Tag: Kimani Vidal

PFF tabs Chargers’ bounce-back candidate for 2024 season

RB J.K. Dobbins was Pro Football Focus’ pick to be the Chargers’ bounce-back player for 2024 season.

The Chargers will be heavily relying on their running game this upcoming season, and running back J.K. Dobbins is one of the players who will be vital to its success.

Dobbins, who has been squandered by injuries in recent seasons, was named Pro Football Focus’ bounce-back candidate.

Dobbins was great in his two healthy seasons with the Ravens, earning rushing grades of at least 75.6 and averaging over 3.00 yards after contact per carry. However, he tore his Achilles just 12 snaps into last year and tore his ACL before even lacing up his cleats in a game in 2021.

Jim Harbaugh’s philosophy in Ann Arbor was to run the damn ball, and with the Chargers’ receiving room still lacking any proven alpha presences, that should continue in Los Angeles. Dobbins might split carries initially with his former Baltimore teammate Gus Edwards, but his better explosiveness could lend itself to a strong year for the 25-year-old in a new home.

Injuries have severely limited Dobbins following an outstanding rookie season in 2020, when he averaged 5.8 yards per carry and totaled over 800 rushing yards. In total, he’s played in just nine games in the last three seasons.

Dobbins talked about how he’s healthy and ready to dispel the injury-prone narrative. I’d expect Gus Edwards to be the Chargers’ lead back early on and for Dobbins to be brought along slowly, but it wouldn’t be surprising to take over that role in due time.

If he can stay on the field, he will supply the offense with one of the most explosive backs, with a skill set that features good elusiveness and pass-catching ability.

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: The best offensive scheme fits in the 2024 NFL draft

From Jayden Daniels to Xavier Worthy, Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar get into the best offensive scheme fits from the 2024 NFL draft.

There are at least two stages of evaluation when dealing with draft prospects. There’s the work you do watching tape of a player in a vacuum pre-draft, when you’re looking at a player’s attributes and liabilities overall. Then, when the player is drafted, you’re trying to figure out why the team selected the player, and how that player best fits in his new home from a schematic and performance perspective.

With the 2024 NFL draft in the rearview, it’s time for Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group, to determine the best scheme fits from this class.

Greg and Doug begin on the offensive side of the ball, with these players:

  • Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
  • Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos
  • Troy Franklin, WR, Denver Broncos
  • Blake Corum, RB, Los Angeles Rams
  • Jonathon Brooks, RB, Carolina Panthers
  • Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
  • Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
  • Kimani Vidal, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

You can watch this week’s Xs and Os right here:

You can also listen and subscrive to the Xs and Os podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

NFL executive heaps praise on Chargers’ Day 3 selections

An NFL executive feels like Joe Hortiz had an all-around great draft.

The Chargers were lauded for their draft selections in the first two days, but their Day 3 selections were just as deserving of praise.

An NFL executive, per The Athletic’s Mike Sando, said that Los Angeles used to draft well in the first round and would then reach in the middle to late rounds, but that didn’t seem to be the case in Joe Hortiz’s first draft.

“Time will tell, but I think (Tarheeb) Still is going to be a good nickel, Cam Hart has a chance to start and the running back (Kimani Vidal) has a chance to be a three-down starter,” the executive said.

At the time of the selection, Still was a head-scratching pick for many fans based on the unfamiliarity. But he is a confident ball magnet, having posted six interceptions last season. He should push for a starting job early on.

Hart was seen as a top-100 pick but took a slide due to injury concerns and limited ball production. Nonetheless, he has elite traits at 6-foot-3 and 202 pounds and has proven to shut down good competition, including Marvin Harrison Jr.

Vidal is a great and productive player with the explosiveness, vision, contact balance, lateral agility, and passing game impact to contribute early on in his pro career.

Chargers and Ladd McConkey, Kimani Vidal among draft’s best scheme fits

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar laid out his favorite scheme fits from the 2024 NFL draft on the offensive side of the ball.

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.

Chargers rookies get their jersey numbers

Here’s a look at the jersey numbers of the newest Chargers additions.

The Chargers announced the jersey numbers for their 2024 rookie class on Tuesday.

Here’s a look at the first-year players and the numbers they will be sporting:

  • OT Joe Alt – 76
  • WR Ladd McConkey – 15
  • LB Junior Colson – 25
  • DT Justin Eboigbe – 98
  • CB Tarheeb Still – 29
  • CB Cam Hart – 20
  • RB Kimani Vidal – 30
  • WR Brenden Rice – 82
  • WR Cornelius Johnson – 86

J.K. Dobbins fully healthy, ready to go in first season with Chargers: ‘There’ll be no setbacks’

J.K. Dobbins feels good and is ready to dispel the injury-prone label.

As part of the Chargers’ backfield reconstruction, they brought in J.K. Dobbins, who has battled the injury bug, most recently rupturing his Achilles in Week 1 last season.

But Dobbins feels good and is ready to dispel the always-injured label.

“You got the injury-prone [label] out there, but I think the storm is over with, and I think I’m going to take off now,” Dobbins said. “There’ll be no setbacks, and this injury-prone thing will be gone out the window.”

Injuries have severely limited Dobbins following an eye-popping rookie season in 2020, when he averaged 5.8 yards per carry and totaled over 800 rushing yards. He tore his ACL and LCL and damaged his meniscus in 2021.

In total, he’s played in just nine games in the last three seasons.

“I think people all around know that it’s a high-risk, high-reward type thing,'” he said. “… But I think everyone around the league knows that whenever I am on the field, the numbers don’t lie.”

When Dobbins is on the field, he is a real treat to watch, as he makes picking up yards look effortless with excellent contact balance and lateral quickness.

Dobbins reunites with former Ravens running back Gus Edwards and offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

“He sticks with the run, and that’s the identity. You want an offense that has an identity,” Dobbins said. “You don’t want to be looking everywhere else to find your identity. You want to have it. And so I think this offense has that.”

Dobbins believes he is 100% healthy and ready to hit the practice field for training camp but is leaving it in the hands of the training staff.

“I think this organization is a great organization, and the training staff is great, and so they just want what’s best for me, and they’re taking care of me,” Dobbins said. “… But like I said, if it’s up to me, yeah, I’m out there.”

Chargers RB Kimani Vidal lauded as Day 3 pick who could surprise

The Chargers got great value with Kimani Vidal in the sixth round.

The Chargers have made it clear that they will run the ball a lot, which meant bringing in the right group of guys to make it happen.

After signing Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins in free agency, they selected Kimani Vidal in the sixth round.

Despite being drafted late, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler believes Vidal could surprise this upcoming season.

The Chargers added J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, but I expect Vidal to play a meaningful role almost immediately. He might not be a home run-hitter, but he is the type of running back Jim Harbaugh appreciates — someone who gets the singles and doubles and can be trusted to stay on the field in any situation.

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

There’s a good chance that a player with that type of production in college will have the opportunity to crack the rotation in Year 1, which is why I expect Vidal to get his.

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.

Instant analysis of Chargers’ selection of Troy RB Kimani Vidal

Analyzing the Los Angeles Chargers’ selection of running back Kimani Vidal with the 181st overall pick.

Los Angeles has added another running back.

One that I projected the Chargers to take a full round earlier at No. 140 overall in my final projections on Thursday morning.

But LA was patient, and Troy running back Kimani Vidal tumbled. The Chargers pounced at No. 181 overall, selecting the back to join a room of Gus Edwards, JK Dobbins, Isaiah Spiller, and Elijah Dotson.

Vidal led the FBS with 47 carries of 10 or more yards in 2023, thanks in large part to his high-end instincts as a runner in a gap blocking scheme. That’s what the Chargers are expected to run under new offensive coordinator Greg Roman as well, making Vidal an attractive option as a complimentary back.

Vidal is only an average receiver, which leaves the Chargers without a clear option for that role in the 2024 season. But he should have a defined role in LA’s offense next to Edwards and Dobbins, and the Chargers likely see him as the potential long-term successor in the running back room.

A roughly similar player to Michigan’s Blake Corum, Los Angeles gets Vidal three rounds later than Harbaugh’s pet player in Ann Arbor.

And it’s a home run, much like the ones Vidal’s great-uncle Hank Aaron used to hit.

2024 NFL draft: Chargers pick RB Kimani Vidal with No. 181 overall selection

The Chargers added to the running back room with the selection of Kimani Vidal.

The Chargers selected former Troy running back Kimani Vidal with the No. 181 overall pick.

Los Angeles was likely to add to the backfield at some point in the draft, and they did so by getting Vidal, who should complement Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins.

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

At 5-foot-8 and 215 pounds, Vidal has the explosiveness, vision, contact balance, lateral agility and passing game impact to be a key piece of the Bolts’ backfield committee early on.

2024 NFL Draft: Troy RB Kimani Vidal scouting report

Troy running back Kimani Vidal spent his college career under the radar, but his tape and metrics should have the NFL taking notice.

There are those draft prospects who find themselves relatively forgotten because of any number of things: They may be playing a position that’s either stacked or has lost some value in recent years, they may be smaller-school guys, or perhaps they don’t fit the NFL’s collective paradigm for their position.

At 5-foot-8 and 203 pounds, Troy running back Kimani Vidal would seem to have all three of those strikes against him: He’s a smaller guy at a position many see as fungible, and he did his thing in the Sun Belt. So, you probably haven’t heard Vidal’s name as much as some other running backs unless you’re fully invested in the Draft Industrial Complex.

Now, it’s time for an introduction. Last season, no back in the 2024 draft class had more carries (295) or rushing yards (1,661) than Vidal, and he wasn’t doing it all against “subpar” competition, as we will see. Vidal scored 14 touchdowns on the ground, and he was a threat to bust a play wide open at any time with his accelerant speed (19 rushes of 15 or more yards last season) and ability to create after contact (his numbers after contact are listed below, and they’re ridiculous). We will mention for the record that Vidal’s 94 missed tackles forced last season put 20 above any other back in this class; UCF’s RJ Harvey ranked second with 74.

Vidal might not look like a future NFL back on the surface, but once you put on the tape, it’s easy to see how he could be a real asset to any professional run game.

PLUSES

— Led all backs in this class in both yards after contact (1,056) and missed tackles forced (94); he’s an explosive play waiting to happen most of the time.

— Vidal’s jump cuts may pace those of every back in this class; he’ll leave defenders haplessly gasping in his wake.

— Acceleration to the boundary is exceptional, and he’s a tough runner. Vidal has no issue delivering a blow as he’s taking one.

— Smooth glider to and through the hole as an inside runner. Has a nice eye for openings as they happen.

— Has good reps as a receiver out of the backfield, with some slot potential.

MINUSES

— Vidal had 28 negative runs on 250 carries last season; as explosive as he is more often than not, there is a boom-or-bust element to his running style.

— His blocking isn’t terrible, but he’s more gnat-like in power situations than he is a real headbanger.

— Strength of competition will be an obvious concern for NFL evaluators, but he had credible games against Kansas State and Duke last season. (His 46-yard run against Kansas State is featured below).

Vidal was perhaps at his most productive as a gap runner in college, but I would love him as an inside/outside zone guy at the next level. No matter where he lands, his big-play potential and Muscle Hamster physique project well for professional success.