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KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (10-7 Won AFC West and Super Bowl Championship)- The Chiefs are, by far, the most talented team in this division as well as all of football and used that talent to get hot in the playoffs and roll to the franchise's first Super Bowl crown last season! However, QB Patrick Mahomes was sacked an incredible 181 times and saw zero impact to his playing abilities and those type numbers might prove a disaster this season. HB Isaiah Pacheco is back, yet again, and the team picked up Michigan's Kalel Mullings in the draft to supply a short yardage option. Kentucky WR Dane Key should slot in nicely. At 6'3" 210 Lbs and having excellent short route running skills, Key should provide a tremendous underneath target for an offense that often tries to stretch the field. The offensive line is back and good, but TE Travis Kelce saw a great deal of regression in the off-season.
George Karlaftis, Mike Danna, and Chris Jones form a formidable trio up front and they will be joined by Mississippi rookie DT Walter Nolan. Super fast Leo Chenal, along with backers Drue Tranquill and Nick Bolton, comprise as good a linebacking unit as any in the league. The cornerback position is devoid of elite speed, but Florida's rookie CB Jason Marshall should provide some help back there. South Carolina rookie FS Nick Emmanwori could be an instant star as he tandems with SS Justin Reid.
Prediction: As talented a team as there is in the league, the Chiefs can flat out overwhelm opponents. However, an aging Kelce and the impact of Mahomes taking sacks could make this team a bit more vulnerable than some may think.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (4-13)-This may seem a reach, but the Raiders might surprise a bit this season. The offense saw a major over-haul and could be explosive at times. Vegas drafted Miami Hurricane QB Cam Ward as the new face of the franchise and there are high hopes that he could be a major factor going forward. The Raiders then spent much of the draft trying to surround Ward with as much talent as possible. North Carolina HB Omarion Hampton, Iowa State WR Jay Higgins, TCU WR Savion Williams, and Wisconsin RT Riley Mahlman were all added to the mix. TEs Brock Bowers and Michael Meyer offer solid underneath options.
Unfortunately, the improvement on offense meant the defense was mostly ignored. The end result was the unit ranks among the worst in all of football. The defensive line is woefully weak and OLB Maxx Crosby must be along the line in order for the team to hope for any pass rush. San Diego State rookie ROLB Kyle Kitchens should start, but his lack of size and ability to ward off blockers will limit ihs on-field impacts. Outside of Nate Hobbs, who lacks elite speed, the cornerbacks are weak in coverage. FS Tre'Von Moehrig and Oklahoma State rookie SS Kendal Daniels will probably start.
Prediction: The entire division, aside from KC of course, finished below .500 last season. That means the door is open for any of the three teams (Denver, Los Angeles, or these Raiders) to take a step up. Vegas is a much improved offensive team, but the defense is, well, horrible. If they can find ways to outscore opponents they could win enough games to finish second but are no real threat beyond that.
DENVER BRONCOS (6-11)-QB Bo Nix showed a great deal of potential last season. The Broncos went out and added Penn State TE Ty Warren in the draft to give Nix another weapon and a safety valve. The offensive line was pretty good but needed a snapper so in comes Auburn's Parker Brailsford. Brailsford was seen, by many, as the top center in the draft and certainly in the class of Green Bay's Jonah Monheim and Seattle's Bryce Foster.
Louisville rookie DE Ashton Gillotte could challenge veteran John Franklin-Myers for PT. The interior of the Dline remains an area of concern as the unit is not very strong and could get pushed around by superior offensive lines. Oregon rookie ROLB Jeffrey Bassa is a solid coverage backer but is not big enough (227 Lbs 77 IBL) to be a truly effective ILB in a sub backer role. Patrick Surtain and Paulson Adebo are a good CB duo but the club could use an upgrade at the slot DB position. Texas rookie FS Jahdae Barron should be an impact player right away.
Prediction: Denver should be competitive, but the team is still not good enough to challenge the Chiefs and probably a bit too weak along the defensive front to hold up against top level offenses. They could easily finish ahead of Vegas and Los Angeles within the division, but that may be their ceiling.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (4-13)- The Bolts have, arguably, the second best QB in the division with Justin Herbert. Still, the backfield seems lacking with JK Dobbins as the probable top dog back there. The WR corps got a huge infusion of talent, however, as the Chargers took Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka with the third overall pick in the draft! Egbuka has separation speed and excellent catching and route running skills and should be an instant star in LA. His presence should help the rest of the receiving unit be better. The offensive line also saw an upgrade with the additions of Florida A&M C George Howard and Texas RG Hayden Conner. The improved Oline and the ability of Egbuka should help Herbert perform better.
There is some debate over how Texas rookie DE Alfred Collins and Illinois' Keith Stewart will be used. Collins (6'5' 320 Lbs) could slide inside as a RDT, but the team also drafted UMass' Myles Wilcox which complictaes the situation. The linebacking unit is aging fast. Khalil Mack (34), Bud Dupree (32), Denzel Perryman (32) and even Joey Bosa (30) are all over 30 years old. The corners lack speed and coverage skills and that can be a fatal combination in a division that has some gunslingers in it. SS Derwin James can still get it done, but he is closing in on 30 years old too.
Prediction: Egbuka and the Oline upgrades should help some, but the backfield is not overly inspiring and the defense is both aging and in need of help at some key positions.
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