2021 NFL Draft Recap: AFC West
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Former Oklahoma center Creed Humphrey was selected in the second round by the Kansas City Chiefs.
In the AFC West, the Raiders got defensive in hopes of trying to solidify its defense and the Chiefs added a Bolton to its defensive front seven. The Chargers added a slayer to its offensive line and the Broncos are Surtain their choice could help the D. Overall, the AFC West had one of the most interesting draft weekends in the conference.
| Denver Broncos | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selection | Team | Player selection | Position-School | DN Big Board Rank/Grade | Notes | |
| 1st Round, 9th overall | Denver Broncos | Patrick Surtain II | 6’2 208 CB-Alabama | 7/1st Round | The Broncos take the second consecutive CB off of the board and his technique is arguably the best. | |
| 2nd Round, 35th overall | Denver Broncos (from Atlanta Falcons) | Javonte Williams | 5'10 212 RB-UNC | 33/2nd Round | His physicality, ball skills, short yardage capability and lack of mileage make him a very attractive option as a potential fourth quarter closer. | |
| 3rd Round, 98th overall | Denver Broncos | Quinn Meinerz | 6’3 320/OL-Wisconsin-Whitewater | 225/4th Round | There is no doubt that his explosion, play strength and even hand usage can impress down-to-down. However, the top-heavy nature finds him on the ground when the detonations are launched at the wrong entry points to connect on opponents. Finding a balance will be key for Meinerz whether he stays at offensive guard or moves to center, where he performed admirably in the postseason. | |
| 105th overall | Denver Broncos | Baron Browning | 6’3 240/LB-Ohio State | 26/2nd Round | Browning is a prospect who can rush versus offensive tackles off the edge, play the exchange linebacker and line up over tight ends. As a pass rusher out of his two-point stance on the edge, his speed can be too much to handle for offensive tackles. | |
| 5th Round, 152nd overall | Denver Broncos | Caden Sterns | 6’0 202/S-Texas | 38/2nd Round | Sterns benefits from the reputation he garnered after producing an All-American freshman campaign. Since that season, he has been like an appetizer leaving you wanting more. In the games viewed, he was a willing, if inconsistent, tackler who produced very good laps to get over the top of his cornerbacks as a deep middle safety. | |
| 5th Round, 164th overall | Denver Broncos (via Chicago Bears) | Jamar Johnson | 6’1 197/S-Indiana | 105/3rd Round | The athleticism and movement are evident when watching Johnson play in the deep zones or blitzing from depth. The tackling techniques have been inconsis-tent and left something to be desired when he doesn’t keep his head up to tackle. | |
| 6th Round, 219th overall | Denver Broncos (from Atlanta Falcons via compensatory selection) | Seth Williams | 6’2 211 WR-Auburn | 91/3rd Round | On more than one occasion, he has leapt over defenders in one-on-one situations to post highlight-film wor-thy grabs. The level of consistency in all phases of his game is missing at times. | |
| 7th Round, 237th overall | Denver Broncos | Kary Vincent, Jr. | 5’10 185/Nickel-LSU | 202/4th Round | Vincent, Jr. actually manned the tough nickel back position for the Tigers during their 2019 national championship season and did so admirably. While he did jam wide receivers on occasion, he was much more frequently seen playing off-man coverage in the slot. | |
| 7th Round, 239th overall | Denver Broncos (from New York Giants) | Jonathon Cooper | 6’2 254/DE-OLB-Ohio State | 279/4th Round | Cooper is a natural knee bender who competes at a high level no matter where he lines up. His ordinary width gets him tied up on the perimeter by longer offensive tackles. Don't be surprised if he earns reps as a sub-package three-technique defensive tackle. | |
| 7th Round, 253rd overall | Denver Broncos (from Cleveland Browns) | Marquiss Spencer | 6’4 301/DT-Mississippi State | 414/5th Round | Spencer has shown in flashes capability as a four-technique defensive end, left defensive end and occasional three-technique defensive tackle in the film viewed. His durability concerns will get vetted by NFL teams. | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | ||||||
| Selection | Team | Player selection | Position-School | DN Big Board Rank/Grade | Notes | |
| 2nd Round, 58th overall | Kansas City Chiefs | Nick Bolton | 5’11 237/LB-Missouri | 77/3rd Round | The positives include down-to-down intensity, pass coverage instincts and blitz capability. His treks on outside runs, varied depending on whether he took the backdoor on his angle to the ball. He is a quick-twitched, fast athlete with pop on contact. | |
| 2nd Round, 63rd overall | Kansas City Chiefs | Creed Humphrey | 6’4 312/OC-Oklahoma | 51/2nd Round | The 2020 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year is a left-handed snapper with some flaws, but his technique, guile and football intelligence ensure him a good chance of becoming an NFL starter. | |
| 4th Round, 144th overall | Kansas City Chiefs (compensatory selection) | Joshua Kaindoh | 6’6 260/DE-OLB Florida State | 212/4th Round | He has operated from a two-point alignment and with his hand in the dirt. Is his best football ahead of him? Time will tell. It was unfortunate he got injured in the first game of the season (Georgia Tech '20) and never seemed to fully recover. | |
| 5th Round, 162nd overall | Kansas City Chiefs (via Las Vegas Raiders from Miami Dolphins) | Noah Gray | 6'3 240/H-back-Duke | 358/5th Round | Team captain. Classroom warrior. Plays the down TE, U-off TE, flexed-out slot and FB spots for the Blue Devils. It is evident that he has a wide receiver-like feel for separating in tight quarters with his quickness. | |
| 5th Round, 181st overall | Kansas City Chiefs (compensatory selection) | Cornell Powell | 6’0 205/WR-Clemson | 217/4th Round | Strong hands. Snatches the football on routes outside of his frame. He simply needs to prove that he can contribute on special teams, as he did not record a career tackle. | |
| 6th Round, 226th overall | KC Chiefs (from New York Jets via Carolina Panthers; compensatory selection) | Trey Smith | 6’5 338/OG-Tennessee | 54/2nd Round | Smith had medical concerns and some issues concerning his overall balance. If he can keep his weight at a manageable level, then he may be able to provide versatility for the Chiefs, as he’s started both inside and outside in school. | |
| Las Vegas Raiders | ||||||
| Selection | Team | Player selection | Position-School | DN Big Board Rank/Grade | Notes | |
| 1st Round, 17th overall | Las Vegas Raiders | Alex Leatherwood | 6’5 312 OL-Alabama | 104/3rd Round | The 2020 Outland Trophy winner may make a move to the inside, where he was a second-team All-SEC player at RG in 2018. If he can eliminate the penalties and concentration lapses, the Raiders could look back on this pick with a smile on their faces. | |
| 2nd Round, 43rd overall | Las Vegas Raiders (from San Francisco 49ers) | Trevon Moehrig | 6’1 202 S-TCU | 30/2nd Round | Moehrig’s smooth nature on the field hides any minor deficien-cies that may illuminate from some questionable tackling angles in space. His communicative nature is much-needed for a secondary that lacked it in 2020. | |
| 3rd Round, 79th overall | Las Vegas Raiders | Malcolm Koonce | 6’2 249/DE-OLB-Buffalo | 102/3rd Round | Koonce, a former rugby star, was unable to perform for NFL teams this postseason after hurting his foot. After a couple of seasons where he was painstakingly difficult for offensive tackles to block, teams did not get to evaluate him further versus NFL-caliber competition. There are instances where teams can extrapolate his play against tougher offensive tackles (i.e. Penn State ‘19, Charlotte ‘19). | |
| 3rd Round, 80th overall | Las Vegas Raiders | Divine Deablo | 6'3 226/S-LB-Virginia Tech | 78/3rd Round | Players like Deablo can become valuable pieces in today’s NFL. He may not quite have the fluidity to man a position off of the hash marks, but at 6-foot-3, 226 pounds, he may very well be positioned to play in sub-packages as a linebacker when teams use dime (six defensive backs) personnel. His experience will pay dividends, but he has to become more consistent as a tackler. | |
| 5th Round, 143rd overall | Las Vegas Raiders from New York Jets (via Minnesota Vikings-compensatory selection) | Tyree Gillespie | 5’11 207/S-Missouri | 232/4th Round | Gillepsie developed from a solid special teams player in 2017 into a productive safety for the Tigers the last two seasons The former high school tailback is active, fast and instinctive in run support. Special tams work may be able to keep him on the game day roster, but his skills give him a chance to compete at safety. | |
| 5th Round, 167th overall | Las Vegas Raiders (from Seattle Seahawks) | Nate Hobbs | 5’11 189/CB-Illinois | 224/4th Round | Hobbs has a chance to make it in the NFL playing cornerback due to his movement in coverage. The 5-foot-11 former high jumper has good feet and can squeeze routes from the outside-in or plant to close back downhill at 45-degree angles out of his zone turns. The Raiders are hoping he challenges more routes in coverage. | |
| 7th Round, 230th overall | Las Vegas Raiders (from San Francisco 49ers via New York Jets) | Jimmy Morrissey | 6’3 303/C-Pittsburgh | 154/3rd Round | The academic warrior passed up a number of Ivy League offers to walk-on at Pittsburgh and that says all anyone needs to know about how much he loves the game. After all, how many players walk on at an ACC school and become a four-year starter? Morrissey could surprise in training camp to grab a seventh or eighth OL spot on game day. | |
| Los Angeles Chargers | ||||||
| Selection | Team | Player selection | Position-School | DN Big Board Rank/Grade | Notes | |
| 1st Round, 13th overall | Los Angeles Chargers | Rashawn Slater | 6’4 304 OT-Northwestern | 16/2nd Round | Slater’s technique gives the Chargers added flexibility on its offensive lineman, as the former OL has started at both RT and LT. | |
| 2nd Round, 47th overall | Los Angeles Chargers | Asante Samuel, Jr. | 5’10 184/CB-FSU | 90/3rd Round | Samuel, Jr’s journey to the NFL follows in his father’s footsteps and the comparisons are valid. Samuel, Jr. may not be quite as sudden, but he does have similar instincts in zone coverage. Samuel, Jr.’s ability to read through the quarterback while using a skate-bail technique is eerily similar to his father’s while with the Patriots and Eagles. | |
| 3rd Round, 77th overall | Los Angeles Chargers | Josh Palmer | 6’1 210/WR-Tennessee | 118/3rd Round | Palmer displayed all of the necessary tools during his final two seasons to suggest he can become a better pro than collegian. His stride closed the cushion on de-fensive backs. Palmer exhibited the length/dexterity to snag passes away from his frame and won against players who are going to be NFL draft picks. | |
| 3rd Round, 97th overall | Los Angeles Chargers | Tre’ McKitty | 6'4 246/TE-H-back-Georgia, FSU | 193/4th Round | McKitty is a muscular H-back/TE-type who has moved around in a variance of roles for two different programs. We have seen him understand angles in the blocking game, show run after the catch skill and attack the seams of defenses. Despite never being the lead receiver at either Georgia or FSU, McKitty has frequently been a legitimate third down target. | |
| 4th Round, 118th overall | Los Angeles Chargers | Chris Rumph II | 6’2 244/DE-OLB-Duke | 102/3rd Round | Is he stout enough to be used as a stand-up outside linebacker or even a Sam linebacker? In spots, he has shown enough strength to handle the action versus “some” tight ends. On third downs, he has the ability to drop into coverage or rush from multiple positions. We think he can add positive weight and become a consistent rotation rusher for new DC Renaldo Hill’s defense. | |
| 5th Round, 159th overall | Los Angeles Chargers | Brenden Jaimes | 6'5 300/DT-Nebraska | 214/4th Round | 40 consecutive starts in school. Not many true freshman start along the offensive line in the Big Ten, much less at offensive tackle. Jaimes did so at the right tackle spot in 2017 before sliding over to the left tackle position he’s manned for the last three seasons. | |
| 6th Round, 185th overall | Los Angeles Chargers (from Jacksonville Jaguars through Tennessee Titans) | Nick Niemann | 6'3 234/LB-Iowa | 174/3rd Round | Niemann is a former high school wide receiver from a family full of Hawkeyes. In fact, his brother Ben, finished the 2020 season with 44 tackles for the Kansas City Chiefs. It seemed like Nick was following in big brother Ben’s footsteps well after a 10-tackle performance against Wisconsin in 2018, but a leg injury curbed his development during that season. | |
| 6th Round, 198th overall | Los Angeles Chargers | Larry Rountree III | 5’10 216/RB-Missouri | 239/4th Round | Rountree III tallied nearly 4,000 yards rushing and fumbled just five times on over 800 career touches. This despite being somewhat right-hand dominant as a runner at times. He has active feet that can step in-and-out of tackles. | |
| 7th Round, 241st overall | Los Angeles Chargers | Mark Webb | 6’1 210/S-Georgia | 274/4th Round | Webb is a former wide receiver who seemed to have a pretty good feel for route combinations working at the team’s Star position the last two seasons. While he frequently was asked to cover tight ends and wide receivers, he also showed some ability to play off the hash marks on occasion. |
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