The Raiders came away with the strongest class in the division, the Chiefs loaded up on defense early, the Chargers found some useful help at a few key spots, and Denver’s smaller early-pick profile put pressure on nearly every selection.
Sportsvival is staying in the AFC and moving to the West. This division had one team that did a really strong job stacking talent and value, one team that clearly had a defensive plan, one team that found some useful depth in the middle and late stages, and one team that just never felt like it had enough early draft capital to really control the weekend. That is why the AFC West ends up with a pretty wide spread in final grades.
Denver Broncos, Final Grade: C
3-66, Tyler Onyedim, DT, Texas A&M
4-108, Jonah Coleman, RB, Washington
4-111, Kage Casey, OL, Boise State
5-152, Justin Joly, TE, NC State
7-246, Miles Scott, SAF, Illinois
7-256, Dallen Bentley, TE, Utah
7-257, Red Murdock, LB, Buffalo.
Denver’s lack of early picks showed up, and Sportsvival does not think the Broncos got enough value with the swings they took. Tyler Onyedim felt like a reach for where he went, and there were other moments in this class where Denver seemed to be drafting a little too aggressively relative to the board. Jonah Coleman and Kage Casey are interesting players, but this overall haul just did not do enough to make up for the lack of premium opportunities near the top of the draft.
This class is not without some intrigue, but when you do not have many early picks, you have to be sharp. Sportsvival just does not think Denver maximized the board well enough, and that is why the Broncos land at a C here.
Las Vegas Raiders, Final Grade: A
1-1, Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
2-38, Treydan Stukes, SAF, Arizona
3-67, Keyron Crawford, EDGE, Auburn
3-91, Trey Zuhn III, C, Texas A&M
4-101, Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
4-122, Mike Washington Jr., RB, Arkansas
5-150, Dalton Johnson, SAF, Arizona
5-175, Hezekiah Masses, CB, California
6-195, Malik Benson, WR, Oregon
7-229, Brandon Cleveland, DT, NC State.
Sportsvival loves what the Raiders did. They got their quarterback with Fernando Mendoza, and that alone gave this class a strong foundation. Treydan Stukes was a fast riser and looks like a really good grab in the second round, Mike Washington is a pick Sportsvival absolutely loves, and Dalton Johnson in the fifth round felt like great value. This is the kind of class that gives a roster juice, upside, and real depth all at once.
The Raiders did not stop after the headline pick, either. Keyron Crawford, Trey Zuhn III, and Jermod McCoy all make sense, and there are useful Day 3 shots here, too. This was one of the better classes in the conference, and Sportsvival has no problem giving Las Vegas an A.
Los Angeles Chargers, Final Grade: B-
1-22, Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami
2-63, Jake Slaughter, OL, Florida
4-105, Brenen Thompson, WR, Mississippi State
4-117, Travis Burke, OT, Memphis
4-131, Genesis Smith, SAF, Arizona
5-145, Nick Barrett, DT, South Carolina
6-202, Logan Taylor, G, Boston College
6-206, Alex Harkey, G, Oregon.
Sportsvival likes parts of this class. Brenen Thompson is a good pick because that kind of speed can stress a defense right away, and the Chargers did a nice job later on finding offensive line depth with Logan Taylor and Alex Harkey. Jake Slaughter also fits the kind of practical interior line help they needed, even if the overall class does not quite rise into the top tier of the division.
There is useful depth here, and the Chargers did address some important spots, but Sportsvival still sees this class as a notch below the top AFC West hauls. There are picks to like, just not enough of them to push this beyond a B-.
Kansas City Chiefs, Final Grade: B+
1-6, Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
1-29, Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
2-40, R Mason Thomas, EDGE, Oklahoma
4-109, Jadon Canady, CB, Oregon
5-161, Emmett Johnson, RB, Nebraska
5-176, Cyrus Allen, WR, Cincinnati
7-249, Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU.
Sportsvival really likes what Kansas City did early because those first three picks all helped the defense. Mansoor Delane, Peter Woods, and R Mason Thomas gave the Chiefs help at corner, on the interior, and off the edge, and that is a strong way to start a class for a team that needed more young impact talent on that side of the ball.
The rest of the class added a few useful swings without taking away from that strong start. Jadon Canady gives them another defensive back to work with, while Emmett Johnson, Cyrus Allen, and Garrett Nussmeier are worthwhile additions later on. Sportsvival likes the defensive tone of this group enough to put Kansas City at a B+.
Sportsvival’s AFC West takeaway is pretty simple. The Raiders look like the division winner from draft weekend, the Chiefs did a really nice job loading up their defense early, the Chargers found some useful pieces and late offensive line depth, and Denver is the team that left the most room for doubt because the lack of early picks and the reach factor were hard to ignore