixon, P, Syracuse

John Elway did it again. He improved one of the league’s worst quarterback situations dramatically by leapfrogging the Chiefs and Cardinals for Lynch, a gifted quarterback who is raw but has lots of upside. Elway’s ability to rectify their quarterback situation almost earns the Broncos an “A” on its own, but Denver selected some other intriguing players. Gotsis is a big, strong interior player who will add depth at a position that lost a stud in Malik Jackson to free agency. Simmons is a height-weight-speed guy who could contribute early, while Booker is diminuitive, but productive.

San Diego Chargers: A
▪ 1. (3) Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State

▪ 2. (35) Hunter Henry, TE, Arkansas

▪ 3. (66) Max Tuerk, C, Southern Cal

▪ 4. (102) Joshua Perry, LB, Ohio State

▪ 5. (175) Jatavis Brown, LB, Akron

▪ 6. (179) Drew Kaser, P, Texas A&M

▪ 6. (198) Derek Watt, FB, Wisconsin

▪ 7. (224) Donavon Clark, G, Michigan State

The Chargers did a nice job finding value and filling in needs. They desperately needed defensive-line help, and they opted to go with Bosa instead of DeForest Buckner. Bosa plays hard, is super-productive and should bring some much-needed edge to the Chargers’ defensive front. The Chargers also landed a really nice player in Henry, a field-stretching tight end who can replace Antonio Gates one day. Tuerk has terrific athleticism for an interior offensive lineman and has lots of upside, though he’s a bit underpowered. Perry is a run-stopper with plus intangibles, while Brown is an intriguing hybrid with nickel skills.

Since when is a 5'11" 219 RB "diminutive?" wtf.


I think the Chargers had an A draft, I think they got starters in the first 4 rounds.

The Broncos had a really solid, probably A- to B+ draft. I think the Gotsis pick was a huge reach, but they got some good value with Simmons, Booker, and McGovern, all of whom might press for starting gigs day 1.


The Raiders I give a C-. I felt like they reached quite a bit except for the solid value they got with Calhoun in the 3rd and Alexander in the 7th. They are making some huge projections with Joseph and Ward holding up to those draft spots. Not addressing CB depth was a bad play IMO. Drafting Washington at all was questionable, especially with Alex Collins on the board at that time too. Not addressing OT nor ILB were also big negatives.