Round 1 Draft Grades: AFC West

Denver Broncos (2): Von Miller, OLB Texas A&M                                      Grade: A+
           Freakish athlete with elite pass rushing skills.  Combine him with the return of Elvis Dumerville, and the worst ranked defense has to get better.  It would have been difficult for Denver to screw this up with the entire defensive draft board available to them, but they didn't.  Good pick.

San Diego Chargers (18): Corey Liuget, DT Illinois                                      Grade: C-
          I understand that the Chargers probably did not expect Liuget to be available, but he doesn't fit the system in place in San Diego.  With Cameron Jordan and Muhammed Wilkerson still on the board, two experienced players in a 3-4 system, this was a knee jerk reaction to talent versus fit.  Can Liuget make the transition from a 4-3 DT to a 3-4 DE?  I have my doubts.

Kansas City Chiefs (26): Jonathan Baldwin, WR Pittsburgh                         Grade: B
         KC got to move up one spot in the draft for free, but reached a little on Baldwin.  The Chiefs did address a need, but not a very pressing one.  The main benefit of drafting Baldwin is that he is an above average run blocker down the field, and KC loves to run the football.  Good pick, but not great.


Oakland Raiders (-):  N/A                                                                               Grade: F
         As a Chargers fan, I could not resist the temptation to give the Raiders an F for not having a first round draft pick, which they traded for Richard Seymour.  Even though Seymour has been great for Oakland, they are not close enough to the Superbowl to justify the trading of a #1 draft choice.