AFC West Draft Roundup
The latest newsletter from KCSN Sports Data Scientist, Joseph Hefner
Last week, I took a dive into the Chiefs 2025 draft class. Overall I liked it a lot. I felt day two (rounds 2 and 3) were full of reaches, which makes me hesitate. But days 1 and 3 were really good. And even the reaches on day two were for players who should see real playing time pretty quickly.
This week, I’m going to do a short dive into each of our division rival’s draft classes. This article will be filled with graphics, so hopefully you’re a visual learner. First up, here is a chart from Rene Bugner, who compiled grades from 24 different analysts for each team, and turned that into a GPA. While draft day grades obviously have issues, it is a solid way to get a general barometer of how teams did in relation to each other.
At the top, this seems to match the general consensus after the draft. Which makes sense, given that this is essentially a consensus board of draft rankings. Patriots, Giants, Seahawks, Chiefs, and Eagles as the top 5 teams. The Eagles and Ravens are often touted as two of the front offices in the league. The Ravens land at 8th overall, so still pretty good. I do feel the need to point out the worst draft in the league: The Cincinnati Bengals at 32.
The Raiders came in second in the AFC West, and 6th overall. That’s pretty good, considering that they spent their 6th overall draft pick on a running back. The Chargers, who also spent a first on a running back, though not as high of a pick, came in at 23rd, and the Broncos landed at 24th. The Raiders are pretty clearly the worst team in the AFC West, so them having the second best draft to ours works fine for me.