NFL draft 2021: AFC West mock draft

Today, I put together my first full NFL mock draft of the year. I’ve done this exercise every year since I was a kid, mostly just for fun.

I’m not printing my full mock as it’s mostly for research and to look of trends. Yet, I thought I would have a little fun and release an AFC West mock (it’s always good to keep an eye on the enemy, right?).

I will do future Raiders’ mocks before the April 29-May 1 draft but here’s a little early April taste of what I think the division may be thinking.

9. Denver Broncos, Trey Lance, quarterback, North Dakota State:
On my board, Lance is the fifth quarterback to be drafted. I think the Broncos would be tempted to make this move if Lance is available. If it does happen, the Raiders better hope he is a bust because if Lance hits, that would mean the division rival quarterbacks would be Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Lance. That would be trouble.

13. Los Angeles Chargers, Jaycee Horn, cornerback, South Carolina:
Horn is zooming up draft boards. He is considered a potential shut-down cornerback. I could see new Chargers’ coach Brandon Staley wanting to begin his tenure with this type of player for his defense.

Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

17. Las Vegas Raiders, Alijah Vera-Tucker, offensive lineman, USC:
Here is my current guy for the Raiders. I was down to him and Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Vera-Tucker would not be a reach and he could play at right tackle now and perhaps move to guard in the future. The Raiders are basically starting over on the offensive line and at No. 17, this would be a strong value pick.

31. Kansas City Chiefs, Kelvin Joseph, cornerback, Kentucky:
The Chiefs quietly have some needs and they could go for an offensive lineman or a wide receiver. But Joseph has a lot of fans in the NFL and he’d be a solid pick late in the first round.