A
Los Angeles Chargers
Grand theft in No. 131: the Chargers steal Wilson and grade out a A.
by Nitro ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 13 steals
· 0 reaches
The rest of the league will want that one back. Johnny Wilson tumbling to the Chargers in the 131st overall pick is a gift they did not have to think twice about.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it.
The veteran additions, Drew Dalman chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not. On the needs board they went 6 of 8, with interior defensive lineman the one that mattered most.
In the end it comes back to Brock Bowers, and a haul good enough to build on right away.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 14 they get a mismatch in the passing game, outstanding value to boot.
In the 18th overall pick they get an anchor for the offensive line at a price that makes it sweeter. A real need, handled.
Troy Franklin in the 45th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
You do not let a cornerback like Ennis Rakestraw Jr. reach the Round 2 slot and blink. They did not. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A slide stopped in Round 3, Pick 31, with Mike Sainristil worth more than the price. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Value with a capital V on Michael Hall Jr. in pick No. 105, a genuine coup. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They will replay Johnny Wilson at slot 131 for years; that is how good the value is. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
MarShawn Lloyd in No. 142 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A need, and now a little less of one.
Edefuan Ulofoshio at the 183rd pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Frank Gore Jr. at slot 196 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It fills a real need, too.
The board had JD Bertrand higher than the Round 6 slot, and the linebacker fell to them anyway. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Taking Ethan Driskell in the 217th overall pick is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Circle this one: Christian Jones at pick 226 is a fall that decides a draft. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.