One often under-reported part of the pre-draft news cycle is the top 30 visits. These visits will allow teams to work with players and explore if they would be a good fit. Before the NFL draft, each club has a limit of 30 invites to fly in out-of-town prospects for private interviews. Local college players don’t count against this number. Kenny Pickett, who played at the University of Pittsburgh, did not count against the 30 for the Steelers.
These visits are essential for dynasty fantasy football managers. It gives a glimpse of what positions each team hopes to acquire in the draft. This information is invaluable when looking ahead to older players who may be out of a job. We can get ahead of the news cycle and trade away players who may lose value. Today we will take a look at the AFC West.
I am using this article from CBS Sports to reference the visits. Not every team has used all 30, so it would be good to check back from time to time for an up-to-date list.
AFC West
Denver Broncos
- QB Jared Bernhardt (Ferris State)
- RB James Cook (Georgia)
- RB Shermari Jones (Coastal Carolina)
- TE Chigoziem Okonkwo (Maryland)
- OL Abraham Lucas (Washington State)
- OL Braxton Jones (Southern Utah)
- OL Tyler Smith (Tulsa)
- OL Cam Jurgens (Nebraska)
- OL Cole Strange (Chattanooga)
- OL Dylan Parham (Memphis)
- EDGE DeAngelo Malone (Western Kentucky)
- CB Cordale Flott (LSU)
- CB Ja’Quan McMillian (East Carolina)
- S Nick Grant (Broncos)
- S Tariq Carpenter (Georgia Tech)
- LB Chad Muma (Wyoming)
This offseason, the Broncos made a franchise-defining trade to fill the one giant hole on the roster, QB. That doesn’t leave many areas of need in the draft, which is good because it also leaves the Broncos with very little draft capital. The lone QB on this list is being brought in for special teams as a kick and punt returner. As of this publication, the Broncos have not re-signed Melvin Gordon. I would expect them to add an RB at some point in the draft, confirming this list. Outside of that, all fantasy-relevant offensive positions are safe and can only be improved with additions to the offensive line during draft weekend. Please note that Chad Muma is on this list but does not count against the 30. He is considered a local visit for the Denver Broncos.
Las Vegas Raiders
- WR Danny Gray (SMU)
- WR Erik Ezukanma (Texas Tech)
- QB EJ Perry (Brown)
- DL Devonte Wyatt (Georgia)
- DL Esezi Otomewo (Minnesota)
- CB Alontae Taylor (Tennessee)
- CB Cordale Flott (LSU)
- CB Kalon Barnes (Baylor)
- CB Marcus Jones (Houston)
- CB Tariq Woolen (UTSA)
Another AFC West team is light on draft capital due to a trade this past offseason. That trade saw the addition of Davante Adams to this offense; as a result, this list is built of primarily defensive players. Both WRs on this list project better as special teams players. Hence, most of the offensive weapons in Las Vegas will be safe. However, keep in mind these lists aren’t the end all be all of who the Raiders can potentially draft.
Los Angeles Chargers
- TE Greg Dulcich (UCLA)
- DL Eric Johnson (Missouri State)
- CB Ja’Sir Taylor (Wake Forest)
- S Joey Blount (Virginia)
This is a very light list for the Los Angeles Chargers. Perhaps they are waiting until closer to the draft to meet with prospects. Or maybe they are playing their cards a little close to the chest. Either way, I would expect this list to expand over the next coming days. Greg Dulcich is a fascinating name to see. The UCLA TE is arguably one of the top five in this draft class. He would be joining a TE room that already has Gearld Everett, Tre McKitty, and Donald Parnham. All of these players can be beaten out in training camp. If Dulcich lands in LA, he would be a name to watch. Especially in TE premium leagues.
Kansas City Chiefs
- RB Shermari Jones (Coastal Carolina)
- WR Erik Ezukanma (Texas Tech)
- WR George Pickens (Georgia)
- WR Samori Toure (Nebraska)
- DL Devonte Wyatt (Georgia)
- CB Joshua Williams (Fayetteville State)
- S Nasir Greer (Wake Forest)
The final team in the arms race of the AFC West is the Kansas City Chiefs. With the departure of Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, WR is a juicy landing spot. We can already predict a round one WR being WRs populate it. And the most premium of those names has to be George Pickens from the University of Georgia. With 30 invites, I would fully expect more receiver names to populate this list as we get closer to draft day. With two picks in the back-end of the first round, all fantasy eyes will be on the Chiefs on the draft’s opening night.
Gathering this information ahead of time will leave us fewer surprises on the draft weekend. Just because a player lands on this list doesn’t mean that team will draft them given a chance. Some of these visits may not work out, and that player may be removed from a team’s board. Other teams may have questions on their evaluation process that they need to clarify. This list should be one of many tools dynasty managers use to improve their squads this offseason.
This week, check back as we drop more top 30 lists and their potential impact. We are less than two weeks away from the NFL draft! Using this information, you might be able to get out of that aging vet before it is too late. You can find me over on Twitter at @DanT_NFL. Please give me a follow for the latest in dynasty fantasy football news and analysis. Beer recommendations and dog pictures are always welcome!
Another excellent tool for dynasty managers is a #NerdHerd membership. Membership will get you exclusive access to our prospect film room. We have hundreds of players and multiple games for each. All film has been cut into easily digestible videos from two to ten minutes in length. Exclusive for my readers, you can use the promo code ‘LUNA’ to get 15% off any #NerdHerd membership.
