2021 NFL Draft: Best pick by every AFC West team

The 2021 NFL Draft has come and gone, and with it comes a fresh confidence and excitement for fans of every NFL team. Everyone is hoping their next class of rookies will bring a spark and make the team better, with even higher hopes to be cornerstones for the future.

The AFC West is no different than the others. While they do have the reigning AFC Champs in the division, there were questions throughout the division. Would the Chiefs continue to rebuild the offensive line? Was this the year for the Denver Broncos to upgrade at the quarterback position and move on from Drew Lock? Could the Chargers finally get things right to surround their signal-caller?

All these questions were answered throughout the 2021 NFL Draft. But, what was the best selection for each team? Let’s dive in and go team-by-team.

Denver Broncos: Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama

Round 1, 9th Overall

The Broncos put together a very solid draft, getting good talent and value on every day of the 2021 NFL Draft. That included in the first round, where they got Alabama corner Patrick Surtain II at pick number nine.

After drafting Michael Ojemudia last year, and signing both Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller, it felt like the Broncos were going in a different direction than corner at the top of the draft. Many thought that direction would be getting quarterback Justin Fields, but John Elway and general manager George Paton decided to give Lock one more run at it in 2021.

Instead, head coach Vic Fangio gets another great piece in the secondary. Surtain was widely considered the top corner in the class, and his patience, combined with his physical nature at the line of scrimmage, should be the right formula to develop into a lockdown corner opposite Fuller. He comes up to fill in the run game and has the size to make things difficult at the catch point. The Broncos secondary will be a problem in 2021, and Surtain will be a big part of the reason why.