Tag: Chargers draft

2024 NFL draft: Watch highlights of new Chargers LB Junior Colson

To get familiar with the newest member of the Chargers, here are some highlights of Junior Colson.

The Chargers addressed the linebacker position with the selection of Junior Colson in the third round.

Los Angeles needed more playmakers in the middle of the defense, and the addition of Colson provides it with an athletic backer with good speed to make plays in open space and coverage skills.

To get familiar with the newest member of the Bolts, here are some highlights of Colson.

 

 

Twitter reacts to Chargers’ selection of Ladd McConkey

Here is a snapshot of how the general population reacted when Ladd McConkey was announced as the newest member of the Chargers.

The Chargers finally addressed the wide receiver position with the pick of Ladd McConkey in the second round.

McConkey should quickly become Justin Herbert’s best friend. He is a sure-fire separator with silky smooth route-running skills and great speed.

Here is a snapshot of how the general population reacted when McConkey was announced as the newest member of the Bolts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2024 NFL draft: Watch highlights of new Chargers WR Ladd McConkey

Get familiar with the newest member of the Chargers, Ladd McConkey.

The Chargers improved the wide receiver room with the selection of Ladd McConkey at No. 34 overall.

There were questions about when Los Angeles would address the position after taking Joe Alt in the first round. They answered them by moving up three spots to get McConkey, arguably the best route runner in this class.

To get familiar with the newest member of the Bolts, here are some highlights of McConkey:

 

Chargers mock draft roundup: Who Los Angeles is projected to take in Rounds 2-3

Analysts project what the Chargers will do with their picks on Day 2.

The Chargers came out of the first round with offensive tackle Joe Alt. After the selection, Los Angeles should have their focus on wide receiver, cornerback and the interior part of the defensive line.

General manager Joe Hortiz will have picks No. 37 and 69 to add more talent to the roster.

With that, here’s a glimpse at who L.A. could add on Friday based on what a few mock drafts are projecting.

CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso 

Round 2: WR Keon Coleman, Florida State

Analysis: “Keon Coleman is a young wideout who plays a tick faster than his timed speed and flashes acrobatic catch skill.”

Round 3: LB Junior Colson, Michigan

NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein

Round 2: DT Braden Fiske, Florida State

Analysis: “Fiske is all gas and no brakes on every single snap, which is exactly what Jim Harbaugh is looking for.”

Round 3: WR Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky

Pro Football Focus’ John Kosko & Trevor Sikkema

Round 2: DT Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois

Analysis: “The Chargers need to improve almost everywhere on defense. They find a versatile defensive lineman in Newton. He has some physical limitations due to his size and lack of natural flexibility, but his hand usage, pass-rush tools and block-shedding ability allow him to be very productive in any alignment from three-technique to five-technique.”

Round 3: RB Jonathon Brooks, Texas

“Brooks is an ideal blend of size, speed, strength and agility. Though limited in snap totals, he has good vision in both gap and zone run schemes. If he can get back to form following his torn ACL, he has all the goods to be a starting running back in the NFL.”

NBC Sports’ Eric Froton

Round 2: CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa

Analysis: “A tweener who many scouts profile as a slot corner/safety in addition to having game-breaking punt return prowess, DeJean allowed a 38% catch rate with just 44 YAC on 20 receptions this season. The Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year and member of the famed Bruce Feldman “Freaks List”, DeJean could be the Chargers’ new version of Eric Weddle.”

Round 3: WR Roman Wilson, Michigan

ESPN’s Steve Muench

Round 2: WR Ladd McConkey

Analysis: “The Chargers address their most pressing need at receiver after losing Mike Williams and Keenan Allen this offseason, snagging the No. 31 overall player on my board.”

Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame

Round 2: OL Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon

Round 3: TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler

Round 2: LB Junior Colson, Michigan

Round 3: RB Blake Corum, Michigan

Analysis: “Given the Chargers’ need for another running back and Jim Harbaugh’s affinity for Corum, this match feels almost too obvious.”

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar

Round 2: DT Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois

Twitter reacts to Chargers’ selection of Joe Alt

Here is a snapshot of how the general population reacted when Joe Alt was announced as the newest member of the Chargers.

There were some talks about the Chargers moving from the No. 5 overall pick, but they ultimately decided to stay put and select offensive tackle Joe Alt.

While many fans wanted Los Angeles to take a wide receiver, the pick of Alt matches up with Jim Harbaugh’s goal of becoming a more physical and imposing team and establishing an efficient ground game.

Here is a snapshot of how the general population reacted when Alt was announced as the newest member of the Bolts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chargers announce guest pick announcer for Day 2 of 2024 NFL draft

A former Chargers player will announce the team’s Day 2 selections.

Day 2 of the 2024 NFL draft has become a chance for the league to showcase its past, present, and future, with a number of former and active players tapped from each team to present a draft pick on stage.

On Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network revealed the full list of guest announcers, which includes Saints TE/QB Taysom Hill and legendary Lions running back Barry Sanders.

For LA, both #37 and #69 overall are slated to be announced by Chargers Hall of Famer Rolf Benirschke, a kicker who played ten seasons for the team in San Diego.

Benirschke, a San Diego native who attended La Jolla High School, was a 12th-round pick by the Raiders in 1977 before being traded to the Chargers midway through his rookie season. In 1978, he discovered that he had ulcerative colitis, which prevented him from playing for two seasons while he had two surgeries to remove his large intestine.

In 1980, Benirschke returned to the Chargers, playing seven more seasons and ending his career as the team leader in points scored with 766. To date, Benirschke is fourth all-time in points scored for the franchise.

After his playing days concluded, Benirschke spent six months as the host of Wheel of Fortune in 1989 and is now active in charity work in the San Diego area. In 1997, he was named the 12th member of the Chargers Hall of Fame.

What time will the Chargers make their first pick in the 2024 NFL draft?

Here is the estimated time for the Chargers’ first-round draft pick.

The NFL draft kicks off today, and we will see which player the Chargers select to improve their roster.

If you don’t want to sit around and watch most of the draft and would rather tune in just when Los Angeles is on the clock, here is our best approximation of when that will be.

Our best guess is you’ll want to tune in at 5:40 pm PT.

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We’re basing our guess on last year’s draft. In 2023, the Seahawks selected cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the No. 5 overall selection at 5:49 pm PT.

Things went a little faster in 2022, with the Giants selecting edge defender Kayvon Thibodeaux at 5:41 pm PT.

The fifth pick in the 2021 NFL draft was at 5:57 pm PT.

The fifth pick was at 5:55 pm PT the year before that.

The bottom line is to play it safe. 5:40 pm PT is when you should tune in. That’s when you can find out if the Chargers stick and pick or trade down.

2024 NFL draft: Chargers hosted LB Edgerrin Cooper on visit

Edgerrin Cooper is a speedy, rangy and explosive linebacker.

The Chargers hosted Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper on a pre-draft visit on Thursday, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

Cooper is a speedy, rangy, explosive linebacker whose coverage skills and ability to defend the run and blitz are high-quality NFL traits.

For his Aggie career, Cooper finished with 205 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

Los Angeles signed Denzel Perryman, who will likely be one of the starters. They also added Troy Dye in free agency and they return Daiyan Henley and Nick Niemann. But they need to add depth to the middle of the defense.

Cooper projects as a Day 2 selection and one of the first linebackers to be off the board.

Chargers trade back with Vikings in Field Yates’ latest 2-round mock draft

The Chargers go all offense.

The Chargers may trade back to receive more draft capital to retool their roster. That’s the case in ESPN’s Field Yates’ latest mock draft, as he sees Los Angeles trading with the Vikings, who come up to No. 5 to get their quarterback of the future in J.J. McCarthy.

As for the Bolts, they acquire the 11th and 23rd selections from Minnesota. With their first pick, they select Alabama offensive tackle JC Latham.

Following the projected move down, the Chargers can now get to work building this roster how new coach Jim Harbaugh and GM Joe Hortiz envision it — which I expect will be through the trenches. Though the Chargers have Trey Pipkins III under contract for another two seasons, Latham would represent a short- and long-term upgrade. And he has the positional versatility to play guard if Los Angeles wanted to keep Pipkins on the field. Latham’s overwhelming strength is a perfect fit for a team that will want to wear opponents out with its physicality.

The Chargers want to run the ball more efficiently, which Latham could aid in that department.

Hulking at 6-foot-6 and 360 pounds, Latham is a force in pass protection and the run game with a great combination of size, strength, physicality and agility, projecting as a starter from Day 1.

Latham would likely replace Trey Pipkins at right tackle, but he possesses the versatility to play guard.

Later in the first round, Los Angeles takes Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.

There is a plausible scenario in which the Chargers stand pat at No. 5 and take the best wide receiver available. After releasing Mike Williams and trading Keenan Allen, they have to reshape their wide receiver room. But here Los Angeles can stockpile picks and still take advantage of a deep receiver class, landing a buttery smooth route runner in Mitchell. He has excellent size, great speed and reliable hands, with just one drop in his lone season at Texas (he transferred from Georgia). He also averaged 15.4 yards per catch last season and would be a good fit with quarterback Justin Herbert.

After the departures of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, the wide receiver room is rather thin, so it’s imperative that they address that early on.

With a 4.34 40-yard dash, Mitchell is a speedy wideout with great size and ball skills. He could step in and immediately be a threat at all three levels of the field.

In the second round, the Bolts select West Virginia center Zach Frazier.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that Jim Harbaugh wants to build up his offensive line aggressively this offseason. Frazier is super tough and exactly the type of guy Harbaugh and GM Joe Hortiz would covet. He did not allow any sacks over 328 pass-block plays in 2023.

The Chargers signed Bradley Bozeman, but they won’t shy away from selecting the long-term fix at the position, especially since Jim Harbaugh wants to build through the trenches.

One of the top centers in this year’s class, Frazier is a pro-ready player with the athletic ability, anchor strength, highly impressive awareness and toughness. He started 47 games for the Mountaineers, so he possesses plenty of experience playing the position.

2024 NFL draft: Chargers hosting RB Blake Corum on visit

The Chargers are bringing in a running back that Jim Harbaugh is familiar with.

The Chargers are hosting former Michigan running back Blake Corum on a pre-draft visit, Corum said on the Rich Eisen Show.

“I’m excited to go talk to Coach Harbaugh and the new staff that I don’t already know and see what it’s like out there,” Corum said.

After signing Gus Edwards, Los Angeles is still building their backfield and they see Corum, who is familiar with Jim Harbaugh, as a potential target.

Corum was productive for the Wolverines this past season, rushing for 1,245 yards and a program-record 27 touchdowns en route to the school’s national title. He finished his collegiate career with a whopping 58 rushing scores.

Corum isn’t the youngest player, set to be 24 this upcoming season, and he already has plenty of mileage used. But he has the patience, vision, and quickness to be an effective back in the NFL.

Corum projects as a mid-round selection.