2023 AFC West NFL Draft recap
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Former Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders was taken in the third round by the Denver Broncos in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The AFC West entered the 2023 NFL Draft with some teams having a limited amount of picks due to trades or transactions. The Raiders draft produced three viable starting candidates and a potential steal in the fifth round.
The Chiefs found a way to get another target for Patrick Mahomes but also secured protection on the edges in a tackle with multiple years of starting experience in two Power 5 conferences. They also added an athletic safety/nickel prospect with upside in the fourth round.
Los Angeles went into the draft needing to improve a rush defense that still struggled in 2022 and brought in three defenders who all bring backup possibilities with starting upside.
The Broncos did not have a first round pick but grabbed a versatile wide receiver in Oklahoma’s Marvin Mims along with linebacker Drew Sanders, who should compete for playing time in Year 1. Sanders adds pass rush capability to the team’s front seven.
| 2023 NFL Draft Recap, AFC West | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas Raiders | ||||||
| Selection | Player Selection | Position- School | DN Big Board Rank/ Grade | Notes | Value (1-5) | Trades |
| 1st Round, 7th overall | Tyree Wilson 6’6 271 | DE/OLB-Texas Tech | 2/1st Round | Wilson’s foot injury may have cost him a couple of spots, but he enters a situation where he can move around on the defensive front on third downs with Max Crosby and Chandler Jones. | 5 | |
| 2 (35)-from Indianapolis | Michael Mayer 6’4 249 | TE/Notre Dame | 12/1st Round | Nicknamed “Baby Gronk,” Mayer has an opportunity to grow in a similar offensive package as the one that Gronkowski excelled in under current Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels. | 5 | The Raiders received this pick in a trade from Indianapolis in the second round in exchange for the 38th overall pick in this year’s draft and the 5th Round pick (141st overall) |
| 3 (70) | Byron Young 6’3 294 | DT-Alabama | 165/3rd Round | His heavy-handed nature allows him to two-gap effectively. Young disengages from blockers and has an under rip move to change up his two-hand posts as a pass rusher. | 4.5 | |
| 4 (104) | Jakorian Bennett 5’11 199 | CB-Nickel/Maryland | 107/3rd Round | Bennett contains some similarities to New Orleans Saints corner Alontae Taylor as a tightly-wound corner and may project to the nickel position at the next level. | 5 | The Raiders traded the 109th pick and a 2023 fifth-round pick (174th overall) to the Houston Texans for their 4th round pick (104) and a 2023 fifth-round pick (174th) |
| 4 (135) from New England | Aidan O’Connell 6’3 213 | QB-Purdue | 153/3rd Round | Our ninth-ranked quarterback, O’Connell was the eighth quarterback selected in this year’s draft and contains an efficient C-cup shaped release and adequate pocket mobility. He has to improve against pressure concepts, but the former walk-on’s ball placement has stood out in school. | 5 | |
| 5 (170) | Christopher Smith II 5’10 191 | S-Georgia | 133/3rd Round | Smith II’s instincts have never been the question when it comes to eye speed. He made plays at an alarmingly high rate due to the football intelligence and throws his body around on the field when he sees it early in the down. | 5 | |
| 6 (203) | Amari Burney 6’2 233 | LB-Florida | 293/4th Round | Burney’s foot speed has been evident since he played the Star position or nickel linebacker role for the Gators back in 2020. He became much better this past season in his key-and-diagnose while still proving capable of matching tight ends like Georgia’s Bowers. | 4.5 | |
| 7 (231) | Nesta Jade Silvera 6’2 307 | DT-ASU, Miami (Fla.) | 366/5th Round | A one-gap penetrator who plays with maximum effort when engaged, Jade Silvera has given offensive linemen problems with his activity when working inside. He was active in 2022 and finished with career-highs in tackles. | 4.5 | |
| No. 1 UDFA signing: | Drake Thomas 5’11 1/2” 221 | LB-NC State | 330/5th Round | A lack of size may have hurt Thomas’ standing heading into the draft, but he was one of the nation’s best when it came to attacking the line of scrimmage (47 tackles for losses in career) and stood out covering kicks while in school. | 4 | |
| Draft Grade: | 4.81 | |||||
| Kansas City Chiefs | ||||||
| Selection | Player Selection | Position- School | DN Big Board Rank/ Grade | Notes | Value (1-5) | Trades |
| 1 (31) | Felix Anudike-Uzomah 6’3 255 | DE-Kansas State | 11/1st Round | The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year consistently forced fumbles in school and turned the corner with a tenacity that embodies the Chiefs preference for athletic young playmakers on that side of the ball. | 5 | |
| 2 (55) | Rashee Rice 6’1 204 | WR-SMU | 86/3rd Round | Rice ranked as one of the more dependable third down receivers in the AAC throughout the course of his career. He excels on the competitive catches and adds another size element to the Chiefs receiving room. | 4 | Traded away for the 55th pick (2nd round) |
| 3 (92) | Wanya Morris 6’5 307 | OT-Oklahoma | 116/3rd Round | Morris’ talent has been on display since he began as a starting freshman tackle at Tennessee. The Chiefs needed to increase their depth at the tackle position. | 4.5 | |
| 4 (119) | Chamarri Conner 6’0 211 | S-NB/Virginia Tech | 95/3rd Round | Conner is a solid nickel/safety prospect with violence in his game to go along with coverage capability over the slot at 210 pounds. He has special teams capability from Day 1. | 5 | Vikings traded out of this spot and picked up a fifth round pick from the Kansas City Chiefs |
| 5 (166) | BJ Thompson 6’5 243 | OLB-Stephen F. Austin, Baylor | 376/5th Round | Won the football slam dunk contest during halftime of a Baylor basketball game in 2018. Runs the hoop naturally. The skills say that he should already be a dominant 10-to-15-sack performer, but he has inconsistent pass rush variety. | 4 | |
| 6 (194) | Keondre Coburn 6’1 332 | DT-Texas | 229/4th Round | Coburn has always surprised by running out of the stack to chase the ball at over 330 pounds. This is the type of effort it will require to gain a spot in the team’s defensive line rotation. | 4.5 | |
| 7 (250) | Nic Jones 6’0 191 | CB-Ball State | 262/4th Round | Jones is a smooth corner with nearly 33-inch arms who is light on his feet and contains an efficient, relaxed backpedal. He settles his feet and gets a little wide on plant-and-drives. | 5 | |
| No. 1 UDFA signing: | Isaiah Moore 6’2 234 | LB-NC State | 182/3rd Round | Moore recovered well from a 2021 season-ending injury to lead the nation’s 19th-ranked defense in 2022. A three-time team captain, Moore needs to impress on special teams to earn a role in a deep linebacking corps. | 5 | |
| Draft Grade: | 4.57 | |||||
| Denver Broncos | ||||||
| Selection | Player Selection | Position- School | DN Big Board Rank/ Grade | Notes | Value (1-5) | Trades |
| 2 (63) | Marvin Mims 5’11 183 | All-Purpose-WR-Ret/Oklahoma | 127/3rd Round | Mims, Jr. tracks the football like a baseball outfielder and some of the high wire acts speak to his level of hand-eye coordination. He has a chance to become a solid No. 3 receiver initially and provides added potential value as a punt returner from Day 1. | 4 | |
| 3 (67) | Drew Sanders 6’4 235 | LB-Arkansas, Alabama | 65/2nd Round | Sanders’ ability in coverage shined on occasion at Alabama, where he demonstrated range and a feel for finding routes after recognizing play action. In addition, the Broncos could use his size to match athletic tight ends. | 5 | |
| 3 (83) | Riley Moss 6’0 191 | CB-Iowa | 80/3rd Round | The best work for the 2021 Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year comes in zone, where his refined bail technique allows him to clue quarterbacks. There is a bit of a gambling style in his play. He tackles in crack-and-replace, flips to break out of zone turns and finishes on the ball with hand-eye coordination. | 5 | |
| 6 (183) | JL Skinner 6’4 211 | S-Boise State | 114/3rd Round | Skinner did not need to be a fit for every NFL team, but he could quickly have a Kearse-type impact for a team. He has the eye control to steal passes as a robber and the size to match tight ends. | 5 | |
| 7 (257) | Alex Forsyth 6’3 3/4” 316 | OC-Oregon | 305/4th Round | Forsyth didn’t put up extraordinary workout numbers, but he was considered the most detailed player on the team and he has played right guard, left guard, right tackle and offensive center in school. | 4.8 | |
| No. 1 UDFA signing: | Thomas Incoom 6’2 265 | DE-Central Michigan | 143/3rd Round | Incoom is a power rusher who lacks significant bend but he was productive over the last year-and-a-half in the MAC playing to his strengths. He could find a home in the team’s as a backup with a solid preseason. | 5 | |
| Draft Grade: | 4.76 | |||||
| Los Angeles Chargers | ||||||
| Selection | Player Selection | Position- School | DN Big Board Rank/ Grade | Notes | Value (1-5) | Trades |
| 1 (21) | Quentin Johnston 6’4 200 | WR/TCU | 53/2nd Round | Johnston’s physical capability continues to make the Chargers a team full of athletic power forwards on the outside lanes. They will force matchup problems for teams who don’t have small corners. Could he be another candidate to use both inside and outside? | 4 | |
| 2 (54) | Tuli Tuipulotu 6’3 266 | OLB-DE/USC | 48/2nd Round | Tuipulotu's power is supplemented with a slippery nature to crease gaps inside. He could be a factor in the right system, but we think he has enough athleticism to be a headache as a 3-4 outside linebacker. | 5 | |
| 3 (85) | Daiyan Henley 6’1 235 | LB-Washington State, Nevada | 54/2nd Round | The former wide receiver actually caught three touchdown passes back in 2017. His coverage potential shined in contests like the Hawaii contest in 2021. Henley’s eye speed continues to improve at the position. | 5 | |
| 4 (125) | Derius Davis 5’8 165 | All-Purpose-WR-KR-TCU | 443/5th Round | Davis is an explosive well-built all-purpose specialist who may turn out to be a version of Cowboys return man Kavontae Turpin. | 3 | |
| 5 (156) | Jordan McFadden 6’2 305 | OG-OT-Clemson | 159/3rd Round | McFadden’s ability to pull could expand the team’s running game and his experience as a multi-year starter at left tackle may project him to an interior line position, but at the least gives him an opportunity to expand the team’s backup options. | 5 | |
| 6 (200) | Scott Matlock 6’4 298 | DT-Boise State | 268/4th Round | Matlock’s leverage and bull in a china shop approach made him one of the toughest defenders to block in the Mountain West Conference. He does not stay blocked. | 4.5 | |
| 7 (239) | Max Duggan 6’1 1/2” 207 | QB-TCU | 142/3rd Round | Duggan’s 4.5 speed has been evident since his first time stepping on the field, but his field vision and processing speed increased during his final year on campus. His deep ball prowess and fourth quarter poise stood out. | 5 | |
| No. 1 UDFA signing: | Jerrod Clark 6’4 334 | DT-Coastal Carolina | 254/4th Round | Clark’s injury history was a bit concerning but the former tight end’s one gap penetration capability resulted in 18 tackles for losses during his career. | 5 | |
| Draft Grade: | 4.5 |
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