Immediate reactions can sometimes be over reactions so after attending this year’s NFL Draft and walking out with an abundance of initial feelings, I sat down the past few weeks and sorted everything out. After total review, I came up with these rankings, gradings, feelings or whatever you want to call them. In this series of eight NFL Draft blog entries I’ll rank the teams inside their own division from first to last as to how I feel they did with their selections.   

AFC WEST

1) Kansas City Chiefs – It’s almost universally been agreed upon that Kansas City had the best draft this year. I’d have to line up in that camp as well since KC was able to put together a string of six superb selections in the first three rounds. Their first round fortune fell into their laps but credit the Chiefs for not allowing that fortune to disappear before they latched onto it. Glenn Dorsey out of LSU who some believe was the best player available, somehow made it through the first four selections and then became a starting defensive tackle for Kansas City.  Then the good fortune continued as Virginia offensive guard Branden Albert who was the player almost everyone thought KC would select with the fifth overall selection, remained on the board halfway through round one. The Chiefs swung a trade at #15 with the Detroit Lions and voila, within two and a half hours they had secured pillars to fortify their offensive and defensive lines. With a pair of studs immediately penciled in at starting positions, Kansas City went to work on getting even more top flight help and they got even richer in rounds two and three. Cornerback Brandon Flowers from Virginia Tech, running back Jamaal Charles out of Texas, Brad Cottam a talented tight end from Tennessee and hard hitting safety DeJuan Morgan out of North Carolina State were the four choices made in those rounds. It’s unbelievable when you stop and assess each of these players and realize that it is very possible that Kansas City may have acquired six starters with their first six picks. They all may not start from day one, but by the beginning of the 2010 season we may see all six on first string units. Let’s back track a hair and just look at the upside of these players and why there has been and still is so much hype and excitement surrounding the Chiefs 2008 draft class.

Glenn Dorsey is a legitimate force and will be an anchor of the Kansas City defensive front right away. Dorsey does it all against the run as he possesses the bulk and strength to stuff rushing attacks inside and he’s got the lateral movement to pursue and chase runners down on the perimeter. While Dorsey cannot fill the void in number of quarterback sacks that was left behind when KC traded defensive end Jared Allen, the LSU draftee is an excellent penetrator from the inside and may demand double teams very early in his NFL career which will open up sack opportunities for his teammates. Dorsey is arguably the best defensive player in this year’s draft. With Dorsey immediately filling a need on the defensive front, Branden Albert will do the same for a rapidly depleted Chiefs offensive line. What was the teams trademark just two short years ago now bears zero resemblance of the powerful drive blocking front that had stalwarts Willie Roaf and Will Shields. However, adding Albert into the mix with center Brian Waters and tackle Damion McIntosh suddenly gives this team a trio of big and physical linemen. Albert’s agility had the majority of NFL personnel departments convinced that he can become a blind side tackle in this league and that’s exactly where KC will attempt to play him. His versatility makes it a no brainer that he’ll start somewhere on the line and having played under Al Groh at Virginia leads me to believe that Albert is well prepared to take on a starting tackle role right away.

Brandon Flowers has a chance to start on one of the corners for KC immediately because the Chiefs lack for talent at that position. Simply stated, Flowers is a well rounded playmaking corner who has that physical, in your face Virginia Tech style while still being an excellent cover man. He broke up 27 passes the past two seasons and recorded eight interceptions. At the very least, he’ll be the team's nickel corner this season but he’s got those head coach Herm Edwards type traits that lead me to believe he’ll become a starter at some point.

Kansas City is another team following the now extremely trendy “thunder & lightning” backfield setup as evidenced by their selection of Texas speedster Jamaal Charles. Charles can instantly become the electricity to compliment Pro Bowler Larry Johnson’s power. Charles' 49 receptions over the last three years at Austin indicate he’s got receiving skills and when you combine his dynamic, game changing abilities with that of Johnson, tight end Tony Gonzalez and second year standout wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, KC finally has multiple offensive threats.

6’8” 270 pound Tennessee tight end Brad Cottam is somewhat freakish because his physical presence leads you to believe that he’s purely a blocking tight end, but he can be a pass catching threat as well. Had his senior season not been basically lost to injury, Cottam would’ve had more impressive reception numbers. He will learn from the best as he plays behind Tony Gonzalez which is a huge asset. Look for him to see time in his rookie season in two tight end sets and don’t be surprised in a couple of years if he’s the Chiefs starter.

The choice of DeJuan Morgan at #82 overall I thought was a steal for this particular club because they have a need for a playmaker at safety and Morgan is a guy who just disrupts things. He made 97 tackles for the Wolfpack last season and it’s an intangible that’s hard to explain but when I saw him play last year, he had a certain defensive presence about him that I feel is going to make him successful at this level. There’s a great chance that he and Flowers will be fixtures in the secondary for a lot of years.

I also look for Clemson offensive tackle Barry Richardson who was chosen in the sixth round to surprise and become a backup at the position this year. In all, this was a great draft on paper and it has the potential to be great on the field as well.     

2) Denver – I’ll give the Broncos the nod for second in the division over Oakland based on volume. Denver acquired more players that figure to remain on the team and contribute more than the Raiders selection of game changing running back Darren McFadden. For the Broncos, offensive tackle Ryan Clady out of Boise State was a terrific first round choice. Clady should be able to step into the starting left tackle role and barring injury, be there for the next 10 years. He’s fully adept at run blocking and pass protection and after seeing his college career, I feel he’ll become a Pro Bowl tackle on the blind side.

Eddie Royal is a speedster who like other Virginia Tech receivers the past couple of years underachieved in college. However, this lack of production is a direct reflection of the quarterbacks Royal and his mates played with and I see a huge upside for this VT alum now that he’s got Broncos QB Jay Cutler throwing to him. Royal is a game breaker who can make plays in any area of the field and expect Denver to use him not only in their vertical routes but in their quick hitting ones as well. Royal also brings electric kick return abilities to the table which Denver drastically needs and will allow him to exhibit right away.

Denver went to the MAC for their next pair of selections and they may have hit paydirt with their fourth rounder Jack Williams who was a three year starter at cornerback for Kent State. While the Golden Flashes are not a team that makes a lot of television appearances, the statistical numbers posted by Williams are very impressive and scouts across the league raved about his athletic and playmaking ability. 245 career tackles, 25 passes broken up and 13 interceptions over a three year span are huge numbers. He’s fast and physical and should fit perfectly as a nickel corner behind starters Champ Bailey and Dre Bly. His 5’9” height is the only drawback and the only reason why he wasn’t taken until the 4th round. With all the knowledge he can gain from Bailey and Bly, don’t be surprised if Williams becomes a very successful starter here in a couple of years.

The wild card in this draft for the Broncos is seventh rounder Josh Barrett, a safety out of Arizona State . Barrett was rated by many as one of the top five safeties in the draft but he tumbled all the way to the seventh round because of on field character issues which got him benched as a senior. His junior year saw him record 82 tackles and his football ability is unquestionably good enough to land him as a starter in this league. His maturity level and desire are the concerns but in this veteran secondary with John Lynch as the leader, I think Barrett will “shape up” and become one of this draft's absolute steals.         

3) Oakland – Even with a stable of pretty good running backs they could’ve gone into this season with and even with the three year, 12 million dollar deal they gave to Justin Fargas in February to be their #1 RB, Oakland still made the correct decision when they chose Darren McFadden. I don’t think it will be long before the former Arkansas Razorback takes over as the Raiders dominant back and gives them the versatile explosiveness that Fargas just doesn’t have. As a breakaway threat rushing and receiving, he’ll be a great security blanket for QB JaMarcus Russell. The fact that he can run inside or out makes him far more than a gimmick back and defenses will find Oakland play calling to be very unpredictable when McFadden is on the field. Love the choice here at #4 as none of the other players available would’ve helped the Raiders as much as McFadden will.

Aside from McFadden, Oakland’s draft was minimal in both number of picks and helpfulness. Among the projects and experiments they drafted is fourth round cornerback Tyvon Branch out of Connecticut. His excessive speed (4.31) along with his hitting ability (230 career tackles) seem to make him best suited in the NFL for the strong safety position. Oakland could use this season to transition him from CB to SS but even then, he comes into a loaded secondary where  there doesn’t figure to be much playing time the next couple of seasons. WR Arman Shields from Richmond (fourth round) and DE Trevor Scott out of Buffalo (fifth round) are players who play need positions for the Raiders but neither has the resume that leads anyone to believe that they’ll contribute this year or next. They’re both likely to end up on special teams. I still don’t understand why Oakland selected Shields who had a knee injury last season rather than Cal’s LaVelle Hawkins who showed last season that he could be the “go to” receiver in a BCS conference. This entire draft outside of McFadden seemed like a reach to me (they even traded up to get Branch) but then again, having the stud RB will make the Raiders better this year.        

4) San Diego – They didn’t need anything except for depth and they came away with some at key spots. In first round cornerback Antoine Cason, San Diego got a player with starter’s ability who will likely be relegated to a nickel back assignment this year. With starting corners Antoine Cromartie (Pro Bowl last season) and Quentin Jammer (shut down type) being so good and so young, it seems as if Cason will remain third in line for awhile but arguably make this the NFL’s best CB unit. His addition has the Chargers incredibly blessed with an abundance of cover corners.

LSU tough guy fullback Jacob Hester was taken in the second round and like Cason, he’ll immediately step in and provide quality depth in a backfield that lost Michael Turner to free agency ( Atlanta ) in the off season. Hester can lead block on any down, move the chains in tough short yardage situations or get into the endzone in goal line spots. He fills a void left by fullback Lorenzo Neal and he’ll slide into the spot left by Turner but he’s not the all around runner Turner is.        

The rest of the Chargers draft picks may not stick but I’m rooting for Boston College CB DeJuan Tribble who was a force the past three seasons on the Eagles defense. Tribble has the intangibles to fit on this squad in dime situations. Yes, the CB position is loaded here in San Diego but Tribble is just one of those “football players” who I think can overcome his lack of height which people point to as his top drawback. As a specialty defensive back, this is the perfect situation for him and he’s got the perfect skill set to be a contributor here.