I’m going to be 52 years old in May, but I still feel like a little kid (mentally at least). I’ve lived in NJ my whole life, but for some reason I became a die hard Chargers fan in 1981 with Dan Fouts and Air Coryell. I have experienced most of our highest highs and our lowest lows, and there were more lows than highs.

In all my years I have never been more excited than I am right now, and I mean that honestly. I cannot think of any other time I was this excited and that includes having Marty as a coach. But let me tell you all what it’s going to take from every one of us… an entire new mindset that we’ve never truly known before.

The Harbaugh coaching way (this includes all members of his team) is based on grit because that’s what wins championships. We are going to have one of the toughest football teams in the league. Our focus will be strength/toughness/grit first and then if that ball of grit is smothered in talent, well that is just a bonus. We are about to become Rocky Balboa. We don’t need to be pretty, we just need to beat the living shit out of you and then in 4th quarter when we have taken everything that you have given us, we are going to knock you the fuck out.

Harbaugh, Ben Herbert, and Jesse Minter want players that eat raw meat for breakfast. When they are bloody and exhausted at the end of the game they are going to pick themselves up, get back in the huddle and ask for more raw meat. There is no longer going to be the phrase “Chargered” on this team. We are going to march in to Arrowhead and punch those F’s in the mouth.

Stop focusing on Justin. The best thing that will happen to our team is when you barely know Justin’s name.

The 1994 Chargers made the Super Bowl because they had grit. Do you think Stan Humphries was one of the greatest QBs ever? No, but he was a mechanic and tough as hell. Do you know who our receivers were? Shawn Jefferson and Mark Seay. Ever heard of them? We won games because Natrone Means was a 1,000 pound animal that ran people over and because everyone on that line had grit. The Junior Seau defense would be sucking air frantically at the end of games but they would still jump over blockers to make tackles like they were wearing capes. They were mean and ferocious and never gave up.

Stop romanticizing about Nabers and MHJ. We are most likely trading down for grizzly bears to put at the line of scrimmage. This is money ball football. It ain’t runs its yards. We are going to bully defenses 5 yards a play until they can stop us. Then every once in a while when they stack the box, Justin will pick them apart with <20 yd passes.

We are going to be the sum of all parts. Don’t worry about the draft. Trust the process. We are about to be the happiest fans in the NFL. Trust the coaches and forget about flashy players. Ugly, bloody eyed monsters ripping peoples limbs off with 30 seconds left in the game is who we are now.

We have never been this team before (maybe 1994) and I am here for it.

Come along for the ride.

LFG!

There are only 9 days until the draft, which means we’ve already run through most of the conversations. Time to switch things up for a fresh take and hopefully an interesting conversation.

Slater / Johnson / Bozeman / Salyer / Pipkins

They’re not old, they’re not washed and they’ve all had stretches where they played like good football players.

Perhaps the media, always looking for a narrative to push, are getting ahead of themselves by projecting significant draft capital into multiple new Oline pieces, while team management believe they can coach this group up to expectations.

So let’s explore a mock draft under the assumption that the Oline is Ok and a trade down with Minnesota is successfully negotiated.

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1.11 Terrion Arnold | CB | 6’0, 196 (Alabama)

Arnold is my (and a lot of smarter people’s) CB1 in the draft and fills a major hole on this roster. He has all the tools and tape to be a star and fewer question marks than fellow CB prospect Quinyon Mitchell.

1.23 Adonai Mitchell | WR | 6’2, 205 (Texas)

BTJ will likely be gone at this point which leaves Mitchell as my favorite WR of the rest. He’s big, fast (4.34 40 time), tough and runs good routes. He can locate and hang onto the ball in traffic making him a great Red Zone target. Having a QB like Herbert will maximize all his strengths.

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2.37 Braden Fiske | DT | 6’5, 297 (Florida St.)

There’s a chance Johnny Newton falls here, but he’s also considered first round material by many, so Braden Fiske is my pick here in the second. He’s an explosive, high energy player. He’s strong against the run and as a pass rusher, averaging 10 TFLs and 5.5 sacks over the past three seasons.

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3.69 Jonathan Brooks | RB | 6’0, 207 (Texas)

Heres where the draft gets really fun. With the extra first round pick and without the shackles of addressing the Oline, the Chargers can grab another best-in-class prospect at a position of need. Brooks has great vision, is elusive and hard to tackle. He has great hands and is a demon in the flat. He protects the football and can hold his own in pass pro. If the Cowboys jump on Brooks in the late second round, then Trey Benson or Blake Corum would be excellent backup plans.

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4.105 Trevin Wallace | LB | 6’2, 241 (Kentucky)

Wallace is a name on the rise and for good reason. He’s been ranked way too low by a lot of experts and that is starting to change. 80 tackles, 8.5 TFLs and 5.5 Sacks this past season gives you an idea of the type of production he can bring. He’s able to defend in coverage and sideline to sideline in the run game. He’s not a finished product, but with the right coaching staff he has the tools and ability to be great.

4.110 Andru Phillips | CB | 5’11, 187 (Kentucky)

Doubling up on fourth round Wildcats and at Corner here with Phillips who can play both inside and outside. He’s a physical corner with nice footwork and quickness who can compete for the starting slot position.

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5.140 Hunter Nourzad | C | 6’3, 320 (Penn St.)

I said Oline was not a priorty, but that doesn’t mean we can’t bolster the unit. Nourzad is a noted expert technician with experience at all 5 positions. He can be the Center of the future and bring value to whichever position is needed until then. We’ve seen the mayhem caused by lack of an adequate backup Center, so let’s avoid that situation with this pick.

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6.180 Jacob Cowing | WR | 5’11, 175 (Arizona)

Adding Mitchell will go a long way to building the WR room back up, but as he’s not a generational prospect, I feel like it’s still a room worth fortifying. Cowing is a smaller guy, but that hasn’t slowed him down, averaging nearly 90 catches, 1000 yards and 10 TDs in his two years at Arizona. He’s fast and has great footwork, helping him gain separation deep and underneath.

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7.225 Josh Proctor | S | 6’2, 205 (Ohio)

Don’t look at the depth behind Derwin and Gilman, it’s nearly non existent. Proctor isn’t going to wow you on the field, but he’s an experienced, smart safety who thrives in the run game and has the athleticism to play in the slot when called on. He can support Andru Phillips and Ja’Sir Taylor in that role while providing important depth at safety.

7.253 Jalyx Hunt | EDGE | 6’4, 248 (Houston Christian)

Hunt is a toolsy EDGE with a cool name. He got through college ball by relying mostly on his athletic gifts rather than technique. A worthwhile project to try and develop behind some of the best EDGE players in the league.

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Summary

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Where does that leave the roster?

QB: Justin Herbert, Easton Stick

RB: Gus Edwards, Isaiah Spiller, Jonathan Brooks

WR: Joshua Palmer, Quentin Johnston, Derius Davis, Simi Fehoko, Adonai Mitchell, Jacob Cowing

TE: Will Dissly, Hayden Hurst, Donald Parham, Stone Smartt

OT: Rashawn Slater, Trey Pipkins III, Foster Sarrell

IOL: Bradley Bozeman, Zion Johnson, Jamaree Salyer, Jordan McFadden, Brendan Jaimes, Hunter Nourzad

DL Morgan Fox, Poona Ford, Otito Ogbonnia, Scott Matlock, Braden Fiske

EDGE: Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, Chris Rumph II, Andrew Farmer II, Jalyx Hunt

LB: Denzel Perryman, Daiyan Henley, Nick Neimann, Troy Dye, Trevin Wallace

CB: Asante Samuel Jr., Kristian Fulton, Ja’Sir Taylor, Deane Leonard, Terrion Arnold, Andru Phillips

S: Derwin James, Alohi Gilman, JT Woods, AJ Finley, Josh Proctor

Let’s hear your thoughts…

We’ll be at the NFL Draft asking people on the street who they think is the best angler on their favorite team, and giving away prizes from Boatsetter if it matches the “Survey says” answer / fan pick... or if they just have a great answer. Upvote or comment any player name, and the player with the most upvotes in 3 days will be the fan pick.
Have a feeling that guessing the best fisher on the Chargers may be closest to a lock of all the NFL teams...

Section 235, 233, 230, 204, all have 1 seat left for $1000 Section 103 has 1 seat left for $2300. Section C166 has 3 for $3300 each Section C114 6 available for $4250 VIP 219 1 available $5650 C109 4 available $4250 C134 6 available $4250 VIP 132 6 available $6750 C244 9 available $4150 C130 15 left $4650 VIP 131 10 left $6750 VIP 132 6 left $6750 Own 132 4 left $6750

Keeping my current seats.

Bolt up.

🔊:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lightning-round-a-los-angeles-chargers-podcast/id999565022………………………………………

📷: https://www.youtube.com/live/nFivX7LbmVs?si=nHjoHUNCXleWZhjt

Fewest career yards of any WR room in the league and only 4 guys under contract. Just take the best WR available and figure everything else out in the subsequent rounds.

Just added this Charlie joiner jersey. Debating a rivers jersey next. A stitched gates jersey would be awesome as well

As a strong believer in sticking and picking an elite WR prospect, I wanted to explore how to make a trade down feel like a winning move.

Personally I don’t feel Picks 11 and 23 alone are enough for Pick 5, however let’s just assume for the sake of argument a suitable package with 2025 draft capital was agreed upon.

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1.11 Brock Bowers - TE (Georgia)

An ever growing amount of mock projections have the Chargers trading down and while I appreciate filling more holes with better prospects, missing out on an elite WR with the current state of the Chargers WR room just doesn’t sit right with me.

Jim Harbaugh wants to reduce pressure on Justin Herbert by elevating the run game, Oline and defense. It’s a great plan and I expect it to work well, however it’s still Justin Herbert’s Chargers and not giving him a top tier Weapon is borderline criminal and will cap the offense’s ceiling in my opinion.

Most trade downs have a Tackle at 11, but I can’t do that. Maybe Nabers or Odunze by some miracle are still there, but most likely it’s Bowers.

Bowers is big, strong, fast, explosive, powerful with great hands. He’s got all the tools and tape to be the Alpha dog elite weapon that Herbert needs with the added bonus of potentially helping the run game. In some ways he’s a perfect fit. In a vacuum I still prefer Nabers or Odunze, but with the extra FRP it may just tip the scales.

1.23 Tyler Guyton - T (Oklahoma)

This is a great spot to be hunting a Tackle and Guyton is a very exciting option. He’s a mountain of a man at 6’7 and 328 LBs, a natural RT and has shown he is capable of great things in his limited time starting. The limited starts could mean there will be an adjustment period, but with Pipkins under contract at least one more year, he’s a suitable bridge in case there are some teething issues.

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2.37 Kool-Aid McKinistry - CB (Alabama)

With a little luck, there’s a real chance Kool-Aid slips to the early second round. He would be an absolute gift to the Chargers as a high level CB who plays very well in both press and man which new DC Jesse Minter likes to mix up.

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3.69 Xavier Legette - WR (South Carolina)

Having already locked down Brock Bowers, the overwhelming stress of nailing the WR pick is gone. The size plus speed combo that Legette brings to the table is extremely tantalizing and if he’s able to bring some of last years magic into the NFL, the Chargers offense could legitimately be scary (the good kind). Bowers, Legette, Palmer and a hopefully improved QJ is a great set of young weapons who offer a ton of upside.

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4.105 DeWayne Carter - DT (Duke)

Jumping on Legette’s upside in the third could cost the Chargers a more premium DT option. In this case Carter was the best available player here and he projects to be good enough to plug the gap in the current Dline room. He’s a strong and smart player who is reliable against the run and has some tools to rush the passer. I don’t see an elite ceiling, but I’d be happy with a reliable starting DT.

4.110 Marshawn Lloyd - RB (USC)

Lloyd will bring the most value in a platoon situation and that’s exactly what he’ll be asked to do. Lloyd has great patience and an excellent cutting ability with enough speed to leave defenders behind. He’s also shown some flashes of upside as a receiver. For bonus points his RB Coach at USC was hired by Jim Harbaugh in the same role.

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5.140 Hunter Nourzad - C (Penn St.)

Investing in the Center of the future who is a noted expert technician with experience at all five Oline positions is an easy call to make. A big win for the Chargers is the depth at center in this draft and locking that down in the fifth is great value.

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6.180 Edefuan Ulofoshio - LB (Washington)

Waiting this long for a LB in a notably weaker LB class leaves the Chargers with imperfect options. Bringing back Perryman and the expected development of last years 3rd rounder Henley will hopefully be solid enough starters. There’s a chance a better LB slips to the 6th, however this mock had no luck and it’s a realistic scenario as well. Ulofoshio struggled with injuries in college, but it all came together for him last year as he handled Mike duties during Washington’s run to the National Championship game. He’s a high energy player who rarely misses tackles. A good body to add to the room as well as special teams and theres hope for development

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7.225 Jaden Crumedy - DT (Mississippi St.)

Failing to secure a more premium DT prospect early has me double dipping late with a big strong (6’5 305 LBs) athletic DT who has shown flashes of above average play. He’s got the tools to find a rotational role on the team. Consistency seems to be the big issue here and I believe we have the staff to unlock some real projects

7.253 Jaylen Harrell - EDGE (Michigan)

Would it be a real mock draft without a Michigan player? I think not. Harrell understands Minters schemes more than most and has a chance to make the team as a rotational edge rusher. Unfortunately Chris Rumph hasn’t quite put it all together so bringing in someone who can help give the stars a breather makes a lot of sense here

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