Let’s not joke ourselves. This draft was not about catching the Seahawks. It was about overtaking the Broncos. Of course, the Seahawks revealed the blueprint for whipping Denver in an oh so deliciously public fashion. So, let’s take a round by round, blow by blow, look at which AFC West team made the most headway in catching the division leader and in the end, who won the AFC West in the 2014 draft?
So, who was drafted in the first round?
Raiders: OLB Khalil Mack
Chiefs: DE Dee Ford
Chargers: CB Jason Verrett
Broncos: CB Bradley Roby
There’s no question, for now, that the first round winner in this draft among AFC West teams was Oakland. Khalil Mack could end up being the best player in this draft when we look back five or ten years from now. Enough analysts ranked Mack ahead of Jadeveon Clowney, because of his superior attitude, that at one time I seriously thought Mack would go first in this draft.
The Chiefs come in second in the first. Yes, it was a surprise to many that they didn’t go with a wideout early in the draft but taking a player like Dee Ford can not only come in handy in his rookie year but they’ve apparently selected they’re replacement for Tamba Hali who could be gone as early as next season.
Both of the Chargers and the Broncos selected a CB in the first round and there was plenty of good ones to go around. However, the Bolts choice of Jason Verrett was particularly noteworthy. In scouting all of the top corners in this draft, Verrett stood out as the best technician and possibly the best CB in the draft period. So, the Chargers did their homework and although Verrett is only goes 5-10, 176, the Chiefs will be seeing him often and early in the season.
The Broncos come in last in the first round although Bradley Roby could end up be a very good corner. Roby was once thought to be a high first round pick but got beat too much in his senior year.
So, here’s how the first round came out.
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