Bolts From The Blue
The Chargers and Jim Harbaugh will have six picks in the final four rounds of the NFL draft to finish building his first rookie class.
The Chargers added two highly-regarded players at big positions of need on day two of the NFL draft and they now enter the final day with six picks in the final four rounds. The biggest remaining needs include cornerback, tight end, and center.
Here are my top remaining targets still on the board for the Chargers entering day three.
Tampa gets the nod as the best remaining player on the board that the Chargers should consider at the top of the fourth round. The Bolts have just two (barely) starting cornerbacks in Asante Samuel Jr. and newly-signed Kristian Fulton. Ja’Sir Taylor and Deane Leonard are still in the room but they’re late-round picks from the past regime. We shouldn’t be a surprise to see Harbaugh and Co. try to get their own guys for their system.
The 6’1, 190-pound Tampa is well-versed in all coverages with ideal length. Has experience playing wide receiver which helps him mirror and recognize route combinations.
Stover is my favorite tight end in this class outside of Brock Bowers. With experience playing running back in high school, Stover is excellent with the ball in his hands. It also helps that it’s easy to get it to him. He understands how to exploit zones and give his quarterback convenient passing windows. He’s a natural runner after the catch and I think he could end up being one of the best at his position to come out of this draft class if given the right opportunity.
Franklin is my favorite fit at wideout for the Chargers left on the board. He’s a smooth strider with easy build-up speed to get by and separate vertically from defenders. Franklin is coming off a massive season where he set school records for receiving yards, touchdowns, and 100-yard games in a single season. After taking McConkey in the second, Franklin’s skillset would be a perfect complement to round-out the rest of the receiver room.
While not the deep threat that the Chargers still need, Rice is a bog-bodied possessio receiver at 6’2 and just under 210 pounds. He caught 12 touchdowns and averaged almost 18 yards per catch in 2023. While you can’t point out any one super elite trait to his game, he’s just so solid across the board that you just know he’ll become a steady pro fairly quickly. His ability to pluck balls out of the air and adjust to back-shoulder throws also raises his floor should he land with a veteran quarterback who already knows how to throw the more nuanced passes at the next level.
A 6’3 cornerback will always grab my attention. Hart wasn’t a ballhawk at Notre...
