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Denver Broncos
1 (9)
CB Pat Surtain II
Alabama
2 (35)
RB Javonte Williams
North Carolina
3 (98)
OG 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)
CB Kary Vincent Jr.
LSU
7 (239)
Edge Jonathon Cooper
Ohio State
7 (253)
Edge Marquiss Spencer
Mississippi State
What a roller coaster of a weekend for Broncos fans. Thursday night started out with rumors that they were landing Aaron Rodgers and ended with them passing on Fields. They are probably the most difficult team to evaluate right now, given that we don’t know how the rest of the offseason is going to play out.
If the Broncos think they have a realistic shot of acquiring Rodgers, this draft looks great. Patrick Surtain II was one of the cleanest prospects in the draft. Yes, the Broncos are deep at corner for 2021, but Kyle Fuller and Bryce Callahan are scheduled to be free agents after the season. Surtain has huge upside in Vic Fangio’s scheme. On the other hand, if the Broncos don’t think they have a realistic shot at Rodgers, then passing on Fields is a huge head-scratcher. Denver would have been a great spot for him, given the talent the Broncos have at their skill positions and the fact that Fangio pretty much always produces a competent defense. Teddy Bridgewater is a fine option as a competent starter or backup, but Fields would have been an upside swing worth taking.
As for the rest of their draft, I’m generally not in favor of trading up for running backs, but Javonte Williams is so fun to watch and could be an immediate starter. Denver deserves credit for drafting for volume with 10 overall picks. With Rodgers, they would be an immediate Super Bowl contender. The rest of the roster is underrated. Without Rodgers, they’ll be left to revisit the quarterback situation next offseason and could have regrets about passing on Fields.
Grade: B-
Kansas City Chiefs
2 (58)
LB Nick Bolton
Missouri
2 (63)
OC Creed Humphrey
Oklahoma
4 (144)
Edge Joshua Kaindoh
Florida State
5 (162)
TE Noah Gray
Duke
5 (181)
WR Cornell Powell
Clemson
6 (226)
OG Trey Smith
Tennessee
Their big draft move was trading for offensive tackle Orlando Brown. But Andy Reid and Brett Veach continued to reshape the offensive line with talented center Creed Humphrey in the second round. It’s fair to question whether using a pick on an off-ball linebacker in the second round made sense, given their limited resources, but Nick Bolton was a productive college player and should have an immediate role on the Chiefs’ defense. Clemson wide receiver Cornell Powell was a worthy flier in the fifth round.
The Chiefs didn’t have a first-round pick and selected just six players overall. Yet they very well might have come away with at least two immediate starters. That’s pretty good.
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/LB Divine Deablo
Virginia Tech
4 (143)
S Tyree Gillespie
Missouri
5 (167)
CB Nate Hobbs
Illinois
7 (230)
OC Jimmy Morrissey
Pittsburgh
Their decision to draft Alabama offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood at No. 17 was a surprise. There’s nothing wrong with avoiding groupthink, but this is becoming an annual tradition for the Raiders, and it hasn’t exactly worked out in recent years. It might have made sense to trade back even if they ran the risk of losing out on Leatherwood. There would have been other right tackles available.
I like Trevon Moehrig a lot, but it’s worth nothing that the Raiders had to execute one of the costlier trade-ups in the draft to get him. Hybrid safety/linebacker Divine Deablo was a fun third-round pick, but new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley will have to show he knows how to deploy him. Overall, this doesn’t look like a bad haul, but the Raiders desperately need some of these secondary picks to hit.
Grade: B-
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)
S Mark Webb
Georgia
Anyone who’s participated in a fantasy draft knows that special feeling you get when a player you love surprisingly falls in your lap. The NFL version of that is what happened with GM Tom Telesco in the first and second rounds.
It was no secret that the Chargers needed a left tackle entering draft weekend. They were able to stay put and take Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater at 13. Then in the second round, they were able to grab playmaking corner Asante Samuel Jr., who should be a perfect fit for Brandon Staley’s zone-heavy scheme.
This is a talented roster without a lot of holes. If Justin Herbert makes a second-year leap, look out. The Chargers could become a trendy Super Bowl pick by the time September rolls around.
Grade: B+
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