Some teams in the AFC West are going through a bit of a transition at this point. There are three new head coaches among the group and so we may see three of these teams take a step back in 2009. The Denver Broncos are also undergoing a change in their quarterback position as well as a change in defensive schemes so 2009 might be a down year for them. However, these teams could start their road to recovery by using the 2009 NFL Draft as a tool to get their teams on the right track. Let’s take a look at how each team did in the draft and how each team’s draft was graded.
Denver Broncos-The Broncos made some strange picks in some people’s eyes. Thanks to the fact that they are switching to a 3-4 defense the Broncos should have looked at some additional talent to help them get their new defense under control but they chose to take only one player who could have a direct affect on that (Robert Ayers). They did get some good depth at the cornerback position and taking Knowshon Moreno isn’t the worst thing in the world but they will be hurting on defense when the season starts and will regret not doing more to shore that unit up. Grade: D
Kansas City Chiefs-Some feel that the Chiefs might have reached in taking Tyson Jackson so early but putting him next to his old college teammate Glenn Dorsey could help their defense out immensely. Some of the other picks that will help them out on defense include defensive tackle Alex Magee and cornerback Donald Washington. They also build up some of their depth on offense and grabbed a kicker (who incidentally was the last pick in the draft) as well. This was a good draft for this rebuilding team. Grade A
Oakland Raiders-The Raiders made a strange choice in the first round by taking wide receiver Darius Heyward-Bey and then turned around and did it again when they took safety Michael Mitchell with their second pick. Both could either be big or be big busts. These were very risky picks. Shaughnessy was another interesting pick and could be a boom or bust player as well. Louis Murphy and perhaps Stryker Sulak could be the two real keepers out of this draft. The rest could be gone in short order. Grade: D-
San Diego Chargers-The Chargers needed to do a few specific things in this draft and they accomplished some of them. Getting a player to compliment Shawne Merriman on the opposite side of the defense was a must and they managed to get someone in the first round when they picked defensive end/outside linebacker Larry English. English might have been kind of a reach as a first round pick but could pay out big time in the future. What they also needed was a big time running back to come in and be the heir apparent to LaDanlian Tomlinson and they didn’t get that. The only running back that they got, Gartrell Johnson, isn’t going to cause opposing defenses any fits. They added some depth at a few key positions including offensive guard, cornerback and safety. If they can get good production out of English and get another one or two starters and some backups out of this draft, which they could, they may have had one of their better drafts in the last five years. Grade B-
Overall, the drafts in this division were meant to bring in some additional talent to help not only fit in with the new coaching staffs within the division but also help them make some changes (such as Denver going to a 3-4). Kansas City was the clear draft winner this year and between this year’s draft and last year’s, has really built up a team for the future.
By Bryan Dietzler
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