And With The 5th Pick Of The NFL Draft Chargers Select....Discussion

[Boltx]

You make good points about Bowers as he's kind of a Swiss knife type of player.

He's a flat out weapon. A mismatch. A willing blocker. Great teammate. Winner.

We talk about "culture change" all the time. This guy embodies it.

[Boltx]

Cuz winning?

I guess I'm not following?

He seemed to imply that Roman's offense here would be innovative and that other teams would be scrambling to copy us. IMO I don't see that happening, but I also wouldn't be surprised to see Roman "reinvent" himself a bit this go around and try to address the issues that lead to his departure in Baltimore.

[jamrock]

I guess I'm not following?

He seemed to imply that Roman's offense here would be innovative and that other teams would be scrambling to copy us. IMO I don't see that happening, but I also wouldn't be surprised to see Roman "reinvent" himself a bit this go around and try to address the issues that lead to his departure in Baltimore.

He had a year off to think about it

[blueman]

You make good points about Bowers as he's kind of a Swiss knife type of player.

At the college level. On the fence about whether that translates to the pros.

[Boltnut]

If Arizona screws up and trades out of the #4 spot... and leaves us MHJ, then the obvious pick is MHJ.
Hortiz is BPA guy and MHJ is the BPA in the whole draft. Figure out what you want to do on offense at that point.
But the smart thing to do would be to run 3-WR sets with 1 RB, 1 TE (probably Dissley).

With that personnel, QJ and MHJ go wide on opposite sides and JP in the slot. But all WR's could play out of all positions.
Dissley at TE still enables them to run. They could also play-action (along as the running game is good).
Dissley to help Pipkins in pass protect would be critical when they play-action.
Bypassing an OT in the 1st round would probably mean drafting an OG (4th round) and trying Salyer @RT.

IMO, neither Nabors, Odunze, nor Bowers are BPA over MHJ...
Then again, I seriously doubt the Cardinals do anything other than pick MHJ @#4.

[blueman]

ARZ has so many picks already. Maybe some team throws a player in the pot?

[Boltjolt]

If Arizona screws up and trades out of the #4 spot... and leaves us MHJ, then the obvious pick is MHJ.
Hortiz is BPA guy and MHJ is the BPA in the whole draft. Figure out what you want to do on offense at that point.
But the smart thing to do would be to run 3-WR sets with 1 RB, 1 TE (probably Dissley).

With that personnel, QJ and MHJ go wide on opposite sides and JP in the slot. But all WR's could play out of all positions.
Dissley at TE still enables them to run. They could also play-action (along as the running game is good).
Dissley to help Pipkins in pass protect would be critical when they play-action.
Bypassing an OT in the 1st round would probably mean drafting an OG (4th round) and trying Salyer @RT.

IMO, neither Nabors, Odunze, nor Bowers are BPA over MHJ...
Then again, I seriously doubt the Cardinals do anything other than pick MHJ @#4.

They are the Cardinals. They still have Murray,....who id trade this year and get another QB who can see the middle of the field. Then get WRs with the extra of picks to,add to the many multiple picks from trading the midgit. They have a depleted WR room, bad OL and have been picking kinda high every year. Who knows what they do. I agree they should take MHJ, but it wouldnt surprise me if they dont.

[sonorajim]

At the college level. On the fence about whether that translates to the pros.

I think everybody in the draft is being evaluated on how they did vs college level talent and how it translates to the pros. Top scouts are fairly high % at guessing and Bowers has a lot of fans among that group.

Which guarantees nothing as always, just a strong probability.

[Boltnut]

If the Cardinals draft MHJ @#4 (90% sure of this scenario)... then Nabers, Odunze, Bowers, and Alt are all possibilities @#5. It will hinge on Harbaugh's/Roman's vision of the offense. But Jesse Minter's vision will also be considered. So a trade with the Vikings is also a reality. I prefer the trade-back... as I think Bowers and Fuaga (maybe Odunze) will still be there @#11. Having the #23 pick would shift every defensive position (LB, DT, CB) up a round... and would set us up to be a very good defense from Day-1.

#23 may yield the best LB in the draft (Cooper). 2nd round pick (#37) would yield either DT Jenkins or DT Ruke Orhorhoro. With the #69 pick they could draft CB Mike Sainsristil.

Cooper is a do-it-all LB. He ran a 4.51 40-yard dash at the combine. He is very good in coverage, very good at stopping the run, and one of the very best at blitzing from multiple positions on the field... 8 sacks last season. Minter could use him all over the field. Plus Minter would still have Henly and Derwin at his disposal. The versatility of those 3 players (run-stop, coverage, blitz) would be devastating. These are not ham sandwiches and bags of Doritos. These are championship defensive pieces. It's why the Chargers are meeting with Cooper specifically.

The selections of Jenkins @#37 and Sainsristil @#69 are pretty obvious. Huge needs paired with players that already know the defensive assignments. Both Harbaugh and Minter know how they fit and can be assured they can handle assignments. They could be coaches on the field. Their value to Minter is two-fold. As far as Ohorhoro goes... he is the perfect fit for Minter's defense also. Strong, powerful, disruptive. He's instant pass rush up the middle... which Chargers do not have at this point. Bosa, Mack, and Orhorhoro would be devastating. When/if MaHommes pulls his escape-the-pocket moves... Cooper/Henly/Derwin clean up the mess. There is no MaHommes/Kelce playground antics any more. Just guys flying around the field and putting helmets on Patty.

Oh... and we snagged a RT (@#11) that neutralize/brutalize Maxx/Karlaftis in the run/pass game. And let's not forget that the Broncos pass rush could be very good w/Johnathan Cooper, Nick Bonitto, and Drew Sanders.

This whole draft will be about team building... not obsessing over 1 first-round pick or player.

[sonorajim]

This whole draft will be about team building... not obsessing over 1 first-round pick or player.

Agreed.

Fan opinions will vary somewhat from what team Hortiz, Harbaugh, Roman, Minter and their assorted assistants consider prudent and optimal under 2024 Chargers team circumstances.

I'm looking forward to the whole process. It's awesome to have committed professionals working as a team to build and lead our Chargers.

Go Bolts!

[Boltnut]

They are the Cardinals. They still have Murray,....who id trade this year and get another QB who can see the middle of the field. Then get WRs with the extra of picks to,add to the many multiple picks from trading the midgit. They have a depleted WR room, bad OL and have been picking kinda high every year. Who knows what they do. I agree they should take MHJ, but it wouldnt surprise me if they dont.

If they dislike Murray as much as you dislike him, why wouldn't they just draft JJ McCarthy themselves. What would they get for Murray? Bears only got a 6th rounder for Fields.

[21&500]

It was supposed to be humorous but somewhat true at the same time...it really depends on your sense of humor here...

Oh I'm a fan.. I just can't get the imagine out of my head...

Hortiz on top of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah