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After day 2 AFC West
Denver Broncos
Draft picks: N.C. State edge rusher Bradley Chubb (No. 5 overall), SMU WR Courtland Sutton (No. 40 overall), Oregon RB Royce Freeman (No. 71 overall), Boston College DB Isaac Yiadom (No. 99 overall).
Day 1 grade: A
Day 2 grade: A
Overall grade: A
The skinny: Chubb was the best value on the board for this team. Putting him and Von Miller on the same defense makes them dangerous again, like when DeMarcus Ware and Miller were doing their thing. Case Keenum's two-year deal took QB out of the equation here, and Paxton Lynch still has an opportunity to grow into a starter. Sutton's going to be a playmaker at the next level because of his quick feet and size. The Broncos also needed a running back after letting C.J. Anderson go, and found one in Freeman, who looked more explosive later in the 2017 season. He might be getting back to his former self after struggling through injury; if he returns to form, the team got a steal. Trading Aqib Talib meant the Broncos were in need of a corner with length. Yiadom is a good fit.
Kansas City Chiefs
Draft picks: Mississippi LB Breeland Speaks (No. 46 overall), Florida State DT Derrick Nnadi (No. 75 overall), Clemson LB Dorian O'Daniel (No. 100 overall).
Day 1 grade: A
Day 2 grade: B-
Overall grade: B+
The skinny: The Chiefs had no first-round selection this year because they traded up 17 spots in 2017 to bring in Patrick Mahomes. The young gunslinger played well enough last season that the team unloaded veteran Alex Smith this off-season. The Chiefs wanted a versatile defender in the second round, and they gave up a third-round pick to go get Speaks, who fits the bill. Speaks has potential, and he'll have to meet it to make the trade-up worthwhile. Nnadi will be a good nose tackle, but can he affect the passing game enough to justify the team's decision to give up a fourth-round pick to move up 11 spots to get him? With the final pick in the third round, the Chiefs added O'Daniel, who will play a safety/linebacker hybrid role. The value was about right, and it will be an interesting fit.
Los Angeles Chargers
Draft picks: Florida State S Derwin James (No. 17 overall), USC LB Uchenna Nwosu (No. 48 overall), N.C. State DT Justin Jones (No. 84 overall).
Day 1 grade: A
Day 2 grade: C
Overall grade: B+
The skinny: The Chargers let the draft come to them in the first round, and they got a great player at a need position. Doesn't get much better than that for a mid-first-round selection. James is fluid, tough, and fast. I don't understand why he was still available at 17. The team was looking to improve its linebacker situation, and it deemed Nwosu the best option available in the middle of the second round. Will Texas' Malik Jefferson or Georgia's Lorenzo Carter -- who were both still on the board -- prove to be better players? Time will tell. They found their nose tackle in the third round, picking Jones. This might have been a little early for him, but we'll see if he can put it all together to be more than a rotational player.
Oakland Raiders
Draft picks: UCLA OT Kolton Miller (No. 15 overall), Sam Houston State DT P.J. Hall (No. 57 overall), North Carolina A&T OT Brandon Parker (No. 65 overall), LSU DE Arden Key (No. 87 overall).
Day 1 grade: C
Day 2 grade: C-
Overall grade: C
The skinny: With many top-notch defenders on the board, the Raiders took an athletic but inconsistent tackle in Miller. His tape did not put him in the mid-first round. The team did get a third- and fifth-round pick in the trade to with Arizona to move five picks down (from 10 to 15), so that's a plus. Hall was one of my favorite non-FBS players in this draft, but his ascension to the second round was astounding. I believe his quickness and tenacious nature will translate to the NFL. Parker is raw and a bit of a reach in the early third, especially for a team that already picked an offensive tackle in Round 1. The Raiders took a chance on Key, who struggled with issues and injuries during his college career. If he can straighten things out, maybe he'll use his length to become a potent pass rusher.
Denver Broncos
Draft picks: N.C. State edge rusher Bradley Chubb (No. 5 overall), SMU WR Courtland Sutton (No. 40 overall), Oregon RB Royce Freeman (No. 71 overall), Boston College DB Isaac Yiadom (No. 99 overall).
Day 1 grade: A
Day 2 grade: A
Overall grade: A
The skinny: Chubb was the best value on the board for this team. Putting him and Von Miller on the same defense makes them dangerous again, like when DeMarcus Ware and Miller were doing their thing. Case Keenum's two-year deal took QB out of the equation here, and Paxton Lynch still has an opportunity to grow into a starter. Sutton's going to be a playmaker at the next level because of his quick feet and size. The Broncos also needed a running back after letting C.J. Anderson go, and found one in Freeman, who looked more explosive later in the 2017 season. He might be getting back to his former self after struggling through injury; if he returns to form, the team got a steal. Trading Aqib Talib meant the Broncos were in need of a corner with length. Yiadom is a good fit.
Kansas City Chiefs
Draft picks: Mississippi LB Breeland Speaks (No. 46 overall), Florida State DT Derrick Nnadi (No. 75 overall), Clemson LB Dorian O'Daniel (No. 100 overall).
Day 1 grade: A
Day 2 grade: B-
Overall grade: B+
The skinny: The Chiefs had no first-round selection this year because they traded up 17 spots in 2017 to bring in Patrick Mahomes. The young gunslinger played well enough last season that the team unloaded veteran Alex Smith this off-season. The Chiefs wanted a versatile defender in the second round, and they gave up a third-round pick to go get Speaks, who fits the bill. Speaks has potential, and he'll have to meet it to make the trade-up worthwhile. Nnadi will be a good nose tackle, but can he affect the passing game enough to justify the team's decision to give up a fourth-round pick to move up 11 spots to get him? With the final pick in the third round, the Chiefs added O'Daniel, who will play a safety/linebacker hybrid role. The value was about right, and it will be an interesting fit.
Los Angeles Chargers
Draft picks: Florida State S Derwin James (No. 17 overall), USC LB Uchenna Nwosu (No. 48 overall), N.C. State DT Justin Jones (No. 84 overall).
Day 1 grade: A
Day 2 grade: C
Overall grade: B+
The skinny: The Chargers let the draft come to them in the first round, and they got a great player at a need position. Doesn't get much better than that for a mid-first-round selection. James is fluid, tough, and fast. I don't understand why he was still available at 17. The team was looking to improve its linebacker situation, and it deemed Nwosu the best option available in the middle of the second round. Will Texas' Malik Jefferson or Georgia's Lorenzo Carter -- who were both still on the board -- prove to be better players? Time will tell. They found their nose tackle in the third round, picking Jones. This might have been a little early for him, but we'll see if he can put it all together to be more than a rotational player.
Oakland Raiders
Draft picks: UCLA OT Kolton Miller (No. 15 overall), Sam Houston State DT P.J. Hall (No. 57 overall), North Carolina A&T OT Brandon Parker (No. 65 overall), LSU DE Arden Key (No. 87 overall).
Day 1 grade: C
Day 2 grade: C-
Overall grade: C
The skinny: With many top-notch defenders on the board, the Raiders took an athletic but inconsistent tackle in Miller. His tape did not put him in the mid-first round. The team did get a third- and fifth-round pick in the trade to with Arizona to move five picks down (from 10 to 15), so that's a plus. Hall was one of my favorite non-FBS players in this draft, but his ascension to the second round was astounding. I believe his quickness and tenacious nature will translate to the NFL. Parker is raw and a bit of a reach in the early third, especially for a team that already picked an offensive tackle in Round 1. The Raiders took a chance on Key, who struggled with issues and injuries during his college career. If he can straighten things out, maybe he'll use his length to become a potent pass rusher.
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