The AFC West could be an extremely competitive division next year, and part of that could be due to how they performed in the 2023 NFL Draft. Each team in the AFC West do have solid arguments for being a good team in 2023, perhaps even great.
The Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champions. The Chargers have a generational talent at quarterback and made the playoffs last year. Josh McDaniels seemed to have gotten his quarterback of choice of Jimmy Garoppolo, and the Denver Broncos landed Sean Payton this offseason and boast a talented roster.
All four teams came away with solid talent in the 2023 NFL Draft, so let’s take a stab at grading each team’s class.
2023 NFL Draft: Handing out grades for the AFC West – Denver Broncos
Here’s their 2023 NFL Draft class:
Round 2, Pick 63 – Marvin Mims Jr., WR, Oklahoma
Round 3, Pick 67 – Drew Sanders, LB, Arkansas
Round 3, Pick 83 – Riley Moss, CB, Iowa
Round 6, Pick 183 – JL Skinner, S, Boise State
Round 7, Pick 257 – Alex Forsyth, C, Oregon
The Denver Broncos worked the draft boards and landed three picks in the top 100 even though they did not have a first or second round pick.
They landed a speed threat in Marvin Mims who looks to be a KJ Hamler replacement, and I think their seventh round pick, Alex Forsyth, can truly compete for a starting job. Riley Moss is an exceptional athlete and JL Skinner went much later than he should have.
I’m not too fond of the Drew Sanders pick but I think Denver did well for themselves.
Grade: B+
2023 NFL Draft: Handing out grades for the AFC West – Kansas City Chiefs
Here’s their 2023 NFL Draft class:
Round 1, Pick 31 – Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, Kansas State
Round 2, Pick 55 – Rashee Rice, WR, SMU
Round 3, Pick 92 – Wanya Morris, OT, Oklahoma
Round 4, Pick 119 – Chamarri Conner, CB, Virginia Tech
Round 5, Pick 166 – BJ Thompson, EDGE, Stephen F. Austin
Round 6, Pick 194 – Keondre Coburn, DT, Texas
Round 7, Pick 250 – Nic Jones, CB, Ball State
I think the Chiefs did OK for themselves here. Nothing really jumps out to me as being an exceptional pick, but they do tend to get some production out of their day three defensive back picks, so watch out for Nic Jones. Wayna Morris is someone who has a chance to solidify their right tackle spot and Rashee Rice does have some enticing qualities.
They added two pass rushers as well to help their average defense perhaps take the next step. The Chiefs parted ways with Frank Clark this offseason so they did do themselves a favor by targeting some pass rush help.
Grade: B
2023 NFL Draft: Handing out grades for the AFC West – Los Angeles Chargers
Here’s their 2023 NFL Draft class:
Round 1, Pick 21 – Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU
Round 2, Pick 54 – Tuli Tuipulotu, EDGE, USC
Round 3, Pick 85 – Daiyan Henley, LB, Washington State
Round 4, Pick 125 – Derius Davis, WR, TCU
Round 5, Pick 156 – Jordan McFadden, OT, Clemson
Round 6, Pick 200 – Scott Matlock, DT, Boise State
Round 7, Pick 239 – Max Duggan, QB, TCU
You’ll notice that the Chargers took three former TCU players in their 2023 NFL Draft. Quentin Johnston should fill a need for them at wide receiver with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen getting older, and they seem to target true needs with most of their picks.
The Max Duggan selection is a bit odd, but perhaps they want to see if they can solidify the QB2 behind Justin Herbert, who is surely going to sign a long-term deal this offseason.
I don’t hate this draft class for the Chargers. They loaded up on positions of need and should pick up right there they left off last year and should sneak into the playoffs again.
Grade: B+
2023 NFL Draft: Handing out grades for the AFC West – Las Vegas Raiders
Here’s their 2023 NFL Draft class:
Round 1, Pick 7 – Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech
Round 2, Pick 35 – Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
Round 3, Pick 70 – Bryon Young, DL, Alabama
Round 3, Pick 100 – Tre Tucker, WR, Cincinnati
Round 4, Pick 104 – Jakorian Bennett, CB, Maryland
Round 4, Pick 135 – Aidan O’Connell, QB, Purdue
Round 5, Pick 170 – Christopher Smith II, S, Georgia
Round 6, Pick 203 – Amari Burney, LB, Florida
Round 7, Pick 231 – Nesta Jade Slivera, DT, Arizona State
The Raiders made the most picks of any team in the AFC West and came away with a solid haul. I think their best pick was Michael Mayer out of Notre Dame, who shockingly was not the first tight end taken. He replaces the traded Darren Waller.
They also took Tyree Wilson out of Texas Tech, who compares similarly to Chandler Jones, who the Raiders signed last year.
I am a bit shocked that they did not target a tackle in the draft, or any offensive linemen for that matter. Their OL needs serious help and they simply failed by not addressing their worst unit. They also did not address their other poor unit until the fourth round.
Their secondary needs quite a bit of help but only used a fourth and fifth round pick on a cornerback and safety.
I don’t hate the players they came away with but it’s almost like they weren’t aware of their team needs.