Discussion of First Round Possibilities AFC West

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Denver Broncos don't have a first round
Kansas City holds the 29th & 30th selections
Los Angeles Chargers holds the 17th selection
Las Vegas Raiders don't have a first round

Will the Denver Broncos trade back into the first with future picks or trade a player?
Do the Kansas City Chiefs explore filling the void of Tyreek Cheetah Hill's production with one of the two firsts? Christian Watson, Jahan Dotson, Skyy Moore?
Do the Los Angles Chargers go IOL or defense with their pick? Tyler Linderbaum, Nakobe Dean and/or Trent McDuffie?
Las Vegas Raiders trade back into the first with future picks or trade a player?

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Denver Broncos
2022 Draft Picks
Round 2: No. 64 (from Rams)
Round 3: Nos. 75, 96 (from Rams)
Round 4: Nos. 115, 116 (from Seahawks)
Round 5: No. 145 (from Lions)
Round 6: No. 206 (from Buccaneers through Jets and Eagles)
Round 7: No. 232

Team needs
Offense
Well, quarterback is definitely not a need for this team anymore. However, that trade did officially make tight end a priority for the team. In addition to QB Drew Lock, Denver also sent Seattle TE Noah Fant, who led the team in receptions last year. They also need to revamp their offensive tackle spot, with Garett Bolles still productive but getting older, so the team should be looking for a successor that they don’t need to throw into the fire right away.

Defense
Cornerback, cornerback and cornerback. The team has Patrick Surtain II, who had a pretty good rookie season. On his opposite side they have Ronald Darby, who has been serviceable but has dealt with injuries throughout his career. Depth players Essang Bassey, Michael Ojemudia were basically out the entire 2021 season, so it’s unclear how effective they’ll be.

Dream first pick
Marcus Jones, CB, Houston
They need to grab a cornerback here, but probably won’t be able to get a top-end one with their first pick being late in the second round. Still, they have a ton of picks on the back end of the draft, so they could package them all together to trade back into the first round. If they do that they can take a guy like Sauce Gardner. If they stay put, they should be able to nab Marcus Jones out of Houston. Not only is Jones a really good corner, but he’s also an elite return man, so the team can kill two birds with one stone.

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Kansas City Chiefs
2022 Draft Picks
Round 1: Nos. 29 (from Dolphins), 30 overall
Round 2: Nos. 50 (from Dolphins), 62
Round 3: Nos. 94, 103
Round 4: Nos. 125 (from Dolphins), 135
Round 7: Nos. 233 (from Vikings), 243 (from Raiders through Patriots), 251, 259

Team needs
Offense
Even prior to Tyreek Hill leaving, the Chiefs still needed help at wide receiver. The acquisition of JuJu Smith-Schuster should help a lot, but filling the shoes of five-time Pro Bowler Hill will take even more depth at the WR spot to help Patrick Mahomes out next season. The draft is a perfect place to find young, hungry receivers who won’t hit their salary cap too hard to start. Hill’s departure can open the door for KC to snag at least a couple more receivers in the draft.

Defense
The Chiefs will also need to shore up their defensive line, specifically with an edge rusher. Defensive end Melvin Ingram is still in free agency, and the Chiefs could certainly use the draft to find some solid young talent to fill that role. They’ll also be on the lookout for a cornerback, as both Charvarius Ward and Mike Hughes just made their departures. They’ll be expected to target guys like Minnesota’s Boye Mafe, Aidan Hutchinson from Michigan, and George Karlaftis out of Purdue.

Dream first pick
Boye Mafe, DE, Minnesota
There may be better overall options in the 2022 draft than Mafe, but with DEs like Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux expected to go early, Boye Mafe could be the answer KC is looking for in a new edge rusher if he’s still available by the 29th overall pick. With both Alex Okafor and Melvin Ingram in free agency, the Chiefs are expected to bring in a solid pass rusher in April. Mafe brings an explosive and powerful presence on the field, and impressed at the NFL Combine at the beginning of March. While he still has a lot of room for improvement, he could bring that speed and power that KC will be looking for in a pass rusher.

Dream second pick
Garrett Wilson, WR Ohio State
Garrett Wilson is an explosive, fluid and sudden as an athlete. Before the catch, he uses this suddenness and twitch to gain separation. He has the unique ability to disconnect his upper and lower body movements while useing his feet which are swift and precise. They deploy him deceptive ways like against Indiana he presented to be a blocker before exploding upfield to secure a big reception. His athletic traits translates easily to his route running ability.

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Los Angeles Chargers
2022 Draft Picks
Round 1: No. 17 overall
Round 3: No. 79
Round 4: No. 123
Round 5: No. 160
Round 6: Nos. 195, 214
Round 7: Nos. 236, 254, 255, 260

Team needs
Offense
The Chargers are set at the skill positions, but where they could go with one of their first three picks is on the offensive line. Last year, LA hit on their first round pick with Rashawn Slater, who looks to be a left tackle of the future. But they need to add some talent to the right side of the offensive line, especially playing in the AFC West.

Defense
The defensive line is mostly set for LA with Jerry Tillery, Khalil Mack, and Joey Bosa, but they need to get some run stoppers at defensive tackle. LA had issues stopping the run last year and they necessarily haven’t fixed that thus far this offseason.

Dream first pick
Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
The Chargers should hope to that standout defensive tackle Jordan Davis falls to them at No. 17 overall. Could you imagine Davis in the middle of LA’s defensive line with Bosa and Mack bringing heat off the edge? That is scary to think about and Davis can create some havoc for opposing offensive linemen. Last season at Georgia, he had 32 total tackles, five tackles for loss, and two sacks.

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Las Vegas Raiders
2022 Draft Picks
Round 3: No. 86
Round 4: No. 126
Round 5: Nos. 164 (from Patriots), 165
Round 7: No. 227 (from Panthers)

Team needs
Offense
Las Vegas could look to add another young wideout to go with the core of Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Bryan Edwards, Demarcus Robinson, and Mack Hollins. They could look to use one of their Day 3 picks to add depth to the offensive line. Last year, the Raiders use two draft picks on the o-line.

Defense
Even though they signed Jones, the Raiders still need another pass rusher to backup him and Maxx Crosby. As we’ve seen over the last few years, if you have a good pass rush with depth, it will help you in the long run. They also could look to draft a linebacker, which they haven’t done since the 2018 NFL Draft.

Dream first pick
Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming
If the Raiders don’t go offense with their first pick in the third round, they should go after a linebacker and who better than Chad Muma out of Wyoming. The 6-foot-3 linebacker had an excellent senior campaign, where he racked up 142 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, three interceptions (two touchdowns), and 1.5 sacks. He’s not going to be a Day 1 starter, but can give the Raiders backup depth at linebacker.

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