Chargers bolster defense
Raiders draft West Virginia safety Joseph; Kansas City trades out of 1st round
The AFC West has gone through Denver in each of the past five years. Now the rest of the division has to catch up to the Super Bowl champions.
San Diego has the biggest gap to close after going 4-12 last season. Injuries hit the Chargers hard. Offense wasn’t the problem for most of the season.
The Chargers drafted for defense, going with former Ohio State outside linebacker-defensive end Joey Bosa with the No. 3 pick. The Chargers made 32 sacks last season, ninth-fewest in the league. Bosa will provide a big boost to their pass rush in a division filled with great pass rushers.
Bosa was emotional as he walked to the stage. He told the NFL Network he expected to be sitting in the green room for 30 to 45 more minutes. The former Buckeye was known as an elite pass rusher in college, but he also plays as a solid run stuffer.
The Raiders might be the most improved team in the division with a young talented core — quarterback Derek Carr, receiver Amari Cooper and outside linebacker Khalil Mack. They also added outside linebacker Bruce Irvin, cornerback Sean Smith, safety Reggie Nelson and offensive linemen Kelechi Osemele and Donald Penn in free agency.
Thursday, Oakland added another thumper to improve its defense in former West Virginia safety Karl Joseph. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound safety has drawn comparisons to former Colts safety Bob Sanders and Steelers safety Troy Polamalu because of his hard-hitting nature and wreckless approach to the game. He also is a talented coverage player. He was the best safety in the draft, and might have gone higher if not for a torn anterior cruciate ligament that he’s still recovering from.
To catch up to the Broncos defensively, both of the nonplayoff AFC West teams grabbed a toptier defensive talent.
The Chiefs traded out of the No. 28 pick with the San Francisco 49ers, who selected Stanford guard Josh Garnett. Kansas City will have two second-round picks to play with Friday.
The Chiefs finished one game behind the Broncos in the AFC West race. Denver traded ahead of Kansas City to get Lynch, who could have been a possible pick for the Chiefs.