Free agency saw three of the AFC West teams make big signings in order to finally compete with Pat Mahomes and the Chiefs, verifying it as the toughest division in football.
The Chiefs for their part lost their dynamic playmaker Tyreek Hill, but gained Miami's first round pick. The Broncos traded for quarterback Russell Wilson from Seattle, and signed former Dallas edge rusher Randy Gregory. The Chargers brought in Khalil Mack and JC Jackson, also signing Mike Williams to a monster deal, and the Raiders landed top free agent edge rusher Chandler Jones and traded for Davante Adams out of Green Bay.
All these trades meant the Broncos and Raiders sacrificed their early draft picks, and the Chiefs gained some early picks. The Chargers stayed the same, they are just more broke now.
Here are the additions and impact of each team's 2022 draft selections.
Kansas City Chiefs
Rd 1 #21 Trent McDuffie, CB
Rd 1 #30 George Karlaftis, DE
Rd 2 #54 Skyy Moore, WR
Rd 2 #62 Bryan Cook, S
Rd 3 #103 Leo Chenal, LB
Rd 4 #135 Joshua Williams, CB
Rd 5 #145 Darrian Kinnard, OG
Rd 7 #243 Jaylen Watson, CB
Rd 7 #251 Isaih Pacheco, RB
Rd 7 #259 Nazeeh Johnson, S
If the Chiefs lost free agency, they won the draft. After trading Tyreek Hill they had some ammo, and jockeyed those picks into moving up for Trent McDuffie in the first, and moving back for Skyy Moore in the second. Moore won't replace Tyreek Hill, but has the tools to quickly become Pat Mahomes' favorite target.
McDuffie was generally rated as the third-best corner in the draft, and defensive back was a huge position of need for the Chiefs. He is slightly undersized, but the SportsLeaf modern pro-comp for McDuffie is JC Jackson. He flies around the field and has the vertical ability to challenge lengthy receivers (like division rival LA's Mike Williams) and come down with the ball if quarterbacks get too bold.
Karlaftis was ranked by some as the fourth best edge rusher in the draft, expected off the board in the teens. He fell considerably as the rash of offensive players went in the first round, and the Chiefs snagged him staying pat at #30. The Chiefs need pass rush help, and Karlaftis gives them a possible steal of the draft who can anchor the position for a decade.
While the National Champion Georgia Bulldogs got a historic amount of love in the draft, the improbable Cincinnati Bearcat team that became the first non-Power 5 school to make the College Football Playoff was well represented as well. The Chiefs grabbed the Bearcat's elite safety Bryan Cook at the end of the second round, and if he can perform in the NFL at the level he did in college, Kansas won't be missing Tyrann Mathieu for long.
The rest of the draft was filled with players who will compete for roster spots, but may not make the team due to how crowded the position groups they were drafted in are. The two that stand out are Leo Chenal, who has some insane college tape from Wisconsin, and Darrian Kinnard the offensive lineman selected in the 5th. Kinnard was a top interior line prospect with the ability to play on the outside, and most suspected he would be a second or third round pick. Chenal joins a crowded linebacker room yet provides reliable depth and speed to the position, with an ability to make a difference on special teams as well.
Las Vegas Raiders
Rd 3 #90 Dylan Parham, OG
Rd 4 #122 Zamir White, RB
Rd 4 #126 Neil Farrell Jr, DT
Rd 5 #175 Matthew Butler, DT
Rd 7 #238 Thayer Munford, OT
Rd 7 #250 Brittain Brown, RB
The Raiders came into the draft needing offensive and defensive line help, and that's what they got. They didn't have any picks in the all-important first or second rounds, yet when they finally did have a pick at the end of the third they used it on Dylan Parham out of Memphis, one of the most versatile (and perhaps under-rated) tackles in the class.
The combination of LSU's Neil Farrell Jr and Tennessee's Matthew Butler, two guys used to playing the highest competition, will slide right in as forces to be reckoned with on the interior defensive line, freeing up Maxx Crosby to wreak havoc.
Zamir White was drafted reasonably high considering the picks they had, leaving people to wonder if declining Josh Jacob's fifth year option paves the way for White to replace him in coming years. White also profiles like many other complimentary backs Jacobs has played with in the Raider's backfield over the years, meaning a long term deal could be on the horizon for Jacobs as well. Do running backs get long term deals anymore?
Thayer Munford is a big man who slid in the draft, but the Raiders swooped him in the 7th round with little risk. Munford is massive (6' 6") and has some technique concerns but has experience playing guard and tackle against top-level competition as a four-year starter at Ohio State.
Los Angeles Chargers
Rd 1 #17 Zion Johnson, T
Rd 3 #79 Jalen Woods, S
Rd 4 #123 Isaiah Spiller, RB
Rd 5 #160 Otito Ogbonnia, DL
Rd 6 #195 Jamaree Salyer, OG
Rd 6 #214 Ja'Sir Taylor, CB
Rd 7 #236 Deane Leonard, CB
Rd 7 #260 Zander Horvath, FB
The Chargers needed offensive line help and also a third starting cornerback to compliment JC Jackson and Asante Samuel Jr. They opted for the line help first and took Zion Johnson out off Boston College, one of the more athletic tackles in the class.
They didn't have a pick through much of the prime of the draft, grabbing safety Jalen Woods in the middle of the third and Texas A&M's Isaiah Spiller in the fourth. Many people question whether the addition of Woods is enough to slow down the high-powered offenses of the AFC West, but Spiller should provide some depth (and size) to the running back room.
6th rounder Ja'Sir Taylor out of Wake Forest was a steal, and factors to make an impact in the defensive backfield. Growing pains are expected there, but the Chargers may have saved their draft by selecting Taylor and powerful guard Jamaree Salyer in the 6th. Salyer faced a lot of the NCAA's best pass rushers and held his own, making him likely to transition well to the NFL level talent he will face.
Denver Broncos
Rd 2 #64 Nik Bonitto, OLB
Rd 3 #80 Greg Dulcich, TE
Rd 4 #115 Damarri Mathis, CB
Rd 4 #116 Eyioma Uwazurike, DE
Rd 5 #152 Delarrin Turner-Yell, S
Rd 5 #162 Montrell Washington, WR
Rd 7 #232 Faion Hicks, CB
Going without a pick until the final selection of the second round (which they received in the Von Miller trade), the Broncos used it on Speedy pass rusher Nik Bonitto out of Oklahoma. Bonitto joins Randy Gregory and Bradley Chubb as the primary edge rushers on the squad, and if all three can stay healthy the Broncos will give opposing tackles some struggles.
Greg Dulcich is the most athletic tight end in the draft and should be an immediate contributor in the passing game with Russell Wilson. Wilson isn't known for targeting tight ends so it remains to be seen how much Dulcich will be used in 2022 alongside Albert Okwuegbunam, but Dulcich provides depth and perhaps even a boost over the current tight end in the absence of Noah Fant.
For a team with offensive line and defensive line needs, Broncos GM George Paton has received flack for trading back and drafting Dulcich when UConn defensive tackle Travis Jones and highly-graded offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann were still available. After that Denver drafted a host of unknown players mostly, and while these players obviously profile highly on the Bronco's draft board, it made many a national analyst scratch their head. Mathis, Uwazurike, and Turner-Yell will see the field a bit for Denver this year, but will not compete for starting jobs unless there are some injuries.
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