2024 Chargers Draft Superthread - Prospect Discussion - Draft Has Started

[Boltjolt]

Trey Benson is going to be the best RB of this draft class and if he's still on the board when the Chargers pick at #69 in the 3rd round Hortiz needs to take him. Agree or disagree?

I think he will be gone. But if not, sure.

[Velo]

I think he will be gone. But if not, sure.

You are probably right. Sure would like to have though.

[DerwinBosa]

I think this is an overrated group of quarterbacks this year. I think Caleb Williams and Drake Maye will be very good or great. I'll probably root for Maye in the NFL, as long as he's not playing for an AFC team. His arm talent reminds me of Herbert's, and I think he's a stand-up guy.

The rest who could go in the first round? I don't like their games. I want to thank Harbaugh for turning J.J. McCarthy into a top ten, maybe top five prospect. It may result in us getting a huge haul of picks in a trade-back. I'm not sure McCarthy will be anything more than Colt McCoy in the NFL. I don't like Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix, or Bo Nix as prospects, either. I wouldn't draft any of them in the first two rounds.

I'm interested in Spencer Rattler and Michael Pratt as potential backups. I wouldn't mind seeing us use a Day 3 pick on one of them, although I don't think Rattler will last that long. Maybe Harbaugh can make Easton Stick a good backup. Harbaugh did turn Alex Smith's career around, and he got to a Super Bowl and two NFC Championship Games with Colin Kaepernick as his starter. Stick definitely needs competition, though.

Here is what some scouts and executives said about the quarterbacks in this draft:

1. CALEB WILLIAMS, Southern Cal (6-1, 217, no 40, 1): His career passer rating of 118.9 using the NFL scale was the best of this class. “I think Caleb has the best chance to bust but also has the best chance to be freakin’ special,” one scout said. “I think he’s boom or bust. There are plays he makes that are fantastic where he scrambles and throws 50 yards downfield for a touchdown. Then you look at that play and there are simpler options that he doesn’t see or ignored.” Replaced Spencer Rattler and started the final seven games of his freshman season at Oklahoma. “Obviously, it’s very similar to how (Patrick) Mahomes played at Texas Tech,” a second scout said. “He constantly is trying to hit the grand slam against just taking the single or the double. I have a hard time believing you can’t coach that out of him. Caleb is the most natural thrower of the four. Seventy yards in the air, arched on a dime. Effortless. Throwing moving to his right from his hip 25 yards downfield on a line. My biggest concern will be his height. It does look at times he struggles to see in the pocket. That’s why he likes to move. He just does things other guys can’t do. Blend that in with being able to play on time and he’s going to be outstanding.” Declined to take a medical exam or test at the combine. “The biggest chance for bust is if Caleb Williams goes to Chicago,” a third scout said. “It’s going to be a lot tougher than people think. He’s got a lot of talent but, wow, he’s had red carpet treatment since the 9th grade. This is getting ready to be a whole different deal. It’s the Chicago media, then the comparison. If (Justin) Fields goes and does anything in Pittsburgh it won’t play well. And the pressure … he ended up in the stands (clutching his mother at the Coliseum Nov. 4 after a loss to Washington) crying like a baby. For a lot of scouts that was a disqualifier. Then you got the painted fingernails, the cars, special treatment. He knows one offense, which you can write on one piece of paper, with Lincoln Riley. Of all those OU quarterbacks he’s the most gifted but none of them have really done it in the league. And Williams’ workout (at pro day) wasn’t godawful but just mediocre.” According to one club official, his father, Carl, told him “it’s too windy in Chicago. Why should we go to Chicago when the open-air stadium is not a place Caleb will like?” Said the official: “You talk about self-serving, vicariously live through your son b.s. He needs to get away from his old man. … I like the kid. He gets a little caught up in the LA bullshit, but once he gets with somebody strong he’ll be fine. Because Lincoln Riley’s not a strong guy, either.” Three of his five interceptions in 2023 came at South Bend in a 48-20 loss to Notre Dame. “I’m going Jayden Daniels because I can’t get the f--king Notre Dame game out of my head,” a fifth scout said. “A lot of Caleb is when he’s just running around kind of being playground. He’s also kind of making it about myself.” One of the scouts said Williams, who posted a 23-10 record as a starter, shouldn’t be thrust into the lineup immediately. “You better have the right offensive coordinator for him and do not rush him into the NFL,” he said. “In today’s football everybody wants to rush guys. Let him sit for a while. Let him process.” An executive with an established quarterback has followed Williams from afar. “He just comes out with these things that are kind of spoiled and demanding,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s the people around him or what it is. Whether this is the case with him or not, when you get a guy that in his mind feels like you’re fortunate he’s there, it can come off that way and rub teammates the wrong way. I don’t know if he’s got that but he can’t come in with that. People are going to have to jell with him immediately. Because if they don’t, it might be an issue from a leadership standpoint.” From Washington, D.C. Hands were 9 ¾ inches.

2. JAYDEN DANIELS, Louisiana State (6-3 ½, 210, no 40, 1): His NFL passer rating jumped from 101.9 in 2022 to 145.3 in ’23. “I’m assuming Chicago is taking Williams but they were at that workout and Williams’ was mediocre and Jayden’s was pretty good,” one scout said. “I wouldn’t be stunned if that happened (the Bears pick Daniels). I have a little more appreciation for what Jayden did this year. He had a spectacular year, no doubt about it. There’s a lot of momentum for him but it doesn’t come without some concerns.” Daniels rushed for 3,307 yards in five seasons compared to 966 for Williams in three. His aggressive style of running, however, raises durability issues. “He was 185 at Arizona State (in 2021),” one scout said. “At that point in time there was so much concern over his physical body weight. He was putting up stats in every game but don’t trust him to win the big game, which you saw this year. With Jayden, you’re going to see a lot of running very early on. He doesn’t have the poise, the processing to hang in there and find a receiver like a lot of guys can do. (Scrambling) isn’t the worst thing in the world. A lot of guys have made a good living doing it. Jayden has that instant speed. I’d estimate he’d run 4.45. Justin Fields has more build-long speed. Jayden takes off and it’s full speed quick, which is a huge benefit for him. It’ll come down to can he stay healthy. I think you’re going to see a lot of flaws in his game that everyone saw the first four years he was playing college football and aren’t even being talked about now.” The Tigers, ranked fifth at the start of last season, ended up 12th after going 10-3. Daniels’ record for LSU against top-20 teams was 3-5. “Athletic freak,” another scout said. “Still going to have to learn the nuances of an NFL defense and read coverages a little bit better. He was surrounded by really good, skilled athletes at receiver. The question is, can he overcome that? He’s got a lot of gifts and a lot of savvy and has played a lot of football.” Several scouts worried that his mother, Regina, might have an adverse effect on his career. “She pushed him to leave school after the (2022) season,” said one. “She will show up to the facility at times. She will probably move to wherever he goes.” His career passer rating was 109.1. His record was 37-18. His hands were 9 3/8. “I just didn’t see consistency from a condensed pocket,” one scout said. “When it’s clean, he’s really good. He has rhythm and had really good playmakers on the outside. But in gotta-have-it, pressure situations, when it looked more like an NFL game, I thought his accuracy declined. I’m somewhat nitpicking. At the college level, you can see an off-placement throw and it’s a catch. At our level, some of those limitations are magnified. I thought he’d struggle a little bit playing with a lot more (pressure) in the pocket.” From San Bernardino, Calif.

3. DRAKE MAYE, North Carolina (6-4 ½, 227, no 40, 1): Backed up Sam Howell in 2021 and then went 17-9 as the starter in 2022-’23. “Andrew Luck was further along than Drake Maye but the talent level is somewhat similar,” said one scout. “His pro day was really good. He throws a great deep ball for a guy that’s not supposed to have an elite arm. His accuracy and touch are his secret sauce. That’s what he’s really good at.” Finished with a passer rating of 106.3. Rushed for 1,209. “He’s the Jared Goff clone with his mobility,” a second scout said. “Goff ran 4.82. I’d say he’s 4.75.” Hands were 9 1/8. “I see a gifted athlete who can make all the passes,” a third scout said. “In the ’23 season he had a really bad offensive line and got exposed a little bit. There was a degree of inconsistency with his throwing motion and his throwing accuracy. I still think there’s upside with this guy, and he’s young (will be 22 in August). I do see him as a Pro Bowl starter.” Comes from an enormously athletic family. “He’s gotten close to Philip Rivers, who’s a little bit of a hillbilly from Alabama who went to NC State,” a fourth scout said. “Maye is from Charlotte and went to Carolina. So you think this guy’s going to have some polish. He walked in the room and he sounded like Jethro Bodine on the Beverly Hillbillies. We just went, ‘Who is this guy?’ Watching the tape, all this animation. This kid is sort of wound tight trying to be something he’s not … I thought his tape was kind of average, to be honest. He needs a year to just sit, and I don’t know if the teams that are going to take him can do that. I think it’s going to be real hard. He is not explosive with his arm. He’s a good athlete, but you see very few plays where he just rips the ball into a tight window. One thing I noticed was that all his takeoffs were into the boundary, the short side of the field. Any time he threw to the field (side) was to the slot (receiver) down the hashmark. I kind of thought they even recognized that there were some arm strength issues there. I thought I was going to turn on the tape, sit back and watch the show. After about five throws I went, ‘Are you kidding me? All this hype over this guy?’” His family lives in Huntersville, N.C. “He’s got all the physical tools,” a fifth scout said. “Sometimes there’s some wiring … there’s some Daniel Jones in there. Sometimes when it gets a little hairy, what’s he wired like?”

4. J.J. McCARTHY, Michigan (6-2 ½, 215, no 40, 1): Of the top four quarterbacks only McCarthy truly elevated his team. “He’s got major weaknesses but there’s something about that kid that is absolutely special,” one scout said. “He completely changed that rivalry (Ohio State-Michigan). He singlehandedly won both of those games. The one in Columbus (in 2022), people don’t realize some of those throws he made in that game. Then his ability to never get off the field and extend plays is uncanny. All this talk that Michigan built him and it was (Jim) Harbaugh and the O-line. Their O-line sucked this year … The 9-inch hand and the way he throws the ball really scares me. It’s one speed. He has no ability to layer balls in between defenders. Everything’s a fastball. His deep balls are line drives, which is very unfriendly to receivers especially when he gets to this level and it’s contested and not just wide open. But there’s magic. There are these guys that seem to always do this and it always works. The throws by Mahomes early in his career when he’d throw into coverage and it somehow landed in the lap of the Kansas City guy. I don’t know if he’s got this magic to him or if it’s just luck. You’re drafting a guy whose character has been so overhyped you’re neglecting some of these holes. It’s somewhere in between.” Third-year junior won the job in Game 2 of 2022 from Cade McNamara. “I don’t think he’ll fail,” a second scout said. “I saw him as a Kirk Cousins type player.” Finished with a passer rating of 111.3. Rushed for 632. “I like him as a short-to-intermediate passer,” said a third scout. “He’s smart. He’ll distribute the ball. But I don’t see him as a guy who will win a game for you on his own.” His record was 27-1. “He’s better than Harbaugh was,” a fourth scout said. “It’s difficult to have a personality like Harbaugh but he might be close. He does some different things. Meditation, all this he does. He’s got feet. He’s at least a 4.5 guy. He’s got a strong arm. But everything about this guy is development. He won’t make as big an impact maybe as the three above him at first but he can overtake Caleb Williams and Maye. If you play for Jim Harbaugh and win a national championship, you’re good.” In October, Michigan’s athletic department released a 3-minute video in which McCarthy discussed the “big depression” he fell into as a senior in high school and the value of meditation. “He has championed the mental health stuff,” said a fifth scout. “But in the NFL, those fans aren’t going to be the same. You’re going to do that at Arrowhead? Foxborough? Those fans are going to destroy this poor kid if he’s out there sitting under the goal post an hour and a half before the game. It’s part of his resume. You got to make sure you understand that and that’s going to be something you’re going to be involved in with him. How do you replicate the cockpit and the nest he was in at Michigan. It’s hard.” Averaged 22.1 pass attempts in the Wolverines’ 15-0 title season. “He still doesn’t have much experience because he hasn’t thrown the ball very much,” said a sixth scout. “There’s a level of immaturity that he’s going to have to work through. He’s a good kid (but) he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know. It’s kind of buyer beware.” From La Grange Park, Ill.

5. MICHAEL PENIX, Washington (6-2, 216, 4.58, 1-2): While the top four quarterbacks along with Bo Nix, Michael Pratt and Devin Leary declined to run a 40, Penix blistered a 4.58 at pro day. One scout estimated he’d run 4.9; another guessed 4.75 to 4.8. “If he goes in the first round I wouldn’t be shocked,” said one scout. “If Tua (Tagovailoa) went top 10 (No. 5 in 2020), I don’t know why this guy can’t go top 10. He’s a better athlete. He throws it just as well. It’s all timing and rhythm. They’re both not great outside extending plays.” Went 12-5 as the starter at Indiana from 2019-’21; in ’20, the Hoosiers cracked the Top 10 for the first time since 1969. “He did a lot of stuff outside the pocket at Indiana,” a second scout said. “When I saw him at Washington I was shocked. He wasn’t the same guy. He stayed in the pocket and made good decisions. He was best throwing outside the numbers (in 2023). He can throw the back shoulders, the fades and ups.” His four seasons at IU ended with four season-ending injuries: two torn right ACLs, a right shoulder dislocation and a left shoulder dislocation. “I can’t get the damn Indiana tape out of my mind,” said a third scout. “It was real bad. Now give the kid credit. He changed scenery and kind of reinvented himself and had a hell of a team this year. He’s got arm strength, big hands and he can fling it, but he’s got like a weird sidearm short release. Accuracy’s up and down. I don’t know how tough this kid is. He shows you fringe starter talent and barely No. 3 talent. But there are so many quarterback gurus and experts that, ‘Oh, if I get my hands on him I can do this.’” Hands were 10 ½, largest at the position. “Penix is an incredible passer,” said a fourth scout. “He is a pure passer of the ball. He throws the best deep ball I’ve seen in 30 years. It’s an absolutely beautiful deep ball. But there are a lot of things with him that may not translate. The injury history. Been in the same system at Indiana and UW. How will that translate to new coaches, new system? As far as just going out there and throwing the football, he can do it.” The left-handed Penix posted his best passer rating in 2023 (106.8) to finish his career at 99.4. At Indiana, his rating was 87.9. “You saw him fall apart against Michigan (in the CFP title game),” said a fifth scout. “He’s been pretty fortunate. Good offensive line, quality receivers. He couldn’t get out of the pocket and scramble and get away. He’s had injuries in the past. I wouldn’t want to take him.” From Tampa, Fla.

6. BO NIX, Oregon (6-2, 217, no 40, 2-3): Auburn went 21-13 with him starting from 2019-’21. Oregon went 22-5 with him the past two years. “He truly had a transformation,” one scout said. “The kid played at an all-time high. Forty-five touchdowns, three picks (in 2023). He was absolutely on point the second year at Oregon. He’s dedicated, mature and all that. He’s also the oldest guy (turns 25 in February 2025). You pull him out of that situation and put him into the NFL, especially if he were to go as a first-rounder, the expectations, the pressure, now you’re right back to Auburn. And he went to the Senior Bowl and reverted back. He was bailing out backwards as soon as pressure showed, not as accurate. If you told me second or third round, great. Top 15 or top 25? God bless him. As a first-round pick with imminent pressure and expectations? You’re creating a circumstance where the kid has already failed once.” His father, Pat, quarterbacked Auburn from 1992-’95 and has coached football for years. “He completed 77.4% this year,” said a second scout. “Throws a lot of short and intermediate stuff but he still is accurate down the field. He’s been in two different systems and produced. I never thought he was that good at Auburn but at Oregon I was really impressed by his ability to process and get the ball down there. He’s got a good enough arm to get it intermediate and throw the long ball. He doesn’t throw the long ball as good as Penix but he can move and scramble. I’d like to have somebody better but if I had to have one I’d take him as my starter.” Finished with a passer rating of 104.3, including 86.2 at Auburn and 126.2 at Oregon. Also ran for 1,613 and 38 touchdowns. “Started more games in college football (61) than most,” a third scout said. “He had the opportunity to play in an offense (Oregon) that is not in sync with the NFL. But the guy is competitive. He’s a subtly good athlete. Better than you realize. He’s sneaky good in terms of moving, avoiding, extending and running if he has to. I just think he’ll be a quality backup.” Hands were 10 1/8. “He will bust,” a fourth scout said. “That (no 40) is an indication he doesn’t run well. He’s selling himself on his running. He can’t throw the ball. Got a noodle arm. He can’t push the ball down the field. If he went first round that would shock me. He’s last year’s Tennessee quarterback, Hendon Hooker. The hype.” From Pinson, Ala.

7. SPENCER RATTLER, South Carolina (6-0, 211, 4.95, 2-3): Fifth-year senior. “He’s the most intriguing guy of those that are left,” said one scout. “He’s got a big f--king arm. He’s almost like a minor-league version of Caleb Williams. He’s not a runner, but he can make plays with his feet. He’s not a real tall guy but he plays bigger than he is. He’s got pretty big hands (9 7/8). He’s tough. He’s done a good job of redeeming himself. There were questions about his makeup from high school. The guy basically got shamed — benched, lost his job — on national TV. He’s been through the ringer. They like him at South Carolina. He brought something to the program. If this guy is your No. 2 you’re through-the-roof happy. He will probably have a chance to start based on the shortage of quarterbacks. I like him better than Nix.” Redshirted at Oklahoma behind Jalen Hurts, he started in 2020 and was the favorite for the Heisman Trophy entering 2021. He was benched after six games in favor of Williams, and after the season escaped what he famously labeled a “toxic situation” for the SEC. “He had four intentional groundings in the first half this year against (Texas) A&M,” said a second scout. “He had one of the worst offensive lines I’ve ever seen in SEC history. But that little sum----- has excellent arm talent. He can make all the throws. He’s mobile and can run.” Finished with a passer rating of 102.9 (113.9 for the Sooners, 95.8 for the Gamecocks). Also ran for 416 and 16 TDs. MVP of the Senior Bowl. “He’s a cut below Nix and Penix but he’s good,” said a third scout. “Could be a starter. Depends how he develops. It’s not like he was a stiff at (Oklahoma). He was a good player there, too. And he revived the South Carolina program. He’s a 6-footer; that’s why he’s second round.” From Phoenix. “Little pocket passer,” a fourth scout said. “Makes one read, erratic thrower, panics when things break down. He guns everything. Doesn’t have much accuracy or touch. He’s got a little bit of moxie but he’s just a nut the way he plays. He just runs into sacks. Doesn’t feel stuff. It's not good.”

8. MICHAEL PRATT, Tulane (6-2 ½, 217, no 40, 4-5): Four-year starter. “I like his size, his arm, his presence,” one scout said. “He’s been a pleasant surprise. He can end up being a starter in time. Like his ability to distribute from the pocket. From the down-the-line group he’ll be the one who will rise up. It’s because of how he sees the game and how efficient he is.” Finished with a passer rating of 101.8. Ran for 1,147 and 28 TDs. “I was really high on him after (2022),” said one scout. “He got hurt second game this year (knee) and did not play as well. Backup type. Physically gifted. Inconsistent decisions. I’d like to work with the guy. The negative this year was holding the ball. Nice athlete. Got a good arm.” Hands were 9 ¼. “The Raiders took Aidan O’Connell in the fourth last year,” a third scout said. “He’s not as good as Aidan O’Connell.” From Boca Raton, Fla.

[Parcells]

In this year's class, there are 3 WRs and 1 TE rated in the top 10. PFF has all four of them rated in the top 7. When was the last draft that so many pass catchers were rated this highly? I can't remember another draft like it.

2021: Pitts, Chase, Waddle, and Smith were all ranked very highly. All four went in the top 10.

[dmac_bolt]

What about this hype?

I guess we will be one of the teams drafting a QB. I read it on the internet so it must be true!

Lol, good one. Vikings med staff performed a physical on Herbie. It must be true

[dmac_bolt]

Watching ESPN “Welcome the the League, Rookie!” (Combine recap docudrama)” this.morning … Chop and Latu stretching and prepping for drills in one end zone, mic’s up … Chop to Latu:

”

Harbaugh’s in the house”

He then went and ran a 4.49

[Fouts2herbert]

What about this hype?

I guess we will be one of the teams drafting a QB. I read it on the internet so it must be true!

this herbert to the vikings thing wold be annoying if it wasn't so goddamn sad, pathetic that anyone in Minnesota would waste their time talking about something like this...

[Velo]

2021: Pitts, Chase, Waddle, and Smith were all ranked very highly. All four went in the top 10.

Yeah, you're right. And all 4 have been very good to great players. Only Chase and Pitts have been Pro Bowlers. Smith and Waddle have both averaged 1,000+ receiving yards in their 3 seasons.

[blueman]

Desperate times for some.

[Velo]

What about this hype?

I guess we will be one of the teams drafting a QB. I read it on the internet so it must be true!

This is what happens when a young stud QB torches not only your team's defense, but also the defenses of your division rivals all in one season.

[Bolt-O]

this herbert to the vikings thing wold be annoying if it wasn't so goddamn sad, pathetic that anyone in Minnesota would waste their time talking about something like this...

You also have to convince JH10 to allow the trade. He has a no-trade clause. This rumor is more of a prank, no attachment to reality.

[jox g]

You also have to convince JH10 to allow the trade. He has a no-trade clause. This rumor is more of a prank, no attachment to reality.

Loopholes!