B+
Los Angeles Chargers
Nobody dealt better than the Chargers this weekend: B+.
2024 NFL Draft
· 18 picks
· 10 steals
· 3 reaches
The Chargers ran the phones like sharks, prying loose value on deal after deal until the ledger was lopsided. They moved the roster forward and banked a B+ for it.
Every board in the league had Lloyd lower, and that gap is the story. The tight end spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
That is a cornerback worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly.
Good work on the whole, with tight end the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a plug-and-play piece up front at fair value. A real need, handled.
Brian Thomas Jr. in pick No. 37 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Calen Bullock slipping to the 58th overall pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Fair-plus on Ja'Lynn Polk, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Junior Colson at the 84th pick is money in the bank, a linebacker taken below his worth. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
A real head-scratcher, MarShawn Lloyd in No. 105 is miles ahead of his ranking. A need, and now a little less of one.
They let Max Melton come to them and pounced at pick 128. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
No drama and no debate, Luke McCaffrey went about where he belonged in Round 5, Pick 6. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A tidy bit of business in pick 165, where Jaylin Simpson graded well above the range. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Curtis Jacobs in slot 169 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
A quiet steal in the Round 5 slot: Chau Smith-Wade for less than the market said. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Julian Pearl in Round 6, Pick 22. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Josh Proctor slid further than he should have, and the 202nd pick is lovely value for the safety. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Kimani Vidal is a better player than pick No. 206 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It fills a real need, too.
A straight-up fair deal on J.J. Weaver at No. 222, value and slot in agreement. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Zion Logue well ahead of where he belonged. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Daequan Hardy at the 241st overall pick is the proof. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They took Eric Gentry at par in slot 249, which is nothing to complain about. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.