Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar laid out his favorite scheme fits from the 2024 NFL draft on the offensive side of the ball and mentioned two players the Chargers selected: Ladd McConkey and Kimani Vidal.
Starting with McConkey, Farrar highlighted his route-running prowess and ability to get open to all areas of the field, adding that he will quickly become Justin Herbert’s best friend because of his skill set.
Love the speed, 4.38 [40-yard dash], but he plays to it. Harbaugh said of McConkey. He plays to that 4.38 every single play. You can see it in the way that he rages off of the ball, and once he has the ball in his hands.
Me and Joe [Hortiz] were talking about him, he’s very [Raiders TE] Brock Bowers-like with the way that he gets yards after the catch,” Harbaugh added. “Competitor, big-time. Those things. He catches the ball. A terrific route-runner. He has the quickness, he has the speed that is going to be great for our offense. I love the guys that can run in the 4.3s.
The Chargers want to run the ball at a high level under new offensive coordinator Greg Roman.
They began the building process with the signings of Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins and Vidal, the team’s sixth-round selection.
Troy’s Kimani Vidal is one of my favorite backs in this class, and the Chargers got him with the 181st overall pick in the sixth round. Greg Roman loaded up on Pocket Hercules runners in Baltimore when he was the OC there, and Vidal is exactly that type of guy. Last season, the 5′ 7⅞”, 213-pound Vidal gained 1,661 yards and scored 14 touchdowns on 295 carries, with 94 forced missed tackles (by far the most among all backs in this class), and 19 carries of 15+ yards. He’s a do-it-all back in a package the Chargers seem to like.
Vidal will have to fend off Isaiah Spiller. But he has the skillset with the explosiveness, vision, contact balance, lateral agility, and passing game impact to do so and contribute early on.