Welcome Branson Taylor, OT Pitt Round 6

[Fouts2herbert]

I'm hoping we hit home runs with our picks and Taylor can make the squad! The only thing I'm a bit concerned about is: We all saw last season that our IOL was not good and really failed against the better teams.

To this point we've only made 3 moves to address it! We signed Becton. Signed Andre James, and drafted Branson Taylor! I hope this is enough and the play on the inside will improve this season and Hortiz has done enough there! We'll soon find out. Fingers crossed.

We still have some money to play with and there are still a couple of LGs out there in free agency, granted Will Hernandez is coming off a knee injury, correct? Brandon Scherff is also out there and could add value as stopgap 1 year low cost guy if he's not retiring...

Heck, there could still be trades on the horizon and a lot of cost cutting moves to make room to sign draft picks by teams in bad cap situations, so there might still be guys coming available at IOL that we haven't taken into account...one thing I know for sure is that Hortiz will be making moves up until the very beginning of the season just like the trades he pulled off for Molden and Heinecke...

It ain't over until the bald guy is done improving the roster before the season starts...

[dmac_bolt]

If Branson is just a 2025 IR scratch in the hope he heals and has upside, thats ok but they don’t know if they solved the issue - it really will hinge on if James just had an off year in a clusterfuck situation.

They only signed Becton for 2 years, it’s not like they have a long term plan in place yet / still - and not much of anything developing on the bench. They aren’t signing Zion’s 5th yr yet, this is Pip’s last … 2026 will see a return to IOL focus.

Lets hope their other 2025 moves all work out so we’re not plugging 5 different position groups again.

[Xenos]

If Branson is just a 2025 IR scratch in the hope he heals and has upside, thats ok but they don’t know if they solved the issue - it really will hinge on if James just had an off year in a clusterfuck situation.

They only signed Becton for 2 years, it’s not like they have a long term plan in place yet / still - and not much of anything developing on the bench. They aren’t signing Zion’s 5th yr yet, this is Pip’s last … 2026 will see a return to IOL focus.

Let’s hope their other 2025 moves all work out so we’re not plugging 5 different position groups again.

Hopefully Brandon is healed by now.

[Fouts2herbert]

If Branson is just a 2025 IR scratch in the hope he heals and has upside, thats ok but they don’t know if they solved the issue - it really will hinge on if James just had an off year in a clusterfuck situation.

They only signed Becton for 2 years, it’s not like they have a long term plan in place yet / still - and not much of anything developing on the bench. They aren’t signing Zion’s 5th yr yet, this is Pip’s last … 2026 will see a return to IOL focus.

Lets hope their other 2025 moves all work out so we’re not plugging 5 different position groups again.

Not uncommon in the NFL for teams to be dealing with this, teams that have had long term continuity with the same guys or at least 3-4 of the same guys over a period of 5-7 years are kind of the exception, Dallas had that for a number of years and they didn't turn it into a championship and now they're transitioning again, the eagles had it lost it and now have it again, the Chiefs had it lost it then had it then lost it very quickly, I think it's the nature of the sport and O-line can experience crazy attrition rates like any other position on NFL rosters...we could have 5 guys signed for years like the Browns and Colts did in recent years and then injuries start to rear their ugly head and tear the line apart. right now we have as many questions on O-line as most teams in the league, just look at our division and even with the uncertainty at center and LG we might still have the best situation in the division. KC has two for sure top end guys at center and RG spots but questions at both tackle positions and now at LG too...Denver and Vegas are transitioning again and it sounds like Miller could be on his way out there, Bowles could also be on the decline...

as far as we're concerned Slater ain't going anywhere, Alt is a beast, and Becton is signed thru 2026, that gives us three guys and I'm probably alone on here because I believe that Zion was meant to be a center all along and now with him getting that shot to prove it I think this O-line could be set at 4 spots for years...

I'm predicting that Zion has a break out season at center and gets tagged and signed to an extension in 2026 off-season, Slater is getting paid soon so he'll be locked up for next 5 years or so, Alt is still under contract for 4 more years, and if Becton proves what he did last season wasn't a fluke the Chargers will extend him too...LG could still be boosted thru free agency, a trade or the draft next season...the way things are going I think we'll have one of the top 5 O-lines in the NFL by 2026, right now we're probably already in the top 15 judging by how bad some teams around the league are...

As for the depth, this is Salyer's last year on the team assuming he doesn't get cut or traded before the season starts, this is Trey's last season on the team also and he should net the team a compensatory pick in the 2027 draft, James will either win the starting center job from Zion or he'll be gone next year too, Mclellan could surprise as a guy that hangs on long term as a valuable reserve T, same with Branson Taylor as a G/T reserve...we also have a couple of guys on the PS that could develop into solid reserves as well...Baltimore always had like 1-2 studs on their O-lines and then a bunch of value priced mid round draft picks that filled out their roster and their lines have consistently been decent to solid over the years...I'm not worried about the line the way you are because I think both Becton and Zion will thrive in 2025 and the team is in the right situation cap wise to keep both of them long term...long term LG might not get resolved until next years draft...I'm basically not as worried about O-line as you are...I think we're in a position to either keep our guys if they excel or to go after top notch free agents next year if needed,

[AK47]

A project that will replace one of the projects? Might get redshirted, like Rice.

We're finally seeing the Chargers implementing the Harbaugh/Hotiz talent machine. Finding prospects, coaching them up, signing a good amount to post-rookie contracts, rinse and repeat.

[Fouts2herbert]

We're finally seeing the Chargers implementing the Harbaugh/Hotiz talent machine. Finding prospects, coaching them up, signing a good amount to post-rookie contracts, rinse and repeat.

This is just the beginning...they'e just scratching the surface, this team is no where near being close to being the best team that Hortiz and Harbaugh will put together and preside over...there's still a lot of dead weight on this roster...Hortiz needs another offseason worth of moves to finish flushing out all the guys that are still left from the TT era that don't figure into the long term plan...only 4 maybe 5 TT era guys figure to hang around long term during this new era...

[Leslie Grossman]

For what it’s worth Reuter loves the pick.
Maybe a Shane Olivea (round 7) type gem

IMG_4817.jpg

[jaguarmanftype]

I don't know, but if all else fails, there's still Jamaree Salyer who I think should have been set on the left side all along. He played admirably as an LT when Rashawn went down, albeit with help, but I think Salyer at LG would be more natural for him as he would face more of the power rusher types there versus the more quick, nimble, finesse interior rushers on the right side where his slow footwork hampers him. I think he can handle the bigger, slower power rushers just fine though.

[Boltinloudguy]

Did anybody else catch Steve Haglund from the Guilty as Charged Crew mention that when moving Taylor to G, his RAS jumps into the low 9s. I believe it’s because of his short area quickness.

I swear, this scouting and evaluation crew of the Chargers is top notch. Not only for the draft but for free agents as well.

[Fouts2herbert]

For what it’s worth Reuter loves the pick.
Maybe a Shane Olivea (round 7) type gem

IMG_4817.jpg

I've only just started to study him a little but his size, his anchor, and his hands pop right away, once he grabs on to a defender he's stuck on there like glue and he has the feet and core strength and balance to keep them from throwing him off...this kid could surprise people but he's only six months away from a serious knee injury, I would think that they want to bring him along slowly in year one...2025 might be an IR red shirt season for him like what the Ravens did with Vorhees...

[Fouts2herbert]

I don't know, but if all else fails, there's still Jamaree Salyer who I think should have been set on the left side all along. He played admirably as an LT when Rashawn went down, albeit with help, but I think Salyer at LG would be more natural for him as he would face more of the power rusher types there versus the more quick, nimble, finesse interior rushers on the right side where his slow footwork hampers him. I think he can handle the bigger, slower power rushers just fine though.

Slater--Bozeman--Johnson--Becton--Alt is my current projected starting unit with...
Pipkins--Taylor--James--Salyer--McClellan as the primary backups...

How fast before B Taylor is close to 100%? He has a lot of healing to do from his knee injury suffered in Oct 2024 and depending whether or not they redshirt Branson in 2025, they will most likely keep 4 reserve O-linemen on the roster...whehter it's pipkins, Taylor, James, and Salyer OR Pipkins, Salyer, James, and Mcllelan...McClellan is also coming back from a knee injury suffered in 2024 but his happened in August two months before Branson...I know that they were really liking McClellan before he got hurt...

[Fouts2herbert]

Did anybody else catch Steve Haglund from the Guilty as Charged Crew mention that when moving Taylor to G, his RAS jumps into the low 9s. I believe it’s because of his short area quickness.

I swear, this scouting and evaluation crew of the Chargers is top notch. Not only for the draft but for free agents as well.

I've read multiple sources where they think Branson Taylor was a steal...I didn't know much about him but Hortiz has turned up talent late in the draft before so I'm cautiously optimistic about Branson...he looks the part, Big, athletic with nimble feet and a wide base and big anchor, plus his hands look to be top notch, he looks promising for sure...