We need to keep track of what our AFC West neighbors are doing. So, I’ve devised The AFC West Mock Draft so we can see just what might happen in this year’s draft and how well — or not — the other teams in the West might do. Let’s begin with the bottom dweller Denver Broncos.
The Denver Broncos Mock Draft
The Denver Broncos will draft in the number 5 spot in this year’s draft. Here are the players that firstpick.com chose for the four teams drafting right ahead of them:
- Round 1 Pick 1 (1) Browns: Mayfield, Baker (QB) Oklahoma
- Round 1 Pick 2 (2) Giants: Darnold, Sam (QB) Southern California
- Round 1 Pick 3 (3) Colts: Chubb, Bradley (DE) North Carolina State
- Round 1 Pick 4 (4) Browns: Barkley, Saquon (RB) Penn State
Oddly enough, both Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold were taken, players that I thought GM John Elway would love to have, so I went with Josh Rosen out of UCLA over Josh Allen from Wyoming. I have to say the deciding feature of that choice was partially that Elway came from the Pac-10 and he decided to go back there not only because of his level of familiarity but his trust in Rosen’s intelligence, knowledge and competitive fire.
The whole Broncos mock came out like this:
- Round 1 Pick 05: Rosen, Josh, QB, UCLA (A+)
- Round 2 Pick 08: Wynn, Isaiah, OG, Georgia (A+)
- Round 3 Pick 07: Jefferson, Malik, ILB, Texas (A+)
- Round 3 Pick 35: Clapp, Will, C/OG, LSU (A)
- Round 4 Pick 06: Blanding, Quin, FS, Virginia (A)
- Round 4 Pick 09: Gallup, Michael, WR, Colorado State (A+)
- Round 5 Pick 05: Freeman, Royce, RB, Oregon (A+)
- Round 5 Pick 26: Phillips, Skyler, OG, Idaho State (A+)
- Round 6 Pick 08: Scarbrough, Bo, RB, Alabama (A+)
- Round 7 Pick 07: Lotulelei, Lowell, DT, Utah (A+)
Picking ten times in this mock was a chore. Actually, thinking about the Broncos that much made my brain nearly explode. However, I was able to take care of their three most basic needs with their first three picks: QB, OG and ILB. In fact, their line needs so much help that I chose another OG again with their fourth pick in this mock.
With ten picks, the Broncos will be able to do some damage in this draft. Six picks between the first round and the 9th pick of the fourth round means they have a lot of chances to fill their basic needs, even if they miss on half of those picks. We need to keep an eye on their actual draft day weekend haul. They could get better in a hurry.
The Oakland Raiders Mock Draft
The Oakland Raiders are picking 9th in this year’s draft. Well, 9th or 10th… they are currently tied with the 49ers for 9th and a coin toss will decide who gets to take their turn first in the first round. Here are the players that were off the board by the time they picked (as chosen by firstpick.com):
- Round 1 Pick 1 (1) (CLE) Buccaneers: Williams, Connor (OT) Texas
- Round 1 Pick 2 (2) Giants: Mayfield, Baker (QB) Oklahoma
- Round 1 Pick 3 (3) Colts: Chubb, Bradley (DE) North Carolina State
- Round 1 Pick 4 (4) Browns: Darnold, Sam (QB) Southern California
- Round 1 Pick 5 (5) Broncos: Rosen, Josh (QB) UCLA
- Round 1 Pick 6 (6) (NYJ) 49ers: Smith, Roquan (ILB/OLB) Georgia
- Round 1 Pick 7 (7) (T.B.) Browns: Fitzpatrick, Minkah (CB/FS) Alabama
- Round 1 Pick 8 (8) Bears: Kirk, Christian (WR) Texas AM
- Round 1 Pick 9 (9) (S.F.) Jets: Allen, Josh (QB) Wyoming
While that seems like an odd choice for a 1st pick, the Bucs obviously were permitted to make a trade to get the first pick in the draft. I’m sure John Dorsey would have loved a team to jump up and trade for the 1st pick in 2013 when he chose Eric Fisher. He’s already announced that he’s listening to all offers (I’m sure he is!). So, here are the choices I made on behalf of the Oakland Raiders:
- Round 1 Pick 10: Vea, Vita, DT, Washington (A)
- Round 2 Pick 09: McFadden, Tarvarus, CB, Florida State (B+)
- Round 3 Pick 11: Averett, Anthony, CB, Alabama (A)
- Round 4 Pick 10: Holland, Jeff, OLB, Auburn (A)
- Round 6 Pick 11: McCloud, RayRay, WR, Clemson (B+)
- Round 6 Pick 18: Ballage, Kalen, RB, Arizona State (A+)
- Round 6 Pick 36: Iyiegbuniwe, Joel, ILB, Western Kentucky (B+)
- Round 6 Pick 38: Gibson, Damon, TE, Minnesota State-Moorhead (A)
- Round 6 Pick 42: Street, Kentavius, DT, North Carolina State (A+)
- Round 6 Pick 43: Gossett, Colby, OG, Appalachian State (A+)
- Round 7 Pick 10: Springs, Arrion, CB, Oregon (A+)
Since the Raiders greatest need is at the corners, the two I chose for them in the second and third rounds should help right away. When I went to make their first pick, there wasn’t a CB rated nearly high enough to take at #10. However, Vita Vea looks and performs like a Raider lineman of old. A huge grizzly of a man but he was only rated by CBS Sports as their #14th best prospect overall, so I nabbed him. While the Raiders also are in need of a good ILB, one didn’t appear close to the ratings I was using until the 6th round. 3 – B’s and 8 – A’s will tell you that they had a good draft. With all these picks, they also have a chance to improve quickly as well. New coach Jon Gruden has been focused on the pro game for the past ten years so it will be of interest to see who he relies upon to help him make evaluations and his selections. However, the Raiders only have 4 picks between rounds 1 and 4 while the Chiefs have 5 in that span.
The Los Angeles Chargers Mock Draft
The Los Angeles Chargers are picking at #17 in the first round this year. They need a back-up QB but they really need to be thinking about a replacement for Philip Rivers. Here are the picks chosen ahead of them:
- Round 1 Pick 1 (1) (CLE) Jets: Rosen, Josh (QB) UCLA
- Round 1 Pick 2 (2) Giants: Darnold, Sam (QB) Southern California
- Round 1 Pick 3 (3) Colts: Chubb, Bradley (DE) North Carolina State
- Round 1 Pick 4 (4) Browns: Mayfield, Baker (QB) Oklahoma
- Round 1 Pick 5 (5) Broncos: Allen, Josh (QB) Wyoming
- Round 1 Pick 6 (6) (NYJ) Browns: Fitzpatrick, Minkah (CB/FS) Alabama
- Round 1 Pick 7 (7) Buccaneers: Williams, Connor (OT) Texas
- Round 1 Pick 8 (8) Bears: Ridley, Calvin (WR) Alabama
- Round 1 Pick 9 (9) (S.F.) Browns: Barkley, Saquon (RB) Penn State
- Round 1 Pick 10 (10) (OAK) Bills: Payne, DaRon (DT) Alabama
- Round 1 Pick 11 (11) Dolphins: Smith, Roquan (ILB/OLB) Georgia
- Round 1 Pick 12 (12) Bengals: Price, Billy (C/OG) Ohio State
- Round 1 Pick 13 (13) (WASH) Cowboys: Ward, Denzel (CB) Ohio State
- Round 1 Pick 14 (14) Packers: Edmunds, Tremaine (OLB) Virginia Tech
- Round 1 Pick 15 (15) Cardinals: Jackson, Lamar (QB) Louisville
- Round 1 Pick 16 (16) Ravens: Kirk, Christian (WR) Texas AM
Wow, 5 QBs in the first 16 picks. It could happen. What that means for the Chargers though, is that if they want to take a QB in this draft, they’ll have to use up some of their “traditional” draft capital to do so. Meaning, they only have 7 picks, one pick in each round. They’d have to bundle several of those and a first next year, like the Chiefs did last year, to jump up into the top ten. I’m not even sure that will do it unless for some strange reason one of those top QBs falls. So, lets take a peek at who I did choose for the LACs:
- Round 1 Pick 17: Hurst, Maurice, DT, Michigan (B-)
- Round 2 Pick 16: Jefferson, Malik, ILB, Texas (B-)
- Round 3 Pick 20: Rudolph, Mason, QB, Oklahoma State (A+)
- Round 4 Pick 19: Smith, TreQuan, WR, Central Florida (A+)
- Round 5 Pick 18: Bates III, Jessie, FS, Wake Forest (A+)
- Round 6 Pick 17: Thomas, Roc, RB, Jacksonville State (A+)
- Round 7 Pick 33: Facyson, Brandon, CB, Virginia Tech (A+)
The Chargers need help up the middle of their defense. Sound familiar? So, I gave them the second rated DT in this draft: Maurice Hurst. I got a B- for that choice and I’m not sure why because the ratings services I was accessing… and the film I watched… supported that kind of pick for them. Same thing happened with the Malik Jefferson pick. However, I got straight A plusses the rest of the way so I’m not too concerned. What I was able to do in this draft was meet most all of their needs: DT, ILB and a developmental QB in Mason Rudolph. In fact, Rudolph could turn out to be a gem. TreQuan Smith is a WR who Rivers is going to love because he ca stretch the field. With Safety Tre Boston leaving, the Jessie Bates III selectino should serve them nicely as well. Both RB Roc Thomas and CB Brandon Facyson look promising as well. The Chargers may end up winning this Mock today, even with only 7 picks.
The Kansas City Chiefs Mock Draft
The Kansas City Chiefs have more needs that two of the most needy teams in the AFC West combined. However, if they play their Free Agency cards right and then draft well, they could end up with a third straight divisional crown… but it won’t be easy, that’s a given. I’m not going to list all of the players that firstpick.com had selected before the Chiefs first choice because there were 53 of them. So, let’s focus on the one’s who were available and the one’s I did select:
- Round 2 Pick 22: Bryan, Taven, DT, Florida (A+)
- Round 3 Pick 14: Jefferson, Malik, ILB, Texas (A+)
- Round 3 Pick 22: Jackson, Donte, CB, LSU (A)
- Round 4 Pick 22: Kelly, Kameron, CB, San Diego State (A)
- Round 6 Pick 22: Scott, Jaleel, WR, New Mexico State (A+)
- Round 6 Pick 35: Townsend, Johnny, P, Florida (A+)
DT Taven Bryan is more of a DE than an inside defensive tackle. However, he can get push and be a force comparable to Chris Jones. That also means the Chiefs would have to take care of the NT position in free agency if they plan on competing in the playoffs 2018. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com says a Bryan’s strength is that he’s:
“Athletically gifted with loose lower body. Plays with flexibility and agility of a defensive end. Big upfield burst off the ball. Gets skinny and slithers through gaps causing disruption in backfield. Flashes disruptive potential that is waiting to be fully cultivated.”
Zierlein goes on to say that Bryan is a developmental prospect, but spells that out meaning, he’s still developing. He indicated that Florida played him inside and out side and that he has the capability to do both, but I see him more as a DE. Here’s a video of Taven Bryan which calls him the next JJ Watt, but I see him as raw, yet he has that potential. I’ve researched Taven Bryan before and love his upside:
ILB Malik Jefferson is all over the rankings map. I think that once the combine is over, he might even get some first round attention.CBS Sports’ NFL writer Will Binson’s has hi as a first round pick… but Mike Mayock has him as a 3rd of 4th round guy. I don’t want to eb swayed by the fact that he’s an ILB from Texas, where ex-Chiefs Derrick Johnson was drafted in he first round by K.C 13 years ago. You’ll see, Jefferson is not DJ in any way, but he has some pop and the speed to chase runners down and would look good next to Reggie Ragland:
CB Donte Jackson would just be an excellent choice at this point int he draft. He’s got big league ability. He plays tight man coverage although he’s not big: he’s 5-foot-11 and goes 175, so he’s the same height as Steven Nelson, but he’s lighter in the britches. He’s not a turnover machine, but he has good ball skills when it goes in the air and he keeps his head turned and picks up the ball well when it’s in play. He’d certainly get some snaps in his rookie year.
CB Kameron Kelly on the other hand, has 9 INTs in the past three season. Not incredible, but consistently good. At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, he not only plays well in man coverage but likes to hit and tackle. How refreshing.
While I was unable to locate an OLB to draft, the other players that were chosen could be first year contributors. At least we know the Chiefs plan is a two-year plan in any event. Also, the punter I choose with the Chiefs last pick, allows them to let Dustin Colquitt go and save more to helps with cap space. One last note: ILB Malik Jefferson was the only pick that was a duplicate pick in this mock. I guess he must be pretty good… or in demand. Go Chiefs!
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