The AFC West is home to two of the best young quarterbacks in football, and if reports are correct they may be joined by a future Hall of Famer in Denver sometime soon. The Chiefs are the frontrunners for the division title in 2021, but the hiring of Brandon Staley and an elite draft class may just push the Chargers into contention. Here are my grades for each team’s class.
Denver Broncos
1.9 – CB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
2.35 – RB Javonte Williams, North Carolina
3.98 – IOL Quinn Meinerz, Wisconsin-Whitewater
3.105 – LB Baron Browning, Ohio State
5.152 – S Caden Sterns, Texas
5.164 – S Jamar Johnson, Indiana
6.219 – WR Seth Williams, Auburn
7.237 – Kary Vincent Jr., LSU
7.239 – EDGE Jonathon Cooper, Ohio State
7.253 – EDGE Marquiss Spencer, Mississippi State
The Browns and Chargers are perhaps the only teams who can rival Denver’s talent haul in the 2021 class. That said, the main talking point will be their decision to take Patrick Surtain at No. 9 overall. There is no doubting his quality, but the addition of Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby in free agency looked to have addressed Denver’s need at the position. This makes their decision to pass on a quarterback all the more perplexing. Justin Fields fell right into their lap but they passed on him in order to stick with Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater. As things stand, Denver may have the worst quarterback situation in the entire NFL.
The rest of the draft could hardly have gone any better though. Whilst I wasn’t the biggest fan of trading up for Javonte Williams he will give them another solid weapon in the backfield alongside Melvin Gordon. Quinn Meinerz looked like a borderline top 50 pick, so get him at the back end of the third round was a great bit of business. Baron Browning looks like an interesting option too and may switch to being a full-time edge rusher in Denver. They topped all of this off with arguably the biggest steal of the draft, grabbing Indiana safety Jamar Johnson in the fifth round. On paper this defense now looks like one of the very best in the NFL. The question will be whether the offense has enough to keep pace with the rest of the division.
Grade: A
Kansas City Chiefs
2.58 – LB Nick Bolton, Missouri
2.63 – IOL Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma
4.144 – EDGE Joshua Kaindoh, Florida State
5.162 – TE Noah Gray, Duke
5.181 – WR Cornell Powell, Clemson
6.226 – IOL Trey Smith, Tennessee
The Chiefs traded their first round pick for Orlando Brown prior to the draft and had just six total picks this year. It is difficult to get high quality starters when you don’t pick inside the top 50, but they may just have managed it with Nick Bolton. He may not be a high end athlete, but his tape at Missouri was consistently impressive. His instincts against the run are exceptional and his ability in coverage is a seriously underrated aspect of his game. He has the potential to be an immediate impact starter in Kansas City.
The addition of Creed Humphrey was another smart move and the former Sooners center didn’t allow a single sack across his college career. The rest of their draft was pretty standard, although the selection of Trey Smith in the sixth round could be a steal. His medical history saw him slide down boards, but there is little doubting his on-field talent. He has the tools to be a starting guard in the NFL if he can stay healthy. The Chiefs deserve credit for their re-tooling of the offensive line this offseason.
Grade: B+
Las Vegas Raiders
1.17 – OT Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
2.43 – S Trevon Moehrig, TCU
3.79 – EDGE Malcolm Koonce, Buffalo
3.80 – S Divine Deablo, Virginia Tech
4.143 – S Tyree Gillespie, Missouri
5.167 – CB Nate Hobbs, Illinois
7.130 – IOL Jimmy Morrissey, Pittsburgh
The Raiders’ penchant for draft day surprises seemingly knows no bounds. The selection of Alex Leatherwood at No. 17 overall was the first big shock of the 2021 Draft. Whilst the pick addresses an obvious need, it felt like a huge reach. Leatherwood was 45th on The Athletic’s Consensus Board and in taking him the Raiders passed up on the likes of Christian Darrisaw and Teven Jenkins. They apparently even had him ranked above both Penei Sewell and Rashawn Slater as their OT1. Leatherwood is a decent player, but there was little on tape to suggest he was worth this kind of pick.
The rest of their draft continued the theme of the unexpected. Trevon Moehrig was a great pick in the second round but they then went on to select two other safeties. They all fill different roles, but it is unclear how this is going to work on the field. Malcolm Koonce is a talented edge, but at No. 79 felt like another big reach too. He ranked just 198th on the Consensus Board. Only time will tell if the Raiders’ atypical approach to the 2021 Draft pays off, but if recent classes are anything to go by it doesn’t look good.
Grade: D
Los Angeles Chargers
1.13 – OT Rashawn Slater, Northwestern
2.47 – CB Asante Samuel Jr., Florida State
3.77 – WR Josh Palmer, Tennessee
3.97 – TE Tre’ McKitty, Georgia
4.118 -EDGE Chris Rumph II, Duke
5.159 – OT Brenden Jaimes, Nebraska
6.185 – LB Nick Niemann, Iowa
6.198 – RB Larry Rountree III, Missouri
7.241 – CB Mark Webb, Georgia
The Chargers struck gold with Justin Herbert last year and they look to have had a similarly impressive draft in 2021. Their haul rivals Cleveland’s for the best in the NFL and the players they picked up could push them into playoff contention. Rashawn Slater should solve the team’s historic issues at offensive tackle and give Justin Herbert the protection he needs. Slater is a polished technician and gave up just five pressures on 355 pass blocking snaps in 2019.
Asante Samuel Jr. in the second round looks like one of the steals of the draft and he will be a great fit in Brandon Staley’s defense. Josh Palmer is an underrated receiver, who is much more talented than his collegiate production would suggest. Even their later round picks showed promise. Chris Rumph might lack NFL size, but he led college football in pass rush win rate in 2019 and could be a nice rotational option. Iowa’s Nick Niemann is one of the more underrated names in the class and could develop into a starter. I wasn’t a fan of the Tre’ McKitty pick at No. 97, but when that is the biggest problem you’ve had a pretty good draft class.
Grade: A+
