Los Angeles Chargers news – Page 2

Joe Hortiz speaks on adding wide receiver depth in draft: ‘I feel like we got deeper there’

The Chargers added three wide receivers during the draft.

The 2024 NFL draft concluded with the Chargers adding three wide receivers, starting with Ladd McConkey in the second round and Brenden Rice and Cornelius Johnson in the seventh round.

McConkey finished his college career at Georgia with 119 catches, 1,687 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns. He was also useful as a runner, as he ran for 216 yards and four scores.

Rice is the son of 49er Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who holds the NFL all-time records in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Needless to say, football is in his DNA and it showed at USC when he led the Trojans with 12 touchdowns.

Johnson was one of Harbaugh’s players at Michigan. In 2023, he was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honoree, producing 47 catches for 604 yards and a touchdown.

The wide receiver position had one of the biggest question marks before the draft, especially since Los Angeles lost veterans Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.

“I mean, we drafted three, so I definitely feel like we got a lot deeper there,” Hortiz said. “I’ve talked about depth for our team from the beginning, that’s one of the goals. I feel like we got deeper there.”

The rookie pass catchers will now join a room that includes Joshua Palmer, Quentin Johnston, Derius Davis and Simi Fehoko.

“I think the group that exists is going to go out and compete and challenge each other and try to win for the Chargers,” Hortiz said. “If we feel like we can add a player to any group on this team that helps us do those things, we’re going to add them. It doesn’t matter the position.”

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.

Bill Belichick heaps high praise on Joe Alt after being drafted by Chargers

Bill Belichick had nothing but high praise for Joe Alt.

Joe Alt was the first tackle taken off the board when the Chargers selected him No. 5 overall.

One of the greatest coaches, Bill Belichick, who was a guest analyst on the live stream of the Pat McAfee Show during the draft, had nothing but high praise for Alt.

“This guy is ready to go,” Belichick said. “I think he’ll be able to play right away for them.”

As the analysts reviewed Alt’s highlight reel, Belichick immediately noted his length, athleticism and awareness on the field.

“There’s a lot to like about him; he’s a quality guy,” Belichick stated.

With Alt being a rookie, there is always something to work on and Belicheck believes the young tackle can improve on his balance.

Nevertheless, the Chargers snagged a player who competes at a high level.

“You’ll like having him on your football team,” Belichick added. “There’s no question about that.

For a team looking to be more physical, Alt will be a key cog with his ability to shut down edge rushers and create running lanes.

Chargers pick up fifth-year option on Rashawn Slater

Rashawn Slater is locked up through the 2025 season.

As expected, the Chargers officially picked up the fifth-year option on Rashawn Slater on Monday. It keeps him under contract through the 2025 season.

LA will now have their two bookend tackles with new draft pick Joe Alt playing opposite Slater. HC Jim Harbaugh called the offensive line the “tip of the spear” in regards to the Alt pick. In the same press conference, he did say Slater was “locked in” at left tackle.

Slater will also be extension eligible this offseason. Hortiz was asked about a potential deal getting done prior to the draft. With the transition from Baltimore and the draf taking precedent, it seems like LA will now be able to get into any potential contract extensions and/or free agent signings. It stands to reason that Slater will be a part of those plans.

The Chargers’ left tackle didn’t miss a beat from where he left off in the 2021 season. Slater missed most of 2022 with a torn bicep that cause him to miss nearly the entirety of the season. The former Northwestern product actually topped out a career high PFF pass blocking grade of 84.7 last year.

LA will need to figure out the plan on the interior, but Alt and Slater represent a stable foundation for years to come.

Pro player comparisons for Chargers’ top draft picks

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar revealed his top players at each position and gave NFL comparisons for each player.

Comparing draft prospects to NFL players, both former and current, is an annual tradition.

It doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll have the same kind of success at this level. Yet, the comparisons are made based on how similar the prospects’ game play, physical measurements, production, roles and traits are.

Ahead of the 2024 NFL draft, Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire revealed his top players at each position and gave NFL comparisons for each player.

Farrar compared Joe Alt to Lions’ Taylor Decker.

There aren’t a lot of wildly successful NFL offensive tackles over 6-foot-8, and Alt stands in at 6′ 8⅝” and 328 pounds. He’ll have to make sure he keeps his leverage together — if so, he can be a dominant pass- and run-blocker. Decker, selected by the Detroit Lions with the 16th overall pick in the 2016 draft out of Ohio State, has some of the same issues at 6-foot-7, but can be a plus factor on the left side.

Like Decker, Alt is rare in size for the position, which can lead to leverage issues and overextending against bull rushers at times. This may occur at the next level. But while he works through it, Alt will mitigate it with sound technique with quick hands, feet, and body control.

The next player Farrar mentioned was Ladd McConkey, who drew the comparison to Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown.

McConkey might be the best route-runner in this class, and since he’s white, he’s been compared to everyone from Cooper Kupp to Julian Edelman. Those comps are easy to make, but when I studied McConkey’s tape, I was reminded of Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has become the Detroit Lions’ volume target since they selected him in the fourth round of the 2021 draft out of USC. Like St. Brown, McConkey has the potential to be an NFL team’s No. 1 receiver despite the fact that he doesn’t resemble one from a size/speed perspective. What both players have is a seamless ability to get open all over the field, and the tenaciousness to win contested balls that other, bigger receivers might struggle to catch.

I agree with Farrar with this comparison. While McConkey is faster, both players are refined route runners to make life difficult for defensive backs and consistently get open coupled with having the physicality and ball skills to catch anything thrown their way.

A player not mentioned in Farrar’s list, but who I have a good comparison is Junior Colson to Chiefs’ Willie Gay.

Both Colson and Gay are great-sized linebackers with easy movers in the open field to make a lot of plays against the run. They also have the range to drop into coverage and the strength and agility to thrive as blitzers.

Joe Hortiz reflects on first draft as Chargers general manager: ‘I really believe we made our team better’

Joe Hortiz completed his first draft as Chargers general manager and it’s safe to say it was a major success.

Joe Hortiz completed his first draft as the Chargers general manager and it’s safe to say it was a major success.

Los Angeles stuck with their No. 5 first overall pick and snagged the best offensive tackle in Notre Dame’s Joe Alt. Additionally, the team added two players, Ladd McConkey and Junior Colson, on Day 2. On Day 3, six more players were selected, adding depth for now and the roster’s future.

“The opportunity to take the players we took, each time we were just excited to take every one of them,” Hortiz added. “I really believe we made our team better.”

According to Hortiz, the third day of the draft was arguably the most crucial, adding that championship teams are expected to elevate their rosters in rounds four through seven.

“That’s where the scouts and coaches really do their work,” Hortiz said. “Everyone has their mock drafts on the first and second and third rounds. And honestly, you could pick 36 or 37 players on Day 1 and you’ll get 32 of them right.

“But Day 3 is when the information is not as readily available and that’s where you trust your scouts,” Hortiz added. “Our scouts did a great job knowing the players and identifying the ones that can help us.”

The draft class included nine players at six different position groups.

“These players fit the Chargers profile, and we really believe all nine of these guys do,” Hortiz said. “You want high-character players, you want highly competitive players, passionate players, intelligent, durable, tough. Guys that care about each other. And I can really say that about every one of them.

“We had the blue star that we brought with us here … we drafted three of them, “Hortiz continued. “We don’t got a bunch of them, each scout gets one. They put it on a guy and we were able to take three of them.

“Frankly, all nine of these players can be blue star-type players, but we’re limited in the number we can give out so you pick one, put it on,” Hortiz added. “That’s a real positive thing for us.”

Following the draft, the Chargers’ roster is in much better standing. They addressed the positions of need that we highlighted ahead of the event with players who mostly ranked higher or aligned with the consensus big board.

Poll: What grade do you give Chargers’ 2024 draft class?

We want to know what you thought of the Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh’s draft haul.

The 2024 NFL draft is officially in the rearview.

The Chargers kicked off the draft by finding their starting right tackle in Joe Alt.

On Day 2, general manager Joe Hortiz brought in wide receiver Ladd McConkey and linebacker Junior Colson.

On the final day, Los Angeles defensive tackle Justin Egboigbe, cornerbacks Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart, running back Kimani Vidal and wide receivers Brenden Rice and Cornelius Johnson.

That said, we want to know what you thought of the Bolts’ draft class. Did you like the picks that L.A. made?

Vote in the poll below.

Instant analysis of Chargers’ selection of WR Cornelius Johnson

Analyzing the Los Angeles Chargers’ selection of Michigan wide receiver Cornelius Johnson with the No. 253 overall pick.

Michigan players drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers: 2.

Wide receiver Cornelius Johnson was selected by LA with the no. 253 overall selection, closing out the Chargers’ draft class. Johnson is also the third receiver to be drafted by the Chargers, joining second rounder Ladd McConkey and seventh rounder Brenden Rice.

A true X receiver who took 94% of his snaps out wide for Michigan, Johnson finished his Wolverine career with more receptions than Desmond Howard and Mario Manningham. While he struggles slightly with drops, he does have a wide catch radius and has experience on punt coverage with two blocked punts in his career.

While an older receiver who doesn’t generate much YAC, Johnson has nice footwork as a route runner and has played a ton of football for new Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. He’ll compete for playing time in what’s suddenly a much more crowded wide receiver room in Los Angeles.

2024 NFL draft: Chargers pick WR Cornelius Johnson with No. 253 overall selection

The Chargers added their third wide receiver in the draft with the selection of Cornelius Johnson.

The Chargers wrapped up their 2024 draft class with the selection of former Michigan wide receiver Cornelius Johnson with the No. 253 overall pick.

Johnson was the third wideout that Los Angeles took in this draft, with the other two being Ladd McConkey and Brenden Rice.

Johnson is also the second former Wolverine, joining linebacker Junior Colson in Los Angeles.

Johnson, who played for Michigan for five seasons, had career highs in receptions (47) and receiving yards (604) this past season. He finished his college career with 138 receptions for 2,030 yards and 14 touchdowns.

At 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds, Johnson is a big-bodied deep threat with raw athleticism and good playmaking ability to make contested catches. He is also physical in the run-blocking department.