Are Chiefs Still Atop the AFC West After the Draft?

Now that the NFL draft is done, every fan and analyst is one step closer to getting to enjoy another season of football once again. With that being said, how did the Kansas City Chiefs do in the draft in comparison to their divisional rivals? As well as, do they project to win the AFC West for the tenth year in a row?

Overall, the Chiefs did an excellent job of acquiring talent in the draft and addressing their most prominent needs. Josh Simmons fell right into their lap at the end of the first round, and they continued to get good players in Omarr Norman-Lott and Ashton Gillotte as the draft continued.

The biggest concern for the Chiefs heading into the draft was doing everything they could to repair the offensive line and addressing positions of need after many players left in free agency, such as Justin Reid and Tershawn Wharton.

Although only one pick was used to address the offensive line, if Simmons works out for them, they'll have a young offensive line core of Simmons, Kingsley Suamataia, and Trey Smith. The Chiefs were willing to draft players on the defensive side of the ball, so that the defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, has more weapons to utilize in his defensive scheme.

This was a good year to stockpile on defense, as many of their divisional rivals focused on offense to go after the Chiefs, who have been so dominant in the AFC West. The Las Vegas Raiders hope that their first-round selection, Ashton Jeanty, will help them prevail against the Chiefs and turn their franchise around.

Not only will the Chiefs have to worry about Brock Bowers and Jeanty for a long time, but their addition of Jack Bech gives them physicality and an underdog mentality in their wide receiver room. With Geno Smith and Pete Carroll reunited in Las Vegas, this Raiders team projects to be much better than last season.

The Raiders aren't the only divisional rivals who spent their first-round pick on a running back, as the Los Angeles Chargers selected Omarion Hampton 22nd overall. They also used their second-round pick on Tre Harris to give Ladd McConkey a running mate, as Quentin Johnston is looking more and more like a draft bust every day.

The Denver Broncos didn't reinforce their offense as much as the Chiefs' other divisional rivals, but they did target more of the same with their first-round selection of Jahdae Barron. Their defense will only get better from here on out, and with Bo Nix continuing to develop, they pose a threat to the sustained success of the Chiefs over the AFC West.

No matter how many rookies a team adds, winning a division takes more than talent and has to do a lot with coaching. Andy Reid is still the best coach in the AFC West, but the Chiefs' divisional rivals are all slowly beginning to improve year by year. While next year they may win the AFC West again, it wouldn't surprise me if in the future their reign of terror comes to an end.

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