2015 NFL Draft grades: AFC West contenders bet on offensive talent to dethrone Broncos

The rest of the AFC West was aggressive in free agency this year, perhaps sensing that the Denver Broncos' time is coming to a close. Peyton Manning struggled (relatively, at least) at the end of the 2014 season, and the team took some big hits, losing Julius Thomas, Orlando Franklin, Rahim Moore and Terrance Knighton to other teams.

Whether the rest of the division has done enough to dethrone Denver is a matter of debate. Expert opinions ranged wildly regarding the draft classes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders. The San Diego Chargers merely held serve, deciding to focus their efforts on improving a moribund running game.

The selection of defensive end Shane Ray sticks out most prominently, and is perhaps the surest sign that the Broncos are in win-now mode. Ray was cited for marijuana possession during the week of the NFL Draft, and while that means that Denver may have gotten a steal talent-wise, it also suggests a potential off-field headache.

The Broncos made safer choices to beef up the offensive line, taking tackle Ty Sambrailo in the second round and center Max Garcia in the fourth. Upgraded protection for Manning and a potential game-changing pass rusher could be all Denver needs to compete for a Super Bowl again.

The Chiefs didn't wow. The consensus seems to be that they reached for a few players -- cornerback Marcus Peters in the first round and offensive lineman Mitch Morse in the second round, notably -- but not egregiously. Kansas City's draft board clearly wasn't aligned perfectly with that of media prognosticators, which is pretty common and not at all indicative that the class won't pan out.

Wide receiver Chris Conley could make an immediate impact. The Chiefs desperately needed dynamic receivers, and Conley easily fills that niche.

The Raiders' draft received just about every grade on the spectrum. The two most disparate -- CBS and NFL.com -- pivoted on the selection of wide receiver Amari Cooper at No. 4 overall and Mario Edwards at No. 35.

Bryan Fischer of NFL.com loved the Cooper pick, saying "grabbing the safest player in the draft was a nice way to start things out." CBS's Pete Prisco doesn't necessarily disagree, but disliked that the team passed up defensive tackle Leonard Williams, a player some considered the best in the draft class.

Unlike with the Raiders, experts were in agreement on the Chargers' class: Solid, but unspectacular. That's likely the product of taking trading up to take Melvin Gordon at No. 15 overall, a player that experts seem to agree is excellent but at a devalued position. Not only did the Chargers use a first-round pick on Gordon, but they gave up a fourth- and fifth-rounder.

Denzel Perryman was a hit in the second round, but taking small-school cornerback Craig Mager felt underwhelming. In sum, San Diego landed a good class that left room for improvement.