2024 Official Super Duper Mock Draft Thread - Opinions On Mocks | Pundit Mocks

[Velo]

I generally think mocks are a waste of time, because nobody ever gets it right, not even remotely, not even the so-called experts. Who had the Chargers drafting QJ at #21 last year? Who had the Chargers drafting Zion Johnson in the '22 draft at #17? Nobody. But I made a mock anyway. Assuming no trades.

#5 Malik Nabers (or Naybuhs, in Arnold speak)
#37 Zach Frazier C West Virginia
#69 RB, could be Jonathan Brooks if he falls this far, could be Jaylen Wright or Blake Corum. My guess is it will be one of these three. I couldn't nail it down.
#106 Renardo Green CB FSU...could also be Ohio State TE Cade Stover
#139 Ben Sinnott TE Kansas State (or Kalen King, CB, Penn State)
#183 Javon Foster T Missouri
#223 Frank Gore Jr. RB Southern Miss
#256 Josh Wallace CB Michigan

[Boltnut]

Man, no trades really ties our hands. No DT, no LB.
I'm not a fan of WR @#5. Not in a Roman offense anyways.

If we're forced to stay @#5, I'm drafting Joe Alt. Protect Herbie and run the ball... like all our coaches want.
If we're forced to cut Joey or Khalil... due to no trade opportunities... then a DT, CB, LB, and OC have to be the picks.

1st (#5): Joe Alt
2nd DT Leonard Taylor (if he's there).
3rd OC Sedrick Van Pran (if he's there)
4th LB Best one available (probably not Colston)
5th CB or RB
6th Blocking TE
7th Whatever is left

Yuck!

[gzubeck]

Man, no trades really ties our hands. No DT, no LB.
I'm not a fan of WR @#5. Not in a Roman offense anyways.

If we're forced to stay @#5, I'm drafting Joe Alt. Protect Herbie and run the ball... like all our coaches want.
If we're forced to cut Joey or Khalil... due to no trade opportunities... then a DT, CB, LB, and OC have to be the picks.

1st (#5): Joe Alt
2nd DT Leonard Taylor (if he's there).
3rd OC Sedrick Van Pran (if he's there)
4th LB Best one available (probably not Colston)
5th CB or RB
6th Blocking TE
7th Whatever is left

Yuck!

Why can't we just go into the open market and pay for defensive linemen. Replace our high end receivers and just Pay the man and shore up our defense that way. We just need a good defense not an insane one.

[gzubeck]

I generally think mocks are a waste of time, because nobody ever gets it right, not even remotely, not even the so-called experts. Who had the Chargers drafting QJ at #21 last year? Who had the Chargers drafting Zion Johnson in the '22 draft at #17? Nobody. But I made a mock anyway. Assuming no trades.

#5 Malik Nabers (or Naybuhs, in Arnold speak)
#37 Zach Frazier C West Virginia
#69 RB, could be Jonathan Brooks if he falls this far, could be Jaylen Wright or Blake Corum. My guess is it will be one of these three. I couldn't nail it down.
#106 Renardo Green CB FSU...could also be Ohio State TE Cade Stover
#139 Ben Sinnott TE Kansas State (or Kalen King, CB, Penn State)
#183 Javon Foster T Missouri
#223 Frank Gore Jr. RB Southern Miss
#256 Josh Wallace CB Michigan

I like your thinking...fix the offense first! Instead I would pick up another WR in the third (If any are good enough) and Pick a RB in the 4th or 5th round.

[Boltnut]

Why can't we just go into the open market and pay for defensive linemen. Replace our high end receivers and just Pay the man and shore up our defense that way. We just need a good defense not an insane one.

That's a lot of paying for a team with cap issues.
I suspect Joe Hortiz will look for trades and draft picks before he goes on a FA spending spree.
It just doesn't follow the Ravens playbook.

[gzubeck]

That's a lot of paying for a team with cap issues.
I suspect Joe Hortiz will look for trades and draft picks before he goes on a FA spending spree.
It just doesn't follow the Ravens playbook.

The only reason we have cap issues is because we are harboring notions of keeping expensive but Gimpy talent. Once those expensive options are gone the possibilities open up big time.

[Velo]

I like your thinking...fix the offense first! Instead I would pick up another WR in the third (If any are good enough) and Pick a RB in the 4th or 5th round.

If they want to make the run game a strength of the offense, I think they need to get one of the top 3 RBs in the draft, which I think they can get in the third. I have them drafting a C in the 2nd for that reason also. The thing is though, this draft is deep in WR talent in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. That's why I'm not opposed to them trading the #5 pick to acquire an extra pick in the 2nd and 3rd rounds in this draft.

[Boltnut]

The only reason we have cap issues is because we are harboring notions of keeping expensive but Gimpy talent. Once those expensive options are gone the possibilities open up big time.

Even after all of the "gimpy talent" is traded or cut, there is still a lot of dead money... there still won't be a whole lot of room for signing free agents (which isn't Joe Hortiz's style anyways). Maybe some cheaper FA positions... RB + TE (maybe). But if you're looking at other positions (above average talent)... that FA money will run out quickly.

The best way to get talent cheaply is through the draft. The best way to get draft picks is trade-backs and trades of older talent. This is the way Hortiz prefers. The way we got into cap trouble was because we did just the opposite. My favorite example is Trent McDuffie v JCJ. We have no player to show for our $20m dead cap hit on JCJ. Chiefs will have an excellent CB for $3.8m next year.

[gzubeck]

Even after all of the "gimpy talent" is traded or cut, there is still a lot of dead money... there still won't be a whole lot of room for signing free agents (which isn't Joe Hortiz's style anyways). Maybe some cheaper FA positions... RB + TE (maybe). But if you're looking at other positions (above average talent)... that FA money will run out quickly.

The best way to get talent cheaply is through the draft. The best way to get draft picks is trade-backs and trades of older talent. This is the way Hortiz prefers. The way we got into cap trouble was because we did just the opposite. My favorite example is Trent McDuffie v JCJ. We have no player to show for our $20m dead cap hit on JCJ. Chiefs will have an excellent CB for $3.8m next year.

No arguments with anything you've said. I'm just saying that Bosa and our two receivers are expensive risks even with dead money. $23 + $20 mil + 14 Mil = $57 mil excluding dead cap. $57 mill will get you a lot of additional help at other positions of need. I want to keep Mack but if he's a problem just let him play out his contract and draft or sign Defensive players for next year.

[Topcat]

Let's remember that C is top priority:

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[Boltnut]

No arguments with anything you've said. I'm just saying that Bosa and our two receivers are expensive risks even with dead money. $23 + $20 mil + 14 Mil = $57 mil excluding dead cap. $57 mill will get you a lot of additional help at other positions of need. I want to keep Mack but if he's a problem just let him play out his contract and draft or sign Defensive players for next year.

I totally get it... and agree 100%. Bosa, Mack, KA, and MW are expensive risks. The cap is so bad that we can't even get a trade for MW (probably the sure cut)... $20m savings with a $12.5m dead cap hit. MW seems like a goner.

KA seems like the sure-fire keeper. A QB's best friend. Great route runner and one of the smartest WR's in the game. Almost always open. Injuries... age...? Yes, a risk. @$11.6m dead cap, he actually has the least guaranteed money to spread in the case of an extension. This isn't Hotriz's style, but an extension thru 2025 could save another $4-5m on 2024's cap. He should be able to be high-level productive for at least 2 more years.

I've been back-and-forth with Bosa and Mack. Ultimately, Minter will have to decide how he wants to run his defense and decide how to use them. I'm not sure what his vision @OLB is. At Michigan in 2023, his OLB's were Jaylen Harrell (6'4", 245 lbs.) and Braiden McGregor (6'6", 260 lbs). He asked them to drop into coverage (Harrell more than McGregor). In that scenario, neither Mack nor Bosa are good fits. In 2022 at Michigan, he had Mike Morris @6'6", 290 lbs @edge. The year before that he had Aiden Hutchinson (6'6", 265 lbs)... he was a secondary coach in 2021. If those trends continue, it seems that at least one of our current edge rushers will be traded... Tuli is 6'3", 265 lbs but didn't do a lot of dropping into coverage with the Chargers or Trojans.

With all of that in mind... a trade seems probable. That assumes that Minter's college defense works at the NFL level. Minter liked to rely on DT stunts and LB/NB blitzes. But in those scenarios, he dropped OLB's into the flats or bracketed WR's with OLB's in the middle of the field. Lots of zone and position rotations (disguise)... not unlike Staley's system. The difference being that Minter likes to drop edge players into coverage get pressure up the middle with DT's and LB's. All of this suggests much change at the DT, LB, and Edge positions. And that will take draft trade-backs and trading vets for draft picks.

The 2nd-4th rounds are a good place to find those positions, IMO. Of course, that also comes with risk (right player/right traits). The later, the riskier. Multiple picks in those rounds make it a bit less risky. So... would I simply cut Bosa...? No. 4th round has to be his floor. If we got 2 3rd's for Bosa and Khalil... I'd do it. Anything less than a 3rd and a 4th... and you get ripped off and set yourself up as a chump. At that point, I'd keep them and collect a compensation pick after they leave via free agency. For Mack, that's 1 year... for Bosa, it's 2 years.

[Lefty2SLO]

Even after all of the "gimpy talent" is traded or cut, there is still a lot of dead money... there still won't be a whole lot of room for signing free agents (which isn't Joe Hortiz's style anyways). Maybe some cheaper FA positions... RB + TE (maybe). But if you're looking at other positions (above average talent)... that FA money will run out quickly.

The best way to get talent cheaply is through the draft. The best way to get draft picks is trade-backs and trades of older talent. This is the way Hortiz prefers. The way we got into cap trouble was because we did just the opposite. My favorite example is Trent McDuffie v JCJ. We have no player to show for our $20m dead cap hit on JCJ. Chiefs will have an excellent CB for $3.8m next year.

OUCH . . . . . . . . . . . Man it hurts to see that in print . . . . . and I was in favor of the JCJ acquisition