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Rotoballer kicks off the 2015 NFL Season by reviewing each teams draft, continuing with the AFC North. Draft expert Owen Elle gives his take on each teams ability to fill their needs and add overall talent to their rosters.
Check out our previous divisional draft reviews: AFC East, AFC North, AFC South
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Denver Broncos
Round 1, Pick 23 - DE Shane Ray, Missouri
Round 2, Pick 59 - OT Ty Sambrailo, Colorado State
Round 3, Pick 92 - TE Jeff Heuerman, Ohio State
Round 4, Pick 133 - C Max Garcia, Florida
Round 5, Pick 164 - CB Lorenzo Doss, Tulane
Round 6, Pick 203 - DT Darius Kilgo, Maryland
Round 7, Pick 250 - QB Trevor Siemian, Northwestern
Round 7, Pick 251 - DB Taurean Nixon, Tulane
Round 7, Pick 252 - DB Josh Furman, Oklahoma State
The overreaction about Shane Ray and his marijuana issues were completely overblown and the Broncos knew that, which is why they traded up with the Lions to get a top-ten talent. Having Ray slide into the Broncos hands was an absolute steal and gives the Broncos the ability to make a seamless transition when Demarcus Ware moves on. The addition of Jeff Heuerman was a great move because now the Broncos have a strong trio of tight ends in Owen Daniels, Virgil Green and Heuerman.
However the pass-catching Ohio State-product, barring injuries, will likely have a "redshirt" year before being given any sort of significant playing time. Denver likely reached for Max Garcia in the fourth round but given that the Broncos traded Manny Ramirez to Detroit in the Shane Ray trade, they needed to select a center. I thought Doss and Kilgo were solid depth selections for Denver in the fifth and sixth round respectively. For the last few months Denver had been very hot on Northwestern quarterback Trevor Siemian, so it was no surprise when they took him in the seventh round.
Grade: C-
Kansas City Chiefs
Round 1, Pick 18 - CB Marcus Peters, Washington
Round 2, Pick 49 - OL Mitch Morse, Missouri
Round 3, Pick 76 - WR Chris Conley, Georgia
Round 3, Pick 98 - CB Steven Nelson, Oregon State
Round 4, Pick 118 - ILB Ramik Wilson, Georgia
Round 5, Pick 172 - OLB D.J. Alexander, Oregon State
Round 5, Pick 173 - TE James O’Shaughnessy, Illinois State
Round 6, Pick 217 - DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Southern Mississippi
Round 7, Pick 233 - WR Da’Ron Brown- Northern Illinois
Kansas City’s draft was fairly nondescript with the exception of their two top picks, of which one they nailed and one they absolutely failed. Marcus Peters has been described by many as the potential next great shutdown cornerback , and although he was the third CB taken off the board behind Trae Waynes and Kevin Johnson that fall had more to do with his character than talent. If Peters can stay on the straight and narrow, his natural talent and instinctive play will make him a fixture in the Pro Bowl.
Now, as good of a pick as Peters was, the Chiefs ruined those high draft picks by taking Mitch Morse with the 49th overall pick. Morse, who was projected to go undrafted is now expected to play center immediately, a position he has never really played, which is a horrible idea. Given the Chiefs weak wide receiving corps, Chris Conley has the best oppurtinity of any skilled offensive player in this draft to have a fantasy impact later this season. While Alex Smith could use a speedy, deep-threat receiver like Conley, there are major concerns about his ability to catch the ball, as he was very prone to dropping passes last season at Georgia.
Grade: C
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Oakland Raiders
Round 1, Pick 4 - WR Amari Cooper, Alabama
Round 2, Pick 35 - DE Mario Edwards, Florida
Round 3, Pick 68 - TE Clive Walford, Miami
Round 4, Pick 128 - OG Jon Feliciano, Miami
Round 5, Pick 140 - ILB Ben Heeney, Kansas
Round 5, Pick 161 - OLB Neiron Ball, Florida
Round 6, Pick 179 - OLB Max Valles, Virginia
Round 7, Pick 218 - OL Anthony Morris, Tennessee State
Round 7, Pick 221 - WR Andre Debose, Florida
Round 7, Pick 242 - CB Dexter McDonald, Kansas
Cooper was a fantastic pick for the Raiders and will be a great weapon for developing sophomore quarterback Derek Carr. On day two of the draft, the Raiders did a good job selecting the incredibly talented Mario Edwards and one of the best tight ends in the draft in Clive Walford. Oakland seemed committed to adding more depth to their linebackers by selecting three within the span of 39 picks. I’m impressed that the Raiders actually did a fairly good job in this draft. From a fantasy football prospective, Cooper, if one was confident with the progression of Carr, could easily justify adding the former Alabama standout onto their team.
Carr's cannon arm doesn't necessarily help Cooper, as I see him as more of a possession wide receiver in Oakland, however it should be a symbiotic relationship between the two developing players. Walford, on the other hand, likely will need time to develop into a starting tight end, figuring not to be relevant in the fantasy football landscape.
Grade: B
San Diego Chargers
Round 1, Pick 15 - RB Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin
Round 2, Pick 48 - ILB Denzel Perryman, Miami
Round 3, Pick 83 - CB Craig Mager, Texas State
Round 5, Pick 153 - OLB Kyle Emmanuel, North Dakota State
Round 6, Pick 192 - DT Darius Philon, Arkansas
Much like Todd Gurley going tenth to the Rams, I really like Melvin Gordon going fifteen to the Chargers. Gordon should fit right in on a good offense that about ten years ago was completely predicated on a running back. Gordon should assist San Diego fans in forgetting about all of Ryan Mathews struggles in recent years. Additionally, considering the current nature of the NFL, Gordon should an immediate fantasy impact as a rookie, much akin to Giovani Bernard, Jeremy Hill and Le'Veon Bell's rookie seasons in the league.
After the selection of Gordon, I like the Chargers shift in focus to defense, where they got great value on Denzel Perryman, Kyle Emmanuel and Darius Philon. The only blemish on the Chargers track record for 2015 was reaching for Craig Mager in the third round. Other than that, I thought San Diego had a pretty solid draft for having so few picks.
Grade: B-
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