NFL Draft Recap - Grading the AFC West

Here is our continuing coverage of the 2007 NFL Draft.

BODOG SUPERBOWL CHAMPION ODDS

San Diego Chargers - 6 to 1
Denver Broncos - 15 to 1
Kansas City Chiefs - 30 to 1
Oakland Raiders - 80 to 1

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

1st - Craig Davis - WR - LSU
2nd - Eric Weddle - S - Utah
3rd - Anthony Waters - LB - Clemson
4th - Scott Chandler - TE - Iowa
5th - Legedu Naanee - WR - Boise State
7th - Brandon Siler - LB - Florida

Grade: D

The Chargers reached on their first two picks. Craig Davis has all of the measurables, but never quite lived up to his potential in college. He was constantly overshadowed by Dwayne Bowe, who now resides with division rival Kansas City.

Eric Weddle is a smart safety whose workouts weren't as impressive as the first round safeties. He fills a need in San Diego and could be a solid leader on the defense. But to spend four picks on Weddle seems crazy to me. He might have slipped to the Chargers. Even if you wanted to trade up to secure Weddle, the Chargers probably could have traded up 10 picks later and kept a couple of those picks.

NORV

Sounds like Norv Turner is making the mistakes that costs him his job in Washington. He's a solid coordinator, but his personnel moves eventually cost the Redskins on the field. The Chargers are uber-talented right now, so giving up four picks for a 2nd rounder won't matter right now. But that will eventually catch up to this franchise.

The rest of the draft was a sleeper, though I applaud the Chargers adding Brandon Siler to the mix. As a 7th round investment, they drafted a player. Though he won't be a star at the next level, he should be a solid backup.

BODOG BET

I can't believe the Chargers have better Superbowl odds than the defending champs. San Diego is 6/1 and the Colts are 8/1. Amazing. By the way, I'm not sure if the Chargers did much to help their Bodog odds with this draft.

DENVER BRONCOS

1st - Jarvis Moss - DE - Florida
2nd - Tim Crowder - DE - Texas
3rd - Ryan Harris - OT - Notre Dame
4th - Marcus Thomas - DT - Florida

Grade: D

Don't get me wrong. I applaud the Broncos drafting replacements for all those former Cleveland Browns on their roster. Their entire defensive line came from Cleveland over the last two years, and the Broncs still made playoff pushes. But they needed a talent infusion to go with the defensive backfield they've been building.

Champ Bailey and company are great, but they need a pass rush to put them over the top. Enter Jarvis Moss. He is a monster rushing the passer, something Denver has needed for years. Tim Crowder and Marcus Thomas should strengthen the line. The only question mark is whether the two former Florida teammates, Moss and Thomas, will act up in the NFL. Both had discipline problems in college.

WHAT ABOUT THE OFFENSE?

My biggest concern with this draft is that the Broncos didn't even address their offensive problems. It used to be the Broncos offense was a powerhouse. But the offense sputtered under Jake Plummer last year, then came to a complete halt for several games when Jay Cutler came in to start.

I had figured the Broncos would add one of these stud receivers to help replace the ancient Rod Smith eventually. I guess there's always next year. That's my one complain with Mike Shanahan in the personnel department. He is always fixing last year's problem, instead of looking into the future and charting a future championship course. He always ends up focusing in too much on one aspect of the team, usually trading too many picks to get the job done. Shanahan is reactive, not proactive.

That being said, I think Travis Henry could be a sleeper candidate for those fantasy football owners this year. Perhaps Shanahan decided Henry and Ben Watson were all that were needed to help Cutler. Maybe Cutler's growth is enough to improve the offense.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

1st - Dwayne Bowe - WR - LSU
2nd - Turk McBride - DT - Tennessee
3rd - Demarcus Tyler - DT - North Carolina State
5th - Kolby Smith - RB - Louisville
5th - Justin Medlock - K - UCLA
6th - Herbert Taylor - G - TCU
7th - Michael Allen - TE - Whitworth

Grade: B

The Chiefs had a solid draft. Though I think Carl Peterson might be insane for trying to trade away perennial stars like Larry Johnson, Trent Green and Dante Hall, I have to give him credit for addressing several needs the Chiefs had. (Okay, the Chiefs deny trying to trade Johnson, but I'm not believing them. There were too many rumors involving too many teams.)

They finally broke down and spent a 1st rounder on a receiver. Dwayne Bowe should give Damon Huard a legitimate deep threat. Kennison was a deep threat ten years ago.

STRENGTHENING THE D LINE

Turk McBride and Demarcus Tyler made Ryan Sims expendable. He was traded to the Bucs yesterday for undisclosed draft picks. Year after year, the Chiefs Defense seems to disappoint. Even though they have tried to address that weakness in recent drafts, it has yet to pay off.

Now they're in a tough situation. They've spent so many high draft picks on the defense, that the offense has gotten old and retired. Losing three linemen in the past two years is a disaster. I would grade this draft higher, if the Chiefs had spent more than a 6th rounder on an offensive lineman. Sure, Kolby Smith is a value pick in the 5th round, but they could have used a lineman more than a backup for Larry Johnson...unless the Chiefs are going to trade him.

Okay, I'm joking. But kickers and backup runners aren't important as finding replacements for Willie Roaf and Will Shields. This wasn't a deep draft for offensive linemen, so I'll cut Kansas City slack on that count.

The next couple of years will tell us if they should have OT Joe Staley instead of Dwayne Bowe in the 1st round, though I can't really say too much, given that I have criticized them in years past for not drafting a receiver high. The players the Chiefs did draft were solid, though.

OAKLAND RAIDERS

1st - JaMarcus Russell - QB - LSU
2nd - Zach Miller - TE - Arizona State
3rd - Quentin Moses - DE - Georgia
3rd - Mario Henderson - OT - Florida State
3rd - Johnny Lee Higgins - WR - UTEP
4th - Michael Bush - RB - Louisville
4th - John Bowie - DB - Cincinnati
5th - Jay Richardson - DE - Ohio State
5th - Eric Frampton - DB - Washington State
6th - Oren O'Neal - RB - Arkansas State
7th - Jonathan Holland - WR - Louisiana Tech

Grade: B-

If Jamarcus Russell lives up to his #1 pick draft status, this draft has to be graded an "A". Russell's play can overshadow any mistakes made in the later rounds.

Since we don't know exactly how good Russell will be, we have to focus on whether Quentin Moses and Mario Henderson and Johnny Lee Higgins were reaches. Henderson and Higgins follow the classic Raiders patter. Henderson is huge, while Higgins is a burner.

COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE?

Al Davis looks huge guys on the line and blazing fast guys on the edges. The problem is, that relatively simple formula hasn't worked a lot lately. Drafting big and fast sounds good, but too often in the past, that means you are drafting guys with great stats and few skills.

There is a certain craft to football, a characteristic which seldom can be attributed to Raiders teams.

MICHAEL BUSH

That being said, I can get behind one pick of a "big" player. That's the drafting of Michael Bush. Considered a first rounder at the start of the 2006 NCAA season, Bush broke his leg in the first half of the first game. Complications healing from that injury left huge question marks about Bush, letting him slip out of the first day of the draft. The Raiders took Bush with the 1st pick of the 2nd day.

With Dominic Rhodes and Lamont Jordan on the roster, the Raiders can afford to sit Bush for a year and let him heal. Likely, Jordan will be gone after next season, letting Bush replace him in the rotation. That's the plan, at least.

If that's the case, then the Raiders just drafted future centerpieces of their offense in Jamarcus Russell and Michael Bush. That's enough to push the Raiders into the "B" range, despite some questionable moves with the rest of the first day picks.

NOTE: I'm assuming Lane Kiffin saw something in Zach Miller, having seen him play the last several years in the USC/Arizona State games. I'll give the Raiders a pass on this pick.

For Other Draft Recaps, click on the links below.

NFC West
NFC South

NFL Draft Recap - Grading the AFC West