2024 NFL draft: OT Joe Alt confirms meeting with Chargers

A potential selection for the Chargers has met with team officials.

A potential selection for the Chargers has met with team officials.

Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt spoke to the media at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Saturday. When asked if he had met with LA, he confirmed that he had a formal meeting with the Chargers. Alt also confirmed meetings with the Titans, Bears, and Raiders, among others.

Asked about his impressions of new Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, Alt said:

I did meet with the Chargers. It was a great interview, got to meet coach Harbaugh. It was a good time. For me, it was always ‘I didn’t get recruited by Michigan,’ but getting to meet him on that level was very cool. He’s a great guy, it was a really fun interview.

Alt, who was mocked to the Chargers at No. 5 overall in Daniel Jeremiah’s most recent mock draft on NFL.com, would likely play right tackle for Los Angeles after spending his collegiate career on the left side. Chargers Wire asked him if that switch was something that had come up in interviews with teams and if he had begun preparing:

It definitely has come up. I’ve been preparing for it at the combine. I also played tight end in high school, so I’ve been able to put my hand on both sides of the ball. I did some tackle over this season and then working in the combine training.

The Chargers have been heavily rumored to be considering an offensive tackle in the first round following a disappointing season from right tackle Trey Pipkins, who has two seasons remaining on his contract. But with Alt confirming that he’s been asked about moving to that side, it seems less likely that LA’s consideration of the position would include moving former All-Pro Rashawn Slater to the right, despite his experience on that side from Northwestern.

Alt and the rest of the offensive linemen take the field for testing on Sunday on NFL Network.

5 Chargers targets who stood out on Day 1 of 2024 NFL Scouting Combine

Here are five players who could be on the Chargers’ radar who increased their draft stock.

The first day of on-field workouts at the Scouting Combine did not disappoint. A handful of edge defenders, defensive tackles and linebackers put on a show at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN.

Here are five players who could be on the Chargers’ radar who increased their stock with eye-opening demonstrations of athleticism.

2024 NFL draft: 5 defensive backs for Chargers to watch at Combine

Here are a few defensive backs for the Los Angeles Chargers to watch at the Combine.

The NFL Scouting Combine is in full gear, which will bring the 2024 draft class fully into focus, as this is the week of athletic testing, evaluations, and interviews for over 300 prospects.

With the combine ready to set the stage before free agency and the draft, we look at players worth monitoring for the Chargers.

Whether it be players who are options at pick No. 5 or later in the draft, we will pick out some at each position who should test well and generate buzz.

Here are a few defensive backs worth keeping an eye on.

2024 NFL draft: Chargers showing interest in Troy RB Kimani Vidal

The Chargers are looking to bolster the running game ahead of next season.

The Chargers are looking to bolster the running game ahead of next season, and a piece to the puzzle could be Troy running back Kimani Vidal.

According to The Draft Network’s Justin Melo, Vidal garnered interest from Los Angeles at the Senior Bowl last month.

Vidal was Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year and a third-team All-American in 2023 after he ran for a school record of 1,661 yards. He left as Troy’s all-time leading rusher with 4,010 yards.

At 5-foot-8 and 215 pounds, Vidal has the size, vision, contact balance, lateral agility and passing game impact to be a part of a backfield committee at the next level.

With Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley slated for free agency, that leaves Isaiah Spiller as the only player who makes up the positional room, so the Chargers will be seeking a few to fill it out.

Vidal projects as a Day 3 selection.

Brock Bowers meets with Chargers, Jim Harbaugh: ‘It was cool to see him again, talk to him’

The Chargers have been linked to Georgia tight end Brock Bowers throughout the pre-draft process.

The Chargers have been linked to Georgia tight end Brock Bowers throughout the pre-draft process. The two parties finally met, as Bowers was interviewed by them on Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine.

“I met with the Chargers the other night, Bowers said, per Sports Illustrated’s Gilbert Manzano. Me and Coach Harbaugh talked about when we played them [Michigan] in 2021 when he was recruiting him. It was cool to see him again and talk to him.”

Bowers was recruited by various colleges, including by Harbaugh’s Wolverines when he graduated from Napa High School.

Bowers went on to have a polished career for the Bulldogs, finishing with 175 catches for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns and becoming the first two-time John Mackey Award winner.

With Gerald Everett set to be a free agent, the Bolts will be in the market for a bonafide starting tight end for offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who covets players at the position in his system.

Bowers is a mismatch for any defender in the passing game and he is a solid run blocker.

Bowers should be available when the Chargers are on the clock with the No. 5 overall selection, but he also might also if they were to trade back a few spots.

2024 NFL draft: 3 potential backup quarterbacks to Justin Herbert for Chargers to watch at Combine

Here are a few quarterbacks expected to test well at the Combine who the Los Angeles Chargers could target to back up Justin Herbert.

The 2024 NFL Combine begins this week, with 321 prospects due to attend the event in Indianapolis.

The Chargers, along with the league’s other 31 teams, will use the results to solidify their draft board, bringing their plans for April into greater focus.

Here are four quarterbacks for Los Angeles to watch at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Daniel Jeremiah speaks on possibility of Chargers trading down in 2024 NFL draft

The Chargers are in a prime position to add more draft picks.

NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah addressed the possibility of the Chargers trading down from their No. 5 overall draft pick in his NFL Scouting Combine preview press conference. 

“I think if you’re the Chargers and you want to trade down, you’re praying that the fourth quarterback emerges from now to the draft,” Jeremiah said. 

“I think when it’s all said and done, it feels like it to me that you’re to have the three quarterbacks go 1, 2, 3 when we get down to it, whether that’s New England taking one or either them or Washington trading out and somebody coming up. It just feels to me talking to people around the league that seems to be the expectation.” 

Jeremiah doesn’t see a scenario where any team trades up to get one of the highly touted wide receivers or tackles–only a quarterback, likely Oregon’s Bo Nix or Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. 

“So if you are looking at who you are going to trade for, well, I don’t think—because there’s those three top receivers, I don’t know that anybody is coming up for one of those guys,” Jeremiah said. “The tackle depth is really good, so even though you have players worthy of trading up for, there’s so many of them that I don’t think that would be the case.”

Jeremiah mentions the Giants, Falcons and Titans as potential landing spots for Nix and McCarthy since they likely want to draft a quarterback. 

It wouldn’t be surprising to see that four of the first five picks of the 2024 NFL draft are quarterbacks, according to Jeremiah. Essentially, there’s a good chunk of teams that would want to trade up with the Chargers to draft their guy. 

This would be good for Los Angeles, as they’re in a position where they need to load up on as much talent as possible since they’re currently in a spot where they aren’t going to be able to load up on big-name free agents, given their salary cap situation.

Los Angeles Chargers three-round 2024 NFL mock draft Thursday 1.0

The Chargers select a wide receiver, cornerback and center.

The 2024 NFL draft is two months away, and we will supply you with in-depth coverage between now and then to inform you who the Chargers could be targeting when they’re on the clock.

With that being said, this will be the first installment of the three-round mock draft Thursday, where I will lay out different scenarios every week on how the first three rounds could play out for Los Angeles.

Key dates for Chargers fans to know for 2024 offseason

Here are some important dates for Chargers fans to keep an eye on in the coming weeks and months.

The 2023 NFL season has officially come to an end, and the Chargers are headed into their offseason.

With that, here are some important dates for Chargers fans to keep an eye on in the coming weeks and months.

February

  • Feb. 27-March 4: NFL Scouting Combine (Indianapolis, IN)

March

  • March 5: Deadline for teams to designate franchise or transition tag players
  • March 11-13: Teams are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with, the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents
  • March 13: At 1 p.m. PT, the 2024 league year and free agency begin; trades can be executed
  • March 24-27: Annual League Meeting (Orlando, FL)

April

  • April 1: Clubs that hired a new head coach may begin offseason workout programs.
  • April 19: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets
  • April 25-27: NFL Draft (Detroit, MI)

May

  • May 2: Deadline for clubs to exercise fifth-year option for players selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft

Chargers 2024 NFL draft target: Washington WR Rome Odunze

Putting Washington WR Rome Odunze under a microscope to highlight his strengths, weaknesses and fit with the Chargers.

Over the next couple of months, we are going to be taking a look at a handful of draft prospects leading up to the 2024 NFL draft.

With the Chargers having needs at various positions, we will do our best to evaluate the players that we feel fit the team precisely.

Today, I take a look at Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze.

Vitals

Height: 6-3

Weight: 215

College Bio Page

Stats

Elevator pitch

Odunze is a contested-catch fiend who wins with raw athleticism, the ability to run routes effectively, deep ball tracking, body control, projecting as a solid starter in the NFL.

Strengths

Big-body receiver with ideal size and strength…Smooth-gliding athlete…Easy mover with fluid body movements and doesn’t play with tightness…Detailed route-runner and each step has a purpose…Vertical push to eat away at cushions…Has a huge catch radius…Times the ball well on jump balls and highpoints with long arms…Plus play strength to fend off downfield contact…Flashes acceleration and power to be a threat after the catch.

Weaknesses

Not slow, but isn’t the fastest receiver…Routes can be easily altered by press or physical coverage…Untested vs. double coverage.

Awards

Consensus All-American (2023)

First-team All-Pac-12 (2022, 2023)

Red Flags

N/A

Fit Likelihood

High

Grade

1st

Highlights