Tag: draft prospects

2023 NFL draft: Chargers had meeting with Western Kentucky DT Brodric Martin

The Chargers are looking to shore up the depth chart at the nose tackle position.

The Chargers met with former Western Kentucky defensive tackle Brodric Martin this past Sunday, according to The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler.

Martin totaled 81 tackles, 37 solo tackles, nine tackles for loss, four passes defended, and two sacks during his collegiate career for the Hilltoppers.

Miller also earned an East-West Shrine Bowl invite, where he had two tackles and a fumble recovery.

Towering at 6-foot-4 and 337 pounds with 34 3/8-inch arms, Martin is a stout interior defender who is strong at occupying double teams and eating up space to clear the way for linebackers.

With Austin Johnson and Otito Ogbonnia still working their way back from their significant knee injuries and Breiden Fehoko now on the Steelers, Los Angeles could be in the market for more nose tackle depth.

Martin projects as a sixth or seventh-round selection.

2023 NFL draft: Chargers hosted Boston College DB Jaiden Woodbey for top-30 visit

The Chargers hosted a versatile defender on a top-30 visit.

According to The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler, the Chargers hosted Boston College defensive back Jaiden Woodbey on a top-30 visit.

A highly touted recruit out of St. John Bosco High School, Woodbey began his career at Florida State. He recorded 59 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and seven pass deflections as a true freshman but suffered a knee injury in 2019.

Woodbey rehabbed back from the injury but wasn’t fully healthy himself the following year before electing to transfer to Boston College. He appeared in 20 games, recording 104 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and five pass deflections.

Woodbey settled into a versatile role at BC. Over the course of two seasons, he played 600+ snaps in the box, 200+ at deep safety, 200+ in the slot and 100+ along the defensive line.

Woodbey was invited to the East-West Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas, NV.

At the next level, Woodbey’s versatility will serve him well, as he can line up against tight ends and running backs, move inside the box, and kick inside the slot.

With Brandon Staley, who covets interchangeable players on the defensive side of the ball, Woodbey is an ideal candidate.

Woodbey projects as a sixth or seventh-round selection.

2023 NFL draft: Chargers attended workout for Clemson’s Myles Murphy, KJ Henry

The Chargers met with two edge defenders at their pro day.

The Chargers were one of the teams in attendance for the workout for Clemson edge defenders Myles Murphy and KJ Henry, according to The Charlotte Observer’s Mike Kaye.

Clemson’s initial pro day was a few weeks ago but Murphy and Henry didn’t participate.

Touted as one of the top players at his position, Murphy recorded 18.5 sacks and five passes defended in 35 games.

At 6-foot-5 and 268 pounds, Murphy is a player who offers a combination of size, power and athleticism at the position, as well as some pass-rushing alignment versatility.

Murphy is projected to be a first-round pick.

Meanwhile, Henry had also had a productive career for the Tigers, amassing 139 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks and 11 passes broken up over 58 games.

At 6-foot-4 and 251 pounds, Henry has quickness off the edge needed to create pressure on the quarterback and the play strength at the point of attack in the run game.

Murphy projects as a fourth or fifth round selection.

The Chargers need more talent in the edge defender room. The duo of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack is great, but Los Angeles struggled to generate pressure when Bosa was out for most of the season with a torn groin.

Therefore, they will be in the market for a player at the position in this year’s draft, and Murphy or Henry could be on their board if they’re still available when they’re on the clock.

2023 NFL draft: Chargers met with Florida LB Ventrell Miller

The Chargers are doing their homework on a projected mid-round linebacker.

According to The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler, the Chargers met with Florida linebacker Ventrell Miller ahead of the 2023 NFL draft.

Miller finished his college career with 240 total tackles, 7.5 sacks, 23.5 tackles for loss, an interception, eight pass breakups and two forced fumbles across his 49 appearances and 33 starts with the Gators.

At 6 feet and 232 pounds, Miller is a bit undersized for the position. Nonetheless, he is a rangy backer with good play strength, instincts and surefire tackling ability. He is a bit on the older side, as Miller will be a 24-year-old rookie.

Los Angeles lost Drue Tranquill, who signed with the Chiefs. To fill the void, they signed Eric Kendricks. Kenneth Murray is slated to be the other starting linebacker. Murray is in the final year of his rookie deal, so adding more talent to the positional room is vital.

Miller projects as a fourth or fifth-round selection.

Chargers 2023 NFL draft preview: Where does Los Angeles stand at quarterback?

Our Chargers’ NFL draft preview series kicks off with quarterback, which is in good hands with Justin Herbert.

After taking a steady approach in free agency, signing just one external player in linebacker Eric Kendricks and re-signing a handful of their own, the Chargers now have their sights set on the draft where they will look to bolster their roster with their selections and make a deeper run in 2023.

Before, we’re going position by position to break down where Los Angeles stands entering the draft.

First up is quarterback.

Chargers add defensive tackle, tight end in Todd McShay’s latest mock draft

The Chargers go in an uncommon direction with their first-round selection.

ESPN’s Todd McShay released his latest two-round projections on Tuesday.

In the first round, McShay has the Chargers drafting former Pittsburgh defensive tackle Calijah Kancey.

We’ve seen Chargers coach Brandon Staley have success with Aaron Donald as an interior rusher when he was the Rams’ defensive coordinator, and while Kancey is not Donald, he plays a similar style as a penetrating 3-technique with take-off burst. Kancey also ran the fastest 40-yard dash time for a defensive tackle since 2006 at 4.67 seconds, and he had 14.5 sacks and 28.5 tackles for loss over the past two seasons at Pitt.

The selection of Kancey would bring a game-wrecking pass rusher from the inside with his quickness, burst and natural leverage. Finishing with 47 pressures on 275 pass-rushing snaps, Kancey’s 92.4 pass-rushing grade led all interior defenders this past season, per Pro Football Focus.

Los Angeles heavily invested in the interior part of the defensive line last offseason. However, they lost Austin Johnson and Otito Ogbonnia to knee injuries near the midway part of the season. The two players are still working their way back, so Kancey’s services would be beneficial.

McShay pegged former Penn State tight end Brenton Strange to L.A with their second-round selection.

I dug into Strange’s tape recently, and he’s one of the most underrated players in this class, despite mediocre production and combine results. He accelerates really well and can stretch the seam, and he is competitive as an in-line blocker. Justin Herbert would love finding the 6-foot-4 target downfield for big gains.

Strange hasn’t been projected this high in mock drafts, but it’s easy to believe a team like the Chargers could fall in love with his athletic profile and take him earlier. At the combine, Strange ran a 4.70 40-yard dash (ninth among TEs) and a 1.57 10-yard split (tied for second among TEs).

On the field, Strange is a capable blocker and well-rounded receiver. Strange combined for 52 catches, 587 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns in his last two collegiate seasons. He also had 11.3 yards per reception in his previous two years for the Nittany Lions.

Chargers trade back, stack deck on both sides in 4-round mock draft

In our latest 4-round mock draft, the Chargers trade back, get an additional second-round pick and bolster both sides of the ball.

The Chargers are currently slated to pick No. 21 overall in the 2023 NFL draft, which is just over three weeks away, at least for now.

In a recent media availability, general manager Tom Telesco hinted at the possibility of a trade back.

“Certainly, when you’re in that late first, there’s probably a little bit more of a thought,” said Telesco. “Essentially, at that point, you’re taking a player that at least you have graded as a second-round player.

That’s all really subjective. But if you can trade back a little bit and pick up a pick and still get maybe even the same player or close to the same player, then it’s a pretty good deal to do.”

If they were to trade back, this would mark the first time that Telesco has done it in his tenure as Los Angeles’ GM.

So what if Telesco pulls the trigger? I did a mock draft that saw the Chargers trade the 21st pick for the Bengals’ 28th and 60th selections.

Let’s dive into the haul.

Three Gators included among The Athletic’s latest Big Board

There are three former Gators that Florida fans should pay attention to in particular this draft season, according to the latest prospect rankings from the Athletic.

The 2023 NFL draft is now less than a month away, and that means it’s about time that prospect big boards and rankings begin being regularly updated and changed by the day.

The Athletic released its 2023 Big Board of the top 100 prospects in the draft cycle, and three former Florida Gators made the cut. Quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] leads the way at No. 14 overall to no surprise. After an impressive pro day showing on Thursday, Richardson could easily rise over the next week or so.

Richardson is almost a lock to come off the board in the first round at this point in the evaluation process, and he’s done just about everything right so far.

Guard [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] is the next man up on the list at No. 36 overall. Although that would put him out of first-round range if each team picked the highest-ranked available player, that’s not the way the draft works. Torrence is the best guard prospect in the draft and could easily see one of the first 30 teams reach for him.

Last on the list is defensive tackle [autotag]Gervon Dexter Sr[/autotag]., who is hoping to sneak into the second round after three years in the Swamp. Dexter hasn’t quite shown the kind of consistency that pro scouts want to see, but his physical gifts make him a popular target. Expect some team to reach on him as well.

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5 potential targets if Chargers trade down in 2023 NFL draft

Here are five players that the Chargers could target if they were to trade down in the 2023 NFL draft.

We can assume who the Chargers will take when they’re on the clock all we want, but the unthinkable is always bound to happen come draft day.

Teams will do whatever it takes to get their guy, so trades will occur. So let’s say there’s a team that wants a quarterback or skill player, but they feel like they won’t be there when they pick they’re going to trade up.

If Los Angeles was to trade down and stockpile draft picks, who might they consider?

Here are five players that could be in consideration for the Bolts if they trade down:

2023 NFL draft: Chargers in attendance at Utah pro day

The Chargers sent tight ends coach Kevin Koger.

As the 2023 NFL draft nears, college pro days are happening, as prospects are making their final impressions in front of teams.

Chargers tight ends coach Kevin Koger attended Utah’s pro day this past week, according to Pro Football Focus’ Tony Pauline.

Koger was in Salt Lake City, Utah, to check out TE Dalton Kincaid. However, Kincaid was a non-participant after suffering a minor fracture in his back late last season, which also prevented him from working out at the combine.

Kincaid has been pegged as a top target for Los Angeles throughout the draft cycle, given their need to address the position as they search for a bonafide No. 1 tight end for the first time since Hunter Henry.

Kincaid is a prolific receiver with great hands who can win all over the field with his athleticism and play speed and can create yards after the catch, projecting as a passing game playmaker for offensive coordinator Kellen Moore from Day 1.

Kincaid amassed 103 receptions for 1375 yards and 16 touchdowns in his four years as a starter for the Utes, with his best season coming in 2022. He racked up an impressive 890 yards on 70 catches. Additionally, Kincaid had the lowest drop rate percentage among TEs (2.8%).

If the Chargers feel that his back injury won’t be an issue, Kincaid could be in consideration with they’re on the clock with the No. 21 overall selection.