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The Los Angeles Chargers have had a very busy offseason. They have overhauled just about every facet of their franchise save for quarterback Justin Herbert. Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco were shown the door and were ultimately replaced with Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz. Those two have made a flurry of moves since taking over. The Chargers got rid of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams in their first offseason in charge to free up cap space. The moves did not stop during the 2024 NFL Draft, with three in particular standing out as quality additions to their team.
Drafting Joe Alt
Wide receiver was a popular choice for the Chargers’ first-round pick in mock drafts. Many were projecting them to select either Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. or LSU’s Malik Nabers, but Los Angeles went in a different direction.
The Detroit Lions selected Penei Sewell seventh overall in the 2021 draft despite already having a quality left tackle in Taylor Decker. The Chargers did the same this year by doubling down on their offensive line and protecting Justin Herbert.
They did so with Notre Dame’s Joe Alt. Alt was regarded by many as the best offensive lineman in this class. The Chargers agreed with that assessment. He is ferocious and stout in both the run game and the pass game. PFF graded Alt as the 2nd-best offensive lineman in all of college football in both areas a year ago.
Alt’s selection presents an interesting question for the Chargers. Rashawn Slater has already established himself as one of the best left tackles in the league. One of them will have to have to right tackle. Regardless, the addition of Alt will be a big plus for the Chargers. They ranked 18th in pass block win rate and 24th in run block win rate according to ESPN. They needed help up front. The Chargers got it with Alt.
Drafting Ladd McConkey
The Chargers bolstered their offensive line, but wide receiver was still a glaring need when they entered the second round. Allen and Williams are gone and without them, their wide receiver room is full of questions. Quentin Johnston had one of the most disappointing rookie seasons from a first-round pick in recent memory. Outside of him, the Chargers’ receiver depth consisted of Joshua Palmer, Derius Davis, and Simi Fehoko.
Los Angeles had work to do to improve that crew, and they did. They used the 34th on Georgia’s Ladd McConkey.
McConkey’s counting stats are nothing extraordinary. He only had 1,687 yards in his entire college career. But that is mostly due to him playing with a ton of NFL receivers as well as Georgia beating the breaks off of everybody. Only Harrison Jr. and Nabers bested McConkey’s yards per route run average for his career. In addition to that, McConkey is arguably the best route runner in this year’s class.
Chargers rookie Ladd McConkey cooking on downfield posts.
Beautiful stem work.
This is not a slot receiver. This is your best vertical weapon. pic.twitter.com/GvpiEj4Esc
— JetPack Galileo (@JetPackGalileo) April 30, 2024
The Chargers also drafted Brenden Rice, the son of Jerry Rice, in the seventh round. He can help them in the slot, but McConkey is the prize here. To get him and Alt is a godsend for Justin Herbert.
Drafting Kimani Vidal
The Chargers not only lost Allen and Williams, but Austin Ekeler as well. He left in free agency to the Washington Commanders. The Chargers did sign Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins to replace him and reunite them with offensive coordinator Greg Roman, but they needed someone for the future at that position.
That could be Troy’s Kimani Vidal. Vidal did a little bit of everything as the workhorse for Troy. In four seasons, he handled 781 carries for 4,010 yards and found the end zone 33 times. He also caught 92 passes for 700 yards and scored one touchdown through the air. Vidal has the size at 5-foot-8 and the skill to be a three-down back in the NFL. It also helps that he ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the NFL combine.
If anyone knows that a prolific running back can come from anywhere, it would be the Chargers after the career Ekeler has put together. Vidal may have the chance to follow in his footsteps. He’s a player to monitor going forward.
More must-reads:
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