B+
Los Angeles Chargers
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Chargers a B+.
by TheKAT0079 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 reaches
The real work happened on the phones. The Chargers fleeced their trade partners, turning their picks into a noticeably bigger pile than they started with. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B+.
The Thomas pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. They banked enough surplus on Allen to cover a lot of smaller sins.
The interior defensive lineman hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the interior defensive lineman spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 7 they get a matchup weapon at tight end. A real need, handled.
Value said wait; Zach Frazier in Round 2, Pick 5 says they were not listening. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Tyler Guyton in pick No. 44 lands just on the right side of the ledger. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
The board had cheaper options than Mike Sainristil at slot 69, and it noticed. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A tidy little value on Roman Wilson in the Round 3 slot, a step better than break-even. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They read the board right and Bucky Irving was the payoff at the 105th pick. A need, and now a little less of one.
Malik Mustapha at No. 142 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the safety. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Braelon Allen at the 183rd overall pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It fills a real need, too.
They reached into another round for Xavier Thomas, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.