Building The Perfect AFC West Roster: Offense

The AFC West has long been one of the more proud divisions, top to bottom, in the history of the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas/Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders rivalry is one of the more stingy head to head meetings across the league. The Denver Broncos have appeared in multiple Super Bowls, due in part to pristine quarterback play. And finally, the Los Angeles Chargers have found ways to transition quickly in a positive fashion, despite extremely challenging times in team history.

With the dog days of the offseason starting to settle in, why not try a new, fun exercise. That is to build the ultimate AFC West roster. The options at each position were healthy with premiere talent. All spots were trying to come up with the best core of players, except for linebacker. Today, we will be focusing solely on the offense. The defensive side of the ball will be revealed tomorrow. Meanwhile, I should preface that this is strictly based on my preferences, so there are partly biased answers. Without further ado, let’s kick off the ultimate AFC West roster construction with the quarterback position.

QUARTERBACK- Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Despite a tremendous rookie season for Justin Herbert in 2020, Patrick Mahomes is the obvious choice at QB. He is one of the top passers in the league due to a few different reasons. The combination of his confident decision making and accuracy to any area of the field keeps defenses guessing. Meanwhile, Mahomes has already shown a knack of learning quickly or on the fly when defenses present a new wrinkle to him.

If he was previously caught off guard, the next attempt is much improved against a similar look. Most of all, Mahomes will always keep your hopes of winning alive. Whether it be on one singular play or late in a close game, you generally feel like the chances of emerging victorious are more possible than it should be in those situations. Super Bowl LV was his first loss of more than one score. Open and shut case.

RUNNING BACK- Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

Raiders rusher Josh Jacobs received strong consideration. However, for the offense that I would like to run, give me the running back with more receiving upside. Austin Ekeler has averaged 519.75 receiving yards per year and 53 receptions per year in four career seasons. His 81.2 career catch percentage is also highly respectable. More importantly, Ekeler makes life so difficult for defenders after the catch. He will run through you, jump over you, or make you look downright silly with his shiftiness. Broken tackles are a guarantee when facing Ekeler.

WIDE RECEIVER- Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

Keenan Allen signals a first down after making a catch in a Chargers home game.

For a long while, Keenan Allen was one of the more underrated wide receivers and football players in the NFL. Many fans have started to realize his superb all around play over the last few years. What has long been Allen’s premiere trait is his route running. His turns and breaks are crisp. Allen is always under control, allowing for him to dictate a steady leverage in contested catch situations. Finally, he has the fakes and hand counters to leave opponents in the dust with a simple move.

WIDE RECEIVER- Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

Tyreek Hill is one of the most explosive players in the NFL. His acceleration from snap to 10 yards down the field is unbelievable to watch at times. So far in his five year career, Hill has averaged 14.6 yards per reception. The speed of the Cheetah is not the only redeeming quality that he provides. He has truly grown into a more complete receiver over the years. His routes are ran with more compact angles and the moves Hill uses to fake out opposing defenders is not even thought of by most other receivers.

WIDE RECEIVER- Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos

Another outstanding route runner, Jerry Jeudy can win in all three areas of the field. The short to intermediate part of his game in his rookie campaign shined more than I imagined it would have with Denver. Jeudy was also fairly successful in contested catch situations or tight spaces last season. Moreover, defenders must get hands on him instantly after the catch is secured. We saw the Alabama product burst for a long score after the reception at home against Vegas. He generally turns up the field quickly, takes sharp angles and has the long strides to outrace you.

TIGHT END- Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Darren Waller is certainly one of the league’s best tight ends. Nonetheless, I wanted to go with 11 personnel and spread out the field. Travis Kelce is the pick to start at tight end, as a result. He has posted five consecutive seasons with 1,000+ receiving yards. The Kansas City pass catcher has helped to revolutionize today’s style of tight end play. Being able to move around the formation and play as a pseudo wide receiver has opened up more chances for Kelce to succeed. His ability to win in the deeper part of the field has also grown in recent years. Furthermore, Kelce has become more consistent when needing to come through in the clutch. Another easy decision here from the dynamic Chiefs offensive unit.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. warming up for a Ravens road game.

LEFT TACKLE- Orlando Brown Jr., Kansas City Chiefs

LEFT GUARD- Joe Thuney, Kansas City Chiefs

CENTER- Corey Linsley, Los Angeles Chargers

RIGHT GUARD- Dalton Risner, Denver Broncos

RIGHT TACKLE- Bryan Bulaga, Los Angeles Chargers

Starting with the left side of the line, the two new additions to Kansas City instantly fixed a major weakness for the Chiefs. Brown Jr. has succeeded at both tackle spots and his nasty, physical nature is just what that team needed. On the other hand, Thuney provides versatility and immense football IQ. Another new addition is the choice at center. Corey Linsley has a well rounded skill set that allows him to adjust quickly. His strength moves defenders before they can even get their footing. A major facelift to the Chargers offensive line.

Dalton Risner was one of my personal draft crushes a couple of years ago. He can play anywhere on the line. On the other hand, his requisite length and power at the point of attack would once again fit the powerful and physical blocking unit that I would hope to have in front of Mahomes. Lastly, Bulaga is yet another smart and tough veteran at right tackle. This position was difficult to fill. And despite past injuries, Bulaga has been commanding and dominant up front when healthy.

As mentioned above, the defensive edition will be revealed tomorrow. Sorry Raiders fans. A few of the Vegas offensive guys just missed the cut. But, you can be certain that a Raider will be on my list tomorrow. Who makes the cut? Stay tuned. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.