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Even with the NFL draft a month away, it is never to early to start looking at some of the many prospects that will be future NFL players. There will be more comprehensive profiles completed, and Big Boards assembled as the draft draws closer, especially after the offseason All Star events and NFL Combine are completed, and more tape is studied. However, this preview series will give a brief view at this point to some of the popular players we will hear about as potential first or second round picks in April, and if they could be a fit for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Mike Green is one of the more polarizing players in the 2025 NFL Draft. He has an explosive athletic ability on the edge, but he lacks the consistency and elite measurables that most elite Edge prospects have. There are also some past maturity concerns that loom in some scouting reports that could be a factor for him being drafted by some organizations, but strictly from a talent perspective, he is a top 25 prospect in this draft.
Green’s best attribute is his elite first step and his ankle flexion where he consistently beats tackles to the edge. His wrestling background shows up with his hand and leverage usage against defenders. For a converted LB, he does have a decent pass rush plan where he showcases chops, clubs and rip overs. Green will also not get out worked in a rep. He always plays to and sometimes, through the whistle which leads him to be the king of cleanup stats, and he creates a ton of plays by just keeping his motor going and not giving up the rep. While he might be slightly undersized from a traditional Edge/DE he plays with a natural ability and instinct as a pass rusher that not many prospects exhibit. If he is allowed to play purely off instinct, speed and bend at the LOS, he dominates.
One area of concern in his game would be his power and strength against bigger, heavier linemen. When his initial burst and speed doesn’t play, he can be stonewalled. He needs to improve strength in his lower half to be able to convert the speed to power if needed. It doesn’t need to become a staple of his game, but adding some versatility to his rush plan will only enhance his ability as a complete pass rusher. This added strength will also help him improve at setting an edge when he needs to sink his hips and take on a tackle. He also does not disengage well once a lineman squares him up. He needs to be more violent with his hands to be able to keep his frame cleaner. Another small concern is that he does have an element of gunslinger in him from a defensive perspective where he sometimes freelances taking wild angles or streaking inside looking to make the splash play. His biggest red flag might not be anything physical as he had to leave the University of Virginia after multiple sexual assault allegations. Even though these allegations were never proven, this might severely limit his draft potential to teams that have shown the ability to draft players with character concerns.
Even with the off-field concerns, I think Green will easily be drafted in round one anywhere from pick 10 to pick 32. He just has to much talent for some teams to pass on. When I watched him, I got Dwight Freeney vibes from his Syracuse days. He is a player that wins with speed around the edge and has a good tool bag of rush techniques to get home but does not feature much power in his game to this point.
I do think he fits the speed element the Chargers are lacking in the Edge room, and he can be a fantastic compliment to the power of Mack and Tuli. With that said, I am not sure he lasts until 1.22 or even if the Chargers organization would even consider him with his off the field concerns.
Hey Eric: How do you feel Green’s lack of power fit with what Harbaugh/Minter want on the edge? I thought the primary responsibility in this defense is for the edge to keep contain/stop the run, with speed/pressure coming from the LB/S? Depending on how the draft falls, I think someone like Kenneth Grant would be more aligned with what this staff wants their team to be. Big, physical dudes dominating the line.
I caught up on a few podcasts over a couple rounds of golf this weekend. There were a lot of opinions about Allen returning to the team. I have mixed feelings about that. If the price is right, I think he brings another comfortable target for Herbert, which is not a bad thing. It does not stretch the field at all. This led me to thinking… What about Tyler Lockett? If the price is right, I think he’s a better fit as he’s a much better down-field threat. He may not be as fast as he once was, but in single coverage (which in this offense, he should see a lot of), his ball tracking skills would be an asset.
@kevdiego Hey Kev, I think the defense needs a speed element off the edge that compliments the power of Tuli, Mack and Dupree. When all of your guys have the same skill set, it can make it easier to defend. Minter prefers to play a 2 high shell which limits the amount of blitzing you can do from the LB or DB. They only blitzed 25.7% of the time last year which was 6th lowest in the league which means they need to generate pressure from the linemen and Tuli has been more of a manufactured pressure type player who is better schemed up from a set rather than winning straight up against his man. I think this defense would benefit from having a pure rusher on the outside who can win 1v1 matchups with speed and bend. Nothing causes more problems for tackles than speed to the edge. It widens the whole protection package for the OL.
Grant has some juice, but he’s not a true interior pass rusher. His best attribute, at least initially will be his ability to run stuff and eat double teams, which provides 1v1 matchups on the edge. He is not the Chris Jones type of interior disruptor. Harmon is more of that guy should they be looking for that element. As I have stated in other posts my priority is Loveland or in a miracle Warren, but if both are gone I would make Edge the focus. The class is good and for the most part, good edge players are round 1 talents and there’s no guarantee next year’s class will be as deep especially if we are drafting as a playoff team again. Especially with Mack and Dupree on one year deals it’s time to stock the room with some long term, young, high end talent and production.
@evolz3737 Definitely agree that the edge room needs to be refreshed. The question is how much capitol you’re willing to put there vs. TE, IDL, IOL, RB, WR. Lots of holes.
I think Hortiz has done a good job of building quality depth, allowing the draft to come to them. They have the ability to draft BPA at a position of need rather than having a gaping hole to fill (which defined the Telesco era).
There’s a lot of nuance to Minter’s defense. In the film I watched (and I didn’t have time to watch a lot), I thought both Mack & Bosa were playing the run first, especially on early downs. Didn’t see a lot of stunting, just power. I would like to see more youth and athleticism at the edge, but am interested to see if this is something that Minter values.
@kevdiego As far as WR go, I think we can wait until after the draft to sign someone if the draft doesn’t pan out. It doesn’t affect the comp formula and we can really get an idea of where we still need help. I love Keenan. He’s in my all time top 5 Chargers players, but I think that ship has sailed. Lockett provides a bit of deep ball production, but he is more comfortable in the slot and I think he has lost a step also. I think we need to add either another X receiver (McMillan, Higgins, Harris) or a fast move Z WR (Bech, Royals, Felton, Horton) to have a more complete WR arsenal. Either way we need to add some young depth and prepare for the departure of MW and QJ.
@evolz3737 Agree with the timing.
On Keenan, one school of thought is that he’s a guy that can separate early in the route, something Charger WRs not named Ladd struggled with last year. The argument against is that he plays essentially the same position as Ladd and would take snaps away from him, he would want a lot of money and he’s not going to like being WR3 (or worse). I wouldn’t mind Keenan on the right deal, but I don’t think he’s going to sign for MWill money, which means he’s going elsewhere.
I think the fast Z is more valuable. Someone fast that can get open and catch the damn ball (looking at you QJ) would help this offense.
One final point. I was on the “cut Davis” train at this point last year. I thought the dude made some plays downfield, which was a huge improvement. There was a lot of talk about how much QJ improved (and I agree there was some improvement along with frustratingly infuriating drops), but maybe Davis will take another lead this year?
Davis has the speed/YAC, Jalen Reagor is a former 1st round pick that I thought made a few really good plays (and also fumbled the ball out of the back of the end zone…). Lots of hoping and wishing in the current WR group. Hope MWill stays healthy. Maybe Davis will continue to improve. Hope the coaching staff figures out how to use QJ. There’s talent there. Just un-proven at the NFL level.
Mum’s my word here….lol
@buck-melanoma Haha. I did this profile with your voice in my head the whole time. At this point I am trying to get to all the prospects that are legit targets for us at 1.22 and I would be remiss if I didn’t include him. I know how you feel about him and with his baggage, I don’t think he will find his way here anyway.
@evolz3737 lol. You’re doing your due diligence and I appreciate it.
Green has the talent. I just see some glaring red flags.
Too much concern about slot, Z, X labels. Keenan, unlike Palmer or QJ last year, can get open and get us first downs. He can do this with Ladd also on the field, so we have two weapons. We can also draft a young WR with speed for the scheme fit and future. It’s not either/or here.
There is room on the roster for Keenan and he will not be expensive. He is a weapon, a weapon that we know will fit with Herbert, a weapon that can get us first downs and help Ladd to get open.
@kathmandusteve Players also have a level of pride. Maybe he still holds a grudge toward Hortiz and Harbaugh for asking him to take a pay cut? Does he really want to come to a team to possibly be WR3? Adding him pre draft probably takes you out of the running for drafting a WR in the first 3 rounds and still doesn’t fill out the roster with balance in the WR room. I get the nostalgia for Keenan and when he got traded it felt like a gut punch, but this team needs to get younger and add more speed. Wasn’t the playoff game evidence of that? Keenan is not bringing that to the table at this point in his career. If QJ wasn’t a bust and actually played like a 1st Rd WR, Keenan might have a role, but that’s not the case. We have Ladd, one oft injured jump ball WR and a bunch of meh. If we cannot find a decent WR in the draft (not a late round dart throw), then bringing Keenan back on a one year deal at least gives us another option in the offense, but not necessarily adding the long term juice we need.
@evolz3737 Yeah, but as I said, it’s not and either/or on getting a WR in the top 3 rounds of the draft. They do need to do that. And they can get speed. Unlike many on this forum, I would be favor them taking a wideout in the 1st, if a good one is there (and at least by the 2nd pick).
If Keenan were holding a grudge, why did he repost Mike Williams’ post about him coming back?
Keenan can still get open, with his route running. IMHO, he can add greatly and the playoff game against Houston has nothing to do with HIS abilities at this point. He no doubt knows that Ladd is the #1 at this point and he does want to be here.
He can get the all-time record for Chargers receptions by coming back and be a team icon when he retires.
I guess we can agree to disagree, but I think he’s a very valuable, low-cost addition that just might pay big dividends (Certainly bigger that MikeWill).
@kathmandusteve I’m not opposed to Keenan’s return but let’s also not assume he’s low cost.
@buck-melanoma a Keenan return essentially locks in the WR room for the year which is why he’s probably an after-draft type signing.
WR1 – Ladd
WR2 – Keenan
WR3/4 – QJ/MW
WR5/Ret – Davis
I don’t think it would stop a WR from being drafted, but its also why I think they’d rather draft someone who can provide that speed to compliment the rest of the group.
@duck07 I’m not saying Keenan’s signing will affect the draft. I just don’t think we can assume he’s a low cost signing and, if not, that he’ll be back.
@buck-melanoma I also wonder if the team might see Tyler Lockett as an option if it comes down to $ because I think you’re right on the aspect of KA signing a team-friendly deal.
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