The AFC West is one of the deeper divisions in football. Let's power rank it ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. Three teams in the division made the playoffs in the 2024 NFL Season, and there's reason to believe that the division gets even better in 2025.
Both the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers went from single-digit to double-digit wins from 2023 into 2024. Denver and LA could also be right on the cusp of contention as the 2025 NFL Offseason rolls on.
With the 2025 NFL Draft now less than three weeks away, the AFC West will get one last major chance to improve their roster before the start of the season in September. Let's power rank the division here.
AFC West Power Rankings: Where do the Broncos fall ahead of NFL Draft?
4. Las Vegas Raiders
One of the worst teams in the NFL and clearly the worst team in the AFC West, the Las Vegas Raiders have at least hiired a good head coach in Pete Carroll. Geno Smith is also now their starting QB, but in the loaded AFC, that isn't going to be good for much.
There really isn't a lot to like about this team besides Maxx Crosby and Brock Bowers. I do believe they can be a bit more competitive in 2025, as Carroll is a monumental upgrade over Antonio Pierce, their former head coach.
But overall, the Raiders aren't going to amount to much and will finish fourth in the AFC West yet again.
3. Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers have not had a great free agency period, and one thing that kind of sums up their FA period is Evan Engram choosing to sign with the Denver Broncos over the Chargers. LA went 11-6 in 2024, and is was clear that the coaching staff was doing a ton of heavy-lifting there, as this roster just isn't all that great.
LA also signed Najee Harris but don't really have anything promising enough to indicate they can vault to contender status in 2025. Chargers starting QB Justin Herbert threw 23 touchdown passes in the regular season and also threw four interceptions in their Wild Card loss to the Houston Texans.
2. Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are clearly the second-best team in the AFC West and are creeping closer to the Kansas City Chiefs. Frankly, Denver has a better roster than KC at the moment, as I would give them a clear advantage along the defensive line, secondary, offensive line, and even tight end room as well.
But until the Broncos can actually prove they are legitimately better than the Chiefs, there's no reason to rank them above the three-time defending AFC champions. Denver signed a trio of players in free agency that absolutely bolstered their roster in a huge way.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are still atop the AFC West until further notice, but their roster did get a bit worse in the offseason, as Joe Thuney was traded to the Chicago Bears, and Justin Reid departed in free agency. The offensive line still has questions, and the weaponry on offense is below-average.
I also believe their secondary is average at best, and their best player along the DL, Chris Jones, is turning 31 years old this summer. Because of Patrick Mahomes still being Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs should win a ton of games in 2025, but we saw just how many one-score games they were in, so a drop in win total, perhaps closer to 10 or 11 games is not out of the questions.