2024 Chargers Draft Superthread - Prospect Discussion - Draft Has Started

[Boltnut]

well, am aiming high there.... Giants @39 for Joey, and 19 w/the Rams for Khalil, as not so interested in trading the latter unless we get a first ??

@19 would hope that Latu and his health concerns are still lurking on the board (would be ok w/Verse as well there).... also wouldn't hesitate to hedge any draft pick w/Dorance Armstrong in FA ??

getting anything less than a second for Bosa and a third for MW, just doesn't seem right to me.... ??

19 + 39 + 72 ??? !!! and per usual B4K will insist that am outta my tree....

Wow! That's higher than I expected. With age (Mack) and injury history (Bosa) I was thinking 3rd rounders.
Neither seem to have coverage abilities. Trading the salaries away could enable a RB and TE free agents pick ups.

[DerwinBosa]

Yeah, I know... I watched him a lot in college. I think he'll improve based on what I saw. None of this does anything to convince me that Sioux Falls readied Pipkins for the NFL. I haven't seen anything since his drafting that makes me believe he can handle the NFL.

Pipkins all of a sudden has the potential to become this era's Erik Williams (Dallas Cowboys) simply because many on this forum want to draft Brock Bowers or one of the wide receivers. It's amazing how good a player Pipkins becomes and how bad Joe Alt is when someone makes his case to draft Brock Bowers or one of the wide receivers.

[beachcomber]

Some people say Bosa doesn't fit Minter's D. He likes his edges to drop back and cover, too

don't see the talent lining up to run a 3-4.... and given that we've got Tuli, a 4-3 makes more sense, 'specially looking @the EDs in the draft, as don't really see too many if any OLB/DE types ??

....or in your case, make that a 4-2-5

[Boltnut]

Khalil is happily married, livin' in Newport Coast.... doubt he wants anything much to do w/Chi town.... Rams need an edge and make a lot more sense, 'specially if the org wants to do right by Mack.

2 years, $40 million wouldn't entice him...? He'd be back to Newport in no time. Him and the wife have to have friends back in Old Chi-Town...

[Boltnut]

most of the SB TEs got roundly panned by my guy Trey Daubert.... has me wary of those guys, as went thru the ranks of the latter day TEs, and Sinnott is the only one that makes me feel good 'bout bein' a Charger, and.... really not excited 'bout spending an early pick on a TE/Bowers ??

ps. and yes, agree.... we def could use some xtra picks day two (and then some)

What about the game tape...? SB offenses seem pretty vanilla...

[Topcat]

so you are counting against Harbaugh doing what he has done everywhere else? WTF?

No, I'm very hopeful that Harbo will be able to coach up Pip and other underperforming players so they will be solid additions to the team...notice, I'm HOPEFUL...but NOBODY can guarantee ANY result ahead of time...that's all...

[DerwinBosa]

Sorry but you're the one that thinks we have to take a ROT. I don't. I would be happy with Alt or another top 10 guy. Doesn't have to be an OT though.

Washington barely touched the ball at Georgia when Bowers was healthy. He was drafted and did nothing this year. Some here wanted to draft him when there were 3-4 guys better. I

There is no way to watch every fricken college game for every team. Don't act you know everything by watching highlights. I doubt you watched every single game Alt played in.

We had Allen and Williams. No need for a stud TE back then. Williams is an injury issue and maybe gone. Allen is one year older and also misses games due to injury. We
need fire power on offense.

I don't think we HAVE to take a right tackle at fifth. Again, read more carefully, as I said my favorite prospect (aside from Marvin Harrison, whom we probably have no shot at), is Laiatu Latu--if he clears medically. I also really like Jared Verse or Dallas Turner in trade-back scenarios. I also really like Taliese Fuaga in a trade-back.

Never said I watched every game of Alt's. I haven't. I have watched nearly all of Georgia's games over the last two years. Same with Michigan. I watched most of them until many of them became blowouts in the third quarter. Clearly, you hardly watch any, because both Bowers and Washington played 15 games in 2022. Washington caught 28 passes for 454 yards and two touchdowns that season. He wasn't as productive as Bowers, who is obviously the superior prospect, but saying Washington hardly touched the ball was totally false. Perhaps it was an attempt to make Bowers look better than he already is.

We don't NEED firepower on offense. Sure, it would be nice to have, but it's not a necessity with teams coached by Harbaugh. He went to three NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl with Michael Crabtree and an old Anquan Boldin as his top receivers. He just won a National Championship with J.J. McCarthy completing 10 of 18 passes for 140 yards while his two running backs both rushed for over 100. Even with Justin Herbert at quarterback, Harbaugh is most likely going to prioritize a team that wins the line of scrimmage over "firepower." Same with Hortiz, coming from Baltimore.

[Boltjolt]

Khalil is happily married, livin' in Newport Coast.... doubt he wants anything much to do w/Chi town.... Rams need an edge and make a lot more sense, 'specially if the org wants to do right by Mack.

Can't see us getting a first for Mack. Id love it but can't see it.
I'm thinking 3rd as well as teams likely will wait for us to cut him but I'm sure a couple might want to get him but not for a first.

Got to ask yourself,....Would you give up a first for a 33 year old player in the last year of his deal? I wouldn't. But maybe a 3rd I would. Especially if I had 2 of them.

Bosa very well could bring a 2nd. But I'm thinking 2nd or 3rd. AZ has a lot of picks as do Niners, but the Niners have decisions to make on players as well.

[DerwinBosa]

Greg Roman while speaking to beat reporters yesterday:

Roman seeks a balanced offense


• At his introductory news conference earlier this month, Harbaugh said one of his priorities will be to “beef up the run game.” That is Roman’s speciality. And on Thursday, Roman quite clearly vocalized that as part of his vision.

“We want to be a balanced offense,” he said. “We want to be able to run it when we want to run it and throw it when we want to throw it. If they present looks that are favorable to run it, then we want to be able to run it at a high level. Every place I’ve been, that’s kind of been the goal, to try to have that complete attack.

“We want to have an identity as an offense. And we want that to be a strong, powerful identity. And that’s what we’re working on. But I think in this league, you can really help dictate to defenses if you have a strong running attack. If you really talk to most defensive coordinators in this league and got them off to the side when they’re playing a really good running team, they’re sweating a little bit. They’re sleeping a little less that week. So I think it’s in our favor to be able to have that balanced attack.”

• The natural next question was this: How do you balance implementing that running game vision while also maximizing the talents of quarterback Justin Herbert?

“That’s where you have to come back to what your ultimate concern is, and for us, it’s winning,” Roman said. “So whatever that might be that particular week. We might have to throw it a lot this game to win. Might have to run it the next week. How that looks in the stat line and all that, I really don’t care. It’s really not part of what I’m trying to do. Stats and all that stuff happen and come through production and success. So if you have a balanced attack, you should have pretty good stats in both areas.

“I can frame it this way: Can you imagine Justin Herbert with a great running game? That’s kind of how I look at it.”

Herbert, of course, has never had an even above-average running game during his career. The truth is, no one can answer the rhetorical question Roman posed because we just haven’t seen it yet.

“We want to have an offense that supports his talent, and there’s a lot of different ways to do that,” Roman said. “But the quarterback can’t do everything on his own.”

Roman has built excellent running games everywhere he has been in his coaching career, and he said the key to building that phase is “commitment.”

“You have to invest in it,” Roman said. “Then you got to get the buy-in from the players, and then you actually have to do it. You actually have to call runs during the games. We’re going to do what it takes to win, but you got to commit yourself to do it or else you got no chance at being anything better than average.”

This will be encouraging for the Chargers offensive linemen and backs. There was often a feeling, both under Joe Lombardi and Kellen Moore, that past play callers did not stick with the run game. Players sometimes felt like it was hard to get into a rhythm. One thing is clear: That will not happen with Roman calling plays.

“You got to give the players an opportunity to express their physicality by actually what you do, the plays you call,” Roman said.

• Roman did make one thing clear: “We’re trying to be great at running the ball, and we’re trying to be great at throwing the ball. We’re trying to be great at both all the time.”

This is just me, but I don't see a wide receiver in the first round. With Hortiz running the draft I think the goal will be to trade down and take an offensive lineman somewhere before the 20th pick. It's still quite early to make predictions in the first round, though.

With what Roman is saying, I think we're taking at least two offensive linemen in this draft if we don't sign a center in free agency. It could be offensive tackle in the first and center in the second or third, or it might be an offensive tackle sometime after the first round. I'm also excited to see what they're going to do about our running back situation. I hope we can get one by the third round.

The more I think about, the more I don't want to stay at five. Executing a trade down and acquiring more picks definitely feels like the best move. Fuaga, the three pass-rushers, Kool-Aid, Quinyon Mitchell, and so on...a lot of appealing options if we trade down.

https://theathletic.com/5294176/2024/02/22/chargers-coordinators-jesse-minter-greg-roman/

[blueman]

Sounds like we’ll be getting some new beef. Good.

[richpjr]

Sounds like we’ll be getting some new beef. Good.

Looking back at the last several coaching staffs...how much do we need new beef and how much was poor coaching and a lack of player development? Likely a combination of both, but I have a feeling we are going to see a substantial jump in the play of both Salyer and Johnson. Clearly we need a center first and foremost but Pipkin will be interesting. I can certainly understand upgrading to Alt but with all the other needs and with Pipkins being under contract, do the new coaches think they can get him to up his game more?

[charger1_sj]

Pipkins becomes a free agent after we cut him in 2025 (a $6.75m savings on the 2025 cap). Is it a shame that he will count $8.75m against the 2024 cap...? Yes. Will it be a lot of money to pay a non-starter...? Yes. But I told everyone this last off-season that he just wasn't starter material.

I have exponentially more faith in our guards... they have only 2 years of experience and have switched positions in Year 2. If they continue at their terrible pace... rest assure, I will be calling for their replacement at year's end, too. The OL is just too important to accept poor play... Herbie deserves better.

I believe the CB's are better than the "experts" say they are. How can they obsess over a WR that was shut down by a CB... then give no attention to the CB...? Experts love offensive players... and are easily bored watching defenders. They (offense) are fun to read and write about... but lets not forget that the #2 and #3 scoring defenses played in the Super Bowl.

Pipkins is signed for the 2025 season. He becomes a FA after the 2025 season, meaning 2026.

Our guards were horrible worse than Pipkins. Sayler played OT in college. Why we moved him to OG is anyone's guess. Johnson was terrible, but a rookie and we don't
have a starting center. If want a O line you start by having a great LOT and interior line. ROT for a right handed QB is still important, but less so in the passing game
as the protection can slide to the stronger side. Let the coaches figure it out. If they go with a OT in the 1st round so be it.

CB is a highly rated position since the NFL is really now a passing league.. So I do not agree with you. There are exactly 2 CB with a first round grade, neither one is top 10.
So the way I look at it is a trade down but to top 10 we can land Edge, DL, TE or WR. If trade down below top 10 then CB comes into play. Outside of top 20 maybe Center
or some other position.