C+
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers did enough to get by: C+.
by TheUltimateCharge ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 1 steals
· 7 reaches
The rest of the league had time to spare on Michael Barrett; the Chargers did not wait, grabbing him 111 spots ahead at the 124th overall pick. A weekend of give and take that grades a C+.
If one pick saves this weekend, it is Smith. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped interior defensive lineman, which is a strange place to end up.
The trades cost them a sliver of value they did not need to spend.
If Brock Bowers and a couple of the gambles land, hindsight will be kinder than this grade.
Pick-by-Pick
By-the-book stuff, Brock Bowers at No. 5 squarely in line with his ranking. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Kris Jenkins at slot 37 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Sedrick Van Pran. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jarrian Jones at the Round 4 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Michael Barrett. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Frank Gore Jr. well ahead of where he belonged. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jaylen Harrell in No. 176 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They will replay Tykee Smith at pick 181 for years; that is how good the value is. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They paid sticker price for Cornelius Johnson in the Round 6 slot, and that is fine. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
LaDarius Henderson at pick No. 225 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They reached into another round for J.J. Weaver, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.