2008 Woodie Awards
How The West Was Graded
NFL Draft
Mike Mauro
Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: Sports
AFC WEST
Kansas City Chiefs: A-plus
The Chiefs had the best draft of any team in the league. After the Jared Allen trade, their defensive line was a weakness and fortunately for them, LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey fell to them at No. 5. Dorsey was one of the best three players in the draft and the Chiefs made the right choice by taking him at that spot rather than trading down for extra picks, which had been in the discussion. With their second first-round pick from the Vikings at No. 17, they traded up two spots and took Virginia offensive lineman Branden Albert, who was surprisingly still on the board. Albert has the skills to dominate at both guard and tackle spots and the Chiefs hit a home run by getting two future Pro Bowlers with their first two picks.
Then in the second round, Kansas City came away with a first-round caliber cornerback in Virginia Tech's Brandon Flowers. The three third-round picks for the Chiefs were tremendous as well. Texas running back Jamaal Charles is electric and can score a touchdown every time he touches the ball. He will be great spelling Larry Johnson in the backfield and can develop into his replacement down the line. Tennessee tight end Brad Cottam had injury issues throughout his career but he is enormous and has the receiving skills and blocking ability to replace Tony Gonzalez when he retires. Their last third-round pick, DaJuan Morgan of NC State, was very underrated coming into the draft and expect him to come in right away and push for a starting spot.
Oakland Raiders: B-minus
Owner Al Davis was unable to resist Darren McFadden with the No. 4 pick. After seeing what Adrian Peterson did last season, you can't blame him. However, McFadden will not be as good as Peterson as an overall pro running back, but will certainly be able to score every time he touches the ball. Running backs transition the smoothest to the pros and McFadden is the frontrunner to win Rookie of the Year. Arguably the best player in the draft, the Raiders ended up making the right pick over Glenn Dorsey considering they just invested a load of money into Tommy Kelly at defensive tackle. The Raiders didn't pick again until the fourth round when they traded up to get UConn cornerback Tyvon Branch. Branch could have gone earlier than this but the Raiders got good value here as Branch can come in right away and contribute on special teams, while trying to break into a talented secondary.
Kansas City Chiefs: A-plus
The Chiefs had the best draft of any team in the league. After the Jared Allen trade, their defensive line was a weakness and fortunately for them, LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey fell to them at No. 5. Dorsey was one of the best three players in the draft and the Chiefs made the right choice by taking him at that spot rather than trading down for extra picks, which had been in the discussion. With their second first-round pick from the Vikings at No. 17, they traded up two spots and took Virginia offensive lineman Branden Albert, who was surprisingly still on the board. Albert has the skills to dominate at both guard and tackle spots and the Chiefs hit a home run by getting two future Pro Bowlers with their first two picks.
Then in the second round, Kansas City came away with a first-round caliber cornerback in Virginia Tech's Brandon Flowers. The three third-round picks for the Chiefs were tremendous as well. Texas running back Jamaal Charles is electric and can score a touchdown every time he touches the ball. He will be great spelling Larry Johnson in the backfield and can develop into his replacement down the line. Tennessee tight end Brad Cottam had injury issues throughout his career but he is enormous and has the receiving skills and blocking ability to replace Tony Gonzalez when he retires. Their last third-round pick, DaJuan Morgan of NC State, was very underrated coming into the draft and expect him to come in right away and push for a starting spot.
Oakland Raiders: B-minus
Owner Al Davis was unable to resist Darren McFadden with the No. 4 pick. After seeing what Adrian Peterson did last season, you can't blame him. However, McFadden will not be as good as Peterson as an overall pro running back, but will certainly be able to score every time he touches the ball. Running backs transition the smoothest to the pros and McFadden is the frontrunner to win Rookie of the Year. Arguably the best player in the draft, the Raiders ended up making the right pick over Glenn Dorsey considering they just invested a load of money into Tommy Kelly at defensive tackle. The Raiders didn't pick again until the fourth round when they traded up to get UConn cornerback Tyvon Branch. Branch could have gone earlier than this but the Raiders got good value here as Branch can come in right away and contribute on special teams, while trying to break into a talented secondary.
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