A-
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers won the weekend at the trade table. Grade: A-.
by Tstewart73 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 6 steals
· 1 reaches
The Chargers went off the board in a big way for Taulia Tagovailoa, 52 picks early. Conviction is one thing; this is another.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped interior defensive lineman, which is a strange place to end up. They banked enough surplus on Newton to cover a lot of smaller sins.
The Chargers paired the rookies with proven help, Josey Jewell leading the way.
Add it up and this is about as clean as a draft weekend gets.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 12 they get a go-to option on the outside at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Ja'Tavion Sanders in slot 37 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. at the 69th overall pick. A minor need, but a need all the same.
They read the board right and Austin Booker was the payoff at pick No. 79. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A market-rate running back, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Braelon Allen. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They let Josh Newton come to them and pounced at pick 139. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A slide stopped in slot 183, with Dwight McGlothern worth more than the price. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A tidy bit of business in Round 6, Pick 24, where Cornelius Johnson graded well above the range. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Taulia Tagovailoa at the 223rd pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A need, and now a little less of one.
LaDarius Henderson is a better player than No. 256 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.