2024 Chargers Draft Superthread - Prospect Discussion - Draft Has Started

[Charge!]

Chiefs had the #2 defense last year, and were around #16 in scoring per game offense. They only scored, what, 16 pts in regulation in the SB. Defense won that game.

I want a new Gates/Winslow too. Not sure if Bowers will be their guy, if they trade down, or what they do. I won’t mind if it is Bowers, even if it’s not the absolute “best” pick some computer calculates, thats for sure.

sorry, but ITS NOT THE AMOUNT OF POINTS YOU SCORE...... IT's WHEN YOU SCORE!.....

REID almost always scores on last drive of the first half..... and last score of 2nd half.... and the last score of OT.... and if you watch those drives, they are flawless and quick..... and defense no matter how great they are have zero anser......

Yes1...defense is d=needed but (due to todays rules...long ago you could flat out win with defense....but not anymore) DEFENSE keeps games close...... a great QB and TE win the game with clutch drives when it really counts!!!!

and BTW.... harrison and Bowers have been viewed as best generational talents in this draft for a couple of years....

When Bosa was drafted, he was viewed as best player in country for 2 straight years..... but in the few months before the draft, media and internet draft gurus started trying to pick on him and elevate others..... like Ramsey.....

just look at the film.... some players are just plain better than everyone else.....

[Fleet 1]

Some of Maye's throws today. There will probably more later.

North Carolina pro day takeaways: What we learned as Drake Maye works out in front of NFL teams (msn.com)

Ill add to that....

March 28, 2024 - 8:49 pm

QBs Maye, Penix put in solid pro days … Nobody these days knows whether these scripted pro day passing sessions mean anything or not, but if they do Drake Maye of North Carolina and Washington’s Michael Penix had solid performances in their on-field workouts earlier today. Passing in front of pretty much the same throng of scouts and NFL execs that watched Jayden Daniels do his thing at LSU yesterday, Maye reportedly got off to something of a slow start with more than one real miss, but then settled down and completed a series of on-the-money bombs. Penix, who is considered to be QB6 of the 6 top rated QBs in the 2024 draft field, meanwhile actually had what might very well have been the best overall pro day workout of any of the 6. Penix started his day running a sub-4.6 40 and posting an athletic 36.5-inch vertical just to show he’s actually a pretty good athlete although he doesn’t run much at all. Penix then put on a passing clinic with just about every pass on the numbers in stride, although he still has that somewhat awkward, three-quarter arm lefty release. And while most of the teams who were checking out Daniels at the LSU pro day yesterday made the relatively short jaunt over to North Carolina to check out the Tar Heels’ Maye, the Giants’ rntourage including GM Joe Schoen, head coach Brian Daboll and OC Mike Kafka went the other way and took in the Huskies’ event. The Giants though will have a private workout with Maye earky next week after they do the same with JJ McCarthy on Sunday in Michigan.

[Topcat]

The only thing I know is that they just traded their starting CB and have nobody to protect Patty @LT.
I also know they have been drafting good defensive players... and getting very little from their WR's (drafted and FA's).

I also know that if you can harass Patty and get some turnovers, you don't need an elite offense to beat them (see Raiders/Broncos last year).
I have zero confidence that Harbaugh/Roman will scrap years of experience to try and become Andy Reid. If you are down two scores on the Chiefs that was probably your defense's fault. I also have zero confidence that our #30 passing defense will magically hurtle into the top-10 without getting a LB, DT, and CB... and they better be good ones. The last thing I want to see is the Chargers forced into pass mode with Plumpkins "protecting" the $200 million franchise QB...

I'm gonna have to pass on the Malik Nabers Plan boys...
And I don't mean pass through the air.

^ This...the BEST way to limit Mahomes is to generate a strong, consistent pass rush, AND contain the edges, AND to keep a spy on him to avoid his scrambles, AND to have tight coverage on Kelce to avoid those damaging dumpoffs...we will need some solid press corners to allow us to do this. We already have three good Edge rushers in Bosa, Mack and Tuli, but we sorely need a solid, run-stuffing DT or two who can also pass rush...we can't totally shut down Mahomes, but a good D can limit the damage...

[Topcat]

Did I ever tell you about the time I ran a 4.22 40? Ahh, those were the days.

Is that when u were known as "Formula One" instead of "Formula 21"?

[Maniaque 6]

The Chargers have a chance to grab the best DT and the best C in this draft.
Make that trade with MIN !

[Topcat]

The Chargers have a chance to grab the best DT and the best C in this draft.
Make that trade with MIN !

I rank DT very high...tired of getting gashed for big yardage up the gut...I agree, mon ami!

[Boltnut]

disagree!..... defense does not win championships,.... has NOT for a very long time because or crazy rules changes....Chiefs beat the 2 or 3 best NFL defenses that were loaded with pro bowlers...

2013: Seahawks (1st defense) beat the Broncos (1st offense) 43-8 in the Super Bowl.
2014: Patriots (8th defense) beat the Seahawks (10th offense) 28-24 in the Super Bowl.
2015: Broncos (4th defense) beat Panthers (1st offense) 24-10 in the Super Bowl.
2016: Patriots (1st defense) beat the Falcons (1st offense) 34-28 in the Super Bowl.
2017: Eagles (4th defense) beat the Patriots (2nd offense) 41-33 in the Super Bowl.
2018: Patriots (7th defense) beat the Rams (2nd offense) 13-3 in the Super Bowl.
2019: Chiefs (7th defense) beat the 49ers (2nd offense) 31-20 in the Super Bowl.
2020: Buccaneers (8th defense) beat the Chiefs (6th offense) 31-9 in the Super Bowl.
2021: Rams (15th defense) beat the Bengals (7th offense) 23-20 in the Super Bowl.
2022: Chiefs (16th defense) beat the Eagles (3rd offense) 38-35 in the Super Bowl.
2023: Chiefs (2nd defense) beat the 49ers (3rd offense) 25-22 in the Super Bowl.

Only the 2021 Rams and 2022 Chiefs have won Super Bowls with defenses outside the Top-10 defenses the last 11 Super Bowls.
Whenever the #1 defense has played the #1 offense... the #1 defense has won.

The 2021 Rams battered Joe Burrow in the Super Bowl.
When the 2022 Chiefs beat the Eagles... MaHommes only threw for 182 yards that game.

That's a lot of losses for the #1, #2, and #3 offenses...
Defense still wins championships...

[DerwinBosa]

I hear this often, that we will be running on the Chiefs. But you know what I know, that Andy Reid, Mahomes, Kelce, Rice, Brown and the WR they will draft at 32 will put up points. The Chargers will in fact be down a TD or 2 to the Chiefs in certain games, and you better have a passing attack with some explosion to get back in those games and keep up with the Chiefs. Way too many years of evidence to think otherwise.

When the Titans were good, they had a ground attack led by prime Henry. They were physical and dominant, when they got ahead and the game script was going their way. But when they got behind in big games lack of premium passing game let them down and you would rarely see them come back. i don't want to be that team and it would be a tragic waste of Justin Herbert.

Ryan Tannehill is not Justin Herbert. The 2019 Titans team that lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game had A.J. Brown (a two-time All-Pro) and Jonnu Smith, who got a huge contract with the Patriots based on his potential but was wasted with Mac Jones as his quarterback. Smith just had a good season with Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinecke as his quarterbacks.

[DerwinBosa]

I was kidding because I find the original argument irrelevant, Koolaid just stayed on one side all the time. Opposing coaches design plays to attack their weaker parts, yeah - is that news at 11 type stuff there? Stop the presses? I mean, really, duh.

That doesnt mean anything about WRs - they aren’t calling plays, Nabers did a lot of his work out of the slot. He’s good in there, very very good. Elite. He had 89 REC for ~1600 yards, with 14 TDs - are you really saying he’s not good, that any ol shit receiver could have done the same? you can discount Malachi all you want but he’s NFL quality and will be drafted next month and play on Sundays. Lets not talk about him like he’s a JuCo scrub. And Nabers absolutely torched the shit out of him. Nabers torched a lot of college DBs and he’ll torch plenty of NFL DBs too.

Again - I don’t really get this stuff about he didn’t go head to head for 40 plays against Koolaid - so what? He played the formations and positions his coach called.

Malachi Moore is returning to Alabama as a fifth-year senior--in large part because he's not ready for the NFL. So, no, he will not be drafted next month.

It's not hard to figure out that it's less impressive for a wide receiver to torch a safety/slot defender who isn't a first-round prospect than it is to see the wide receiver do actual work against a top talent like Kool-Aid, which Nabers did not do in that game. Nor did Nabers impress against Renardo Green, who's become a favorite on this forum.

We'll see if Nabers will torch plenty of NFL defensive backs, as you say. I have my doubts. If wide receiver is what we're choosing in the first round, I'd much rather have Harrison, of course, and give a healthy edge to Odunze over Nabers.

[Boltnut]

I like when receivers are able to attack safeties. Doesn’t that mean it’s a deep ball?

Chargers will attack the safeties with play-action in the Greg Roman offense. Both Palmer and QJ are capable in that scenario.
To make play-action work, you have to be able to run the ball effectively. This is where we have been weak.
This is why I think the focus will be on a good run blocking RT... rather than another 1st round WR.

[Boltnut]

Personally, I’ve never heard of a team saying “No we’re good” when looking at a potential top draft pick. You’re just compounding your risk.

Right...? So they must trust the multitude of tape they've already seen on MHJ.
You know what compounds risk...? Putting a sure-fire WR through unnecessary drills that may result in injury.
It's a Staley/MW thing... if that resonates with you.

[Boltnut]

Because this draft has guys like Rice in later rounds, you are persuasive. But - this draft is deep, period. You can take the shiny WR at 5 and still have 8 picks to hit on those other positions. 😎

I'd rather trade-back and get a starter @RT with the #11 pick and a LB with the #23 pick. More is more. The defense is missing several important players.

The offense will look vastly different... with a lot of 21-personnel. We have 2 starting WR's and 2 starting TE's. I'd like mid-round depth @both positions. But a good run blocking RT, LB, DT, and CB are more important to a Roman offense and Minter defense.