The 2023 NFL Draft was a great way for NFL fans to celebrate the selections of college football players for their teams. As I mentioned in previous articles' the Denver Broncos could trade up to get better players and/or trade down to get more draft capital, which they did.
The draft was just over a week ago, so let's recap what Denver did, and what the rest of the AFC West teams did ...
A couple of articles show specific analysis of every Broncos' 2023 NFL Draft Selection, so in this one, I'll just mention the picks and do a quick analysis for the other AFC West rival teams. I personally do not like to give A to F grades on a team's Draft classes because the guys have not even played a snap for their respective teams. I'd rather wait for a few years to grade the picks and see how they produce in the league.
Denver Broncos:
Round 2, Pick 63 (VIA DET): WR Marvin Mims, Oklahoma
Round 3, Pick 67: LB Drew Sanders, Arkansas
Round 3, Pick 83 (VIA SEA): CB Riley Moss, Iowa
Round 6, Pick 183 (VIA DET): S JL Skinner, Boise State
Round 7, Pick 257 (VIA NO): C Alex Forsyth, Oregon
Kansas City Chiefs:
Round 1, Pick 31: EDGE Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State
Round 2, Pick 55: WR Rashee Rice, SMU
Round 3, Pick 92: OL Wanya Morris, Oklahoma
Round 4, Pick 119: S Chamarri Conner, Virginia Tech
Round 5, Pick 166: LB BJ Thompson, Stephen F. Austin
Round 6, Pick 194: DL Keondre Coburn, Texas
Round 7, Pick 250: CB Nic Jones, Ball State
Kansas City is a team that most of the time has good draft picks. They always find a way to make their draft picks important contributors for their team, despite the round those players were selected. In this year's Draft, they found a replacement for EDGE Frank Clark with their first pick in Felix Anudike-Uzomah, a guy that has been a solid defender against both, the run and the pass. Rice is a speedy guy, a perfect fit for them. The rest of the class are solid guys coming out of college, they could have addressed other needs, but still, it was a decent class.
Las Vegas Raiders:
Round 1, Pick 7: EDGE Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech
Round 2, Pick 35: TE Michael Mayer, Notre Dame
Round 3, Pick 70: DL Byron Young, Alabama
Round 3, Pick 100: WR Tre Tucker, Cincinnati
Round 4, Pick 104: CB Jakorian Bennett, Maryland
Round 4, Pick 135: QB Aidan O'Connell, Purdue
Round 5, Pick 170: S Christopher Smith II, Georgia
Round 6, Pick 203: LB Amari Burney, Florida
Round 7, Pick 231: DT Nesta Jade Slivera, Arizona State
The Raiders looked like a new franchise in this 2023 NFL Draft. They had solid selections and did not have a weird first-round selection. They did select their annual Alabama player though...Some draft scouts and A=analysts expected them to select a QB in the first round to learn behind Jimmy Garoppolo, but if they would, it would have been a dumb mistake because they got Jimmy a three-year deal. They had bigger priorities at other positions to spend their draft picks on, which they did, especially on their first two picks.
Los Angeles Chargers:
Round 1, Pick 21: WR Quentin Johnston, TCU
Round 2, Pick 54: EDGE/DL Tuli Tuipulotu, USC
Round 3, Pick 85: LB Daiyan Henley, Washington State
Round 4, Pick 125: WR Derius Davis, TCU
Round 5, Pick 156: OT Jordan McFadden, Clemson
Round 6, Pick 200: DL Scott Matlock, Boise State
Round 7, Pick 239: QB Max Duggan, TCU
A TCU-themed Draft for the Chargers, three out of their seven draft picks were from the Horned Frogs. Quentin Johnston was a very nice pick for them, despite WR not being a top-tier priority for the Bolts, but with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen's injury history plus age (Keenan), Johnston was a solid add. Tuipulotu was an interesting selection for LA, a guy that can complement Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack well. Linebacker was a position of need and Henley was a solid reach.
Which AFC West team had the best 2023 NFL Draft? Which players from the other teams could give bigger problems to the Broncos?