D
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers won the night they stopped Pearl from sliding. Grade: D.
by 0987 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 11 steals
· 0 reaches
Somebody took the Chargers to the cleaners. The deals they made bled real value, and the whole class wears it. The process wobbled, and the D is where it lands.
The Pearl pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it.
The verdict is not kind, and fairly so; this class has a hill to climb.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 13th overall pick they get a building block for the line. A clean fit for the roster.
Ja'Tavion Sanders in the 37th pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Somehow Jer'Zhan Newton was still sitting there in the Round 2 slot, and they pounced on premier interior defensive lineman value. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Kamari Lassiter at slot 49 is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Ricky Pearsall in pick No. 69 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A cornerback of that caliber at Round 3, Pick 16 is the definition of value, full stop. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board fumbled Ja'Lynn Polk all the way to the 97th overall pick, and they scooped it up. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
By-the-book stuff, Zak Zinter at the Round 4 slot squarely in line with his ranking. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A clean, defensible pick in No. 110 with a little surplus value in Braelon Allen. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They paid sticker price for Maason Smith in pick 112, and that is fine. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Johnny Wilson slid further than he should have, and the 140th pick is lovely value for the wide receiver. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Good price on Trevor Keegan in Round 5, Pick 13, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Marist Liufau in pick No. 181. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Steal is underselling it; Tykee Smith at slot 194 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Tahj Washington at slot 214 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Evan Williams at No. 225 is the proof. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They barely believed it either: Julian Pearl still on the board at pick No. 253. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.