2022 Official Bolts Draft Superthread

[equivocation]

Didn't we give up a record number of 4th quarter points?

[Topcat]

MW not a 'top WR'? KA not a 'top WR'? Tough crowd.

Seriously, MW and KA are not Top 5 WRs (not even Top 10), but in the upper echelon, in my estimation. Certainly more than capable of making the clutch catch in crunch time, IMO.

Correct. Mike Will and Slayer are #12 and #13 in yardage last season. Definitely upper echelon, and top 15. And NO other team has TWO wideouts in the top 15:

https://www.nfl.com/stats/player-sta...vingyards/DESC

[blueman]

MW not a 'top WR'? KA not a 'top WR'? Tough crowd.

Seriously, MW and KA are not Top 5 WRs (not even Top 10), but in the upper echelon, in my estimation. Certainly more than capable of making the clutch catch in crunch time, IMO.

Why didn’t they? I mean they had opportunity last season.

[blueman]

Remember that our gassed and in some positions outmatched D also gave up a lot of points in the 4th quarter of several of those losses...

Didn't we give up a record number of 4th quarter points?

Yes indeed, and thank goodness Staley/TT address both EDGE and DBs this off-season.

But - our sucky D last season in no way precluded our WRs not coming through in clutch time in 5 out of 10 close games. Herbie had the ball, had time even if on a scramble, just no TD grab happened. Gotta better that ratio IMO, cuz close games happen (only 3 of our losses last season were blowouts, 5 were winnable in the last couple minutes..).

Extra points not field goals, should be the O mantra this season lol, that LV loss is gonna sting for a long while.

[blueman]

Having a running game can help keep a team out of those situations in the first place.

Yep, very glad we drafted like 4 guys to help with that.

But - when you inevitably get into one of those situations, is it wrong to want to have better than a 50/50 chance to win it? That’s where we’re at without significant help from complimentary players/Palmer’s development. MWill on the field will always give me hope, he had three of those game-winning TD catch’s last year, why I was stumping for the team to sign him long term. But like you say, teams can take away one guy pretty effectively…

[Xenos]

Popper’s final take on our draft:

https://theathletic.com/3286340/2022/04/30/chargers-picks-nfl-draft/

The Chargers wrapped up their 2022 draft with six more picks on Day 3. They found a potential No. 2 running back behind Austin Ekeler. They added offensive line depth with a great value pick in the sixth round. They also acquired some athletic corners.

Let’s assess the draft and where it leaves the Chargers as we head into May.
The picks


• Zion Johnson, OG, first round, No. 17
• JT Woods, S, third round, No. 79
• Isaiah Spiller, RB, fourth round, No. 123
• Otito Ogbonnia, DL, fifth round, No. 160
• Jamaree Salyer, OL, sixth round, No. 195
• Ja’Sir Taylor, CB, sixth round, No. 214
• Deane Leonard, CB, seventh round, No. 236
• Zander Horvath, FB, seventh round, No. 260

Best pick: Johnson. The biggest need for the Chargers entering this draft was on the offensive line. They had to acquire more talent, whether that was at right tackle or on the interior. And they found that talent in Johnson, a plug-and-play prospect who will start right away at right guard. The plan is for Matt Feilerto stay at left guard, and along with center Corey Linsley and Johnson, the Chargers now have a formidable trio on the interior that can dominate both in pass protection and the run game. The Chargers ran the ball well to the left side last season behind left tackle Rashawn Slater, Feiler and Linsley, but they struggled to find any level of consistency rushing to the right side. Johnson will change that. He is an outstanding and powerful run blocker, and the Chargers should have a much more balanced ground attack in 2022. Adding Spiller — a big, physical, north-south runner — to compete for the RB2 spot behind Ekeler will also help. The Chargers went seven years without taking an offensive lineman in the first round. They have now drafted offensive linemen in consecutive first rounds. Protect Justin Herbert. Give him a reliable run game to take some of the pressure off his shoulders. This is sound process from the head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco.

Biggest surprise: The Chargers taking a safety as high as they did. I went into detail on why the Chargers drafted Woods at No. 79 on Friday night. Read that if you want a deep dive. But the short version: Having another deep-field safety with range and ball skills will allow the Chargers to move Derwin James around, particularly closer to the line of scrimmage, without exposing themselves on the back end. Woods is a tremendous athlete and ran track at Baylor on top of playing football. He posted a 4.36 40-yard dash at the combine. And he led the nation in interceptions last season. The fit makes sense. However, there were more pressing needs the Chargers could have addressed here. They left the draft without taking an edge rusher, and their depth there is weak behind Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. They did not take a corner until the sixth round, so Tevaughn Campbell — who struggled in 2021 — is still the fourth cornerback on the depth chart. They do have a ton of players who can defend in the slot, like James, Nasir Adderley, Mark Webb, Asante Samuel Jr. and Woods. And that will give the Chargers some flexibility in how exactly they deploy their corners. But going for a safety with their second of two top-100 picks was slightly puzzling.

Biggest question mark: Who is going to play right tackle? The Chargers had the option of taking Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning in the first round at 17 and opted for Johnson instead. They went with the more polished player who could contribute right away. But that means right tackle is still a concern. With four quality pass protectors elsewhere on the line, the Chargers can target their help to that specific spot when Herbert drops back — whether Storm Norton, Trey Pipkins or someone else ends up starting. For now, Pipkins and Norton will be competing for that starting role. The Chargers could also bring in a veteran right tackle option during the post-draft wave of free agency. Reilly Reiff and Dennis Kelly are still available. Salyer was a solid pick that late in the draft, and he played tackle for Georgia, both right and left. He will begin his Chargers career as a guard, though, and Staley said he does not have any plans, at least initially, of trying Salyer out at right tackle.

Remaining needs: Edge rusher. Corner. Right tackle. Speed at wide receiver. These were needs entering the draft that the Chargers opted not to address with picks in the top 200. The Chargers will have to bring in another edge rusher because their depth is not sufficient. I expect a jump from 2021 fourth-round pick Chris Rumph. But that is still only three rushers in the rotation. Mack is 31. Bosa has a history of concussions. Expecting both to play 17 games is unrealistic. I think the Chargers will bring in a veteran at some point before training camp. They did sign Jamal Davis from the CFL, but he has only played three NFL games in his career. We will see how the two rookie corners develop through the spring and summer. Taylor was a two-time team captain at Wake Forest and ran a 4.46 40-yard dash. Leonard played three years of college football in Canada before transferring to Ole Miss. He is over 6-foot and ran a 4.37 40. Both can play inside and outside and have some measurable and cover traits that could translate to the NFL. The Chargers also have Kemon Hall on the roster. Last season, though, they were not able to weather injuries because of a lack of depth at corner. They added J.C. Jackson, but the bottom of the depth chart has not changed much because Chris Harris left in free agency. I worry about this depth. We discussed right tackle earlier. And the Chargers did not take a wide receiver, meaning they are still lacking speed in that position group. Jalen Guyton remains their only speed threat. That did put some limitations on how the Chargers attacked the deep part of the field last season, and it also made them relatively predictable. When Guyton was on the field, teams could prepare for his speed. That was a tendency. We could see the Chargers add a veteran like Keelan Cole, Marquise Goodwin or even Will Fuller before training camp.

Post-draft outlook: The Chargers have dramatically reshaped their roster through free agency and the draft. Defensively, they have a new No. 1 corner in Jackson. They overhauled the interior of their defensive line by signing Sebastian Joseph-Day and Austin Johnson and drafting Ogbonnia, who is a huge, long, block-eating run stuffer on the interior. Mack and Bosa form one of the best pass-rushing tandems in the league. Offensively, they have a better offensive line after drafting Johnson, even with the question at right tackle. And they are much deeper with the addition of Salyer, who can play all five positions. They got younger at tight end with Gerald Everett, who should give the Chargers some juice in the yards-after-catch game. No roster is perfect, but with a couple of more moves to solidify their depth, the Chargers are going to be in position to make the playoffs and possibly contend for a Super Bowl.

[blueman]

I’m with Popper. Homers unite!

[21&500]

I think both drafted CBs make it and Cambell isn't CB4

[equivocation]

Yes indeed, and thank goodness Staley/TT address both EDGE and DBs this off-season.

But - our sucky D last season in no way precluded our WRs not coming through in clutch time in 5 out of 10 close games. Herbie had the ball, had time even if on a scramble, just no TD grab happened. Gotta better that ratio IMO, cuz close games happen (only 3 of our losses last season were blowouts, 5 were winnable in the last couple minutes..).

Extra points not field goals, should be the O mantra this season lol, that LV loss is gonna sting for a long while.

In several of those games we got late TDs but it wasn't enough because we were too far back or couldn't hold them later. DEN, HOU, MIN, LVR, NE off the top of my head. Yeah, LVR we didn't get the OT TD but we had 2 amazing passing TDs just to get there.

[blueman]

In several of those games we got late TDs but it wasn't enough because we were too far back or couldn't hold them later. DEN, HOU, MIN, LVR, NE off the top of my head. Yeah, LVR we didn't get the OT TD but we had 2 amazing passing TDs just to get there.

Yeah, yeah. Sigh. My big big hope is the new OL guys help relieve some of the pressure from Herbie and co., like Steve says a good running game should help loads. Maybe we win more games without two 1000 plus yards WRs, cuz they’re fresher late in games.

[equivocation]

Palmer had 2 of those great grabs. Another year of development for him and Herbert and Slater, another year in the same O system, better run game talent. All that will help. I'd rather not play from behind all the time. Then the amazing late TDs win the game, like with PIT.

[QSmokey]

Why didn’t they? I mean they had opportunity last season.

Like I said, tough crowd.

Are you referring to a specific game or games where they made a critical drop? I mean, drops are part of the game, too, but I don't recall a ton of negative posts about MW's or KA's butterfingers. We lost at least a couple of those 1-score games because our defense couldn't stop the other team after Herbie and Offense did their part. If the 'D' does its job in those 2-3 games, we're in the playoffs.

The bottom line, for me, is that we just didn't have to horses last year to merit a playoff appearance. And I'm not buying the notion that we didn't have impact WRs, or that those receivers failed to make critical catches when the chips were down. I think our defense, and inability to protect Herbie at crunch time - and our failure in the running game, again because the right side of the OL - were more instrumental than our lack of talent at WR.