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Much like Payton going to Denver, I was super-confused why Carroll would want to go to the Raiders. Just like Sean, I think both grabbed the largest bag of cash they could find. If I were either coach, I would have looked at teams in the NFC-South or AFC East or South as those divisions are going to be significantly easier to win. The AFC-W has 2 of the top-5 QBs in the league, with Carroll now in the division, they have winning coaches at every franchise. It’s going to be super-competitive.
I agree that the Raiders will hover around .500 over the next few years. Why the fuck would Carroll sign up for leading a team that’s going to struggle to stay out of the basement (other than to get paid)?
@kevdiego Some guys are just football junkies and where else can you get your fix and bag a few mil a year at 73? Plus, there’s no pressure. If he gets them to 8-9 or 9-8 for a few seasons they will build him a statue. If he sucks after 3 years he could always say “fuck it I’m 76. I’m done”
@evolz3737 I would think that Carroll would be more concerned about his “legacy.” Don’t see how this is the best opportunity for him to build on that legacy.
Getting paid and having something to do at 73 (soon to be 74) is fine. Just thought he would have wanted an opportunity where he could actually compete in the division.
@kevdiego Disagree. If the Raiders suck under him, he will be gone in a few seasons. Those few seasons won’t do anything to change what people wiill remember about his legacy: Seattle and USC, and to a much lesser degree NE, NYJ, and, least of all, LVR.
@kevdiego Unlike Payton (I assume), I doubt Carroll had many, if any, other suitors at his age. He is going to become the oldest head coach in NFL history before week 1 this season. I doubt it was about “bag of cash” and more about “only opportunity.”
Where is Jeanty on this list? If you’re going to dream, dream big. Jeanty #1 , with the 2 TE next.
@icebolt Because there is zero shot he lasts until #22. At least me list was made with the realistic expectation that he was gone, but more so I am against RB in Rd1 with the state of our roster. There are more pressing needs to be addressed. To me RB is a finishing piece, not a roster building block.
@icebolt Jeanty is there for you to rank. I decided to rank him in my first version, but it’s a nearly impossible scenario.
You decide who you want to add in your ranking and can, therefore, have Jeanty as your #1.
Fun exercise, DK! Curious to see where others go with this.
Conclusion – I want offense xD. I REALLY want one of the tight ends to fall, but if Jeanty somehow slid I’d be all over it.
My sneaky pick though is probably Matthew Golden. He reminds me of Hollywood Brown – at his worst, he’s going to force defenses to respect the deep threat, leaving room underneath for the RBs and TEs to work.
Where Hollywood comes to mind is even if it doesn’t work out, speed WRs still hold strong value. Hollywood had a solid final season for the Ravens (91-1008-8), but his lines the other wo years weren’t great (previous high of 58-769-8). He was still able to command a 1st round pick when packaged together with a 3rd rounder.
Hockenson on the other hand was the 8th overall pick in Hollywood’s draft, who was drafted 25th, and was an All-Pro in his second year. He was only able to fetch a second and a future third rounder, but had to be paired with two 4ths. The Lions moved up from 4th to 2nd in 2023 and from 4th to 3rd in 2024. That was a brilliant trade by the Vikings IMO.
It clowns on my desire to get Loveland or Warren a bit, since TE is the direct comparison I’m making here… but I just think those two are surefire bets in this system. If we have to pivot, I love going for the guy who fills a desperate need for this team, and will hold value thus giving us options down the road.
| Ashton Jeanty, RB |
| Tyler Warren, TE |
| Colston Loveland, TE |
| Matthew Golden, WR |
| Grey Zabel, OG/C |
| Tetairoa McMillan, WR |
| Omarion Hampton, RB |
| Benjamin Morrison, CB |
| Kenneth Grant, DL |
@kylededi At 1.22:
- I will be unhappy if the team drafts Golden or Morrison. No thanks to both.
- I don’t want Zabel, McMillan, or Hampton but at least could understand it.
- I would take Jeanty, Loveland, Warren for sure, in that order, but don’t expect any to be available.
- For me, Harmon before Grant, but Grant is fine if none of Jeanty, Loveland, Warren, or Harmon (or Abdul Carter, Hunter, Walker, Graham) are available.
@tau837 Why no thanks to Golden, Tau?
My comp for him is a cross between Stefon Diggs and Zay Flowers. I think we could use one of those! Or at least, not be unhappy if it happens…
I’m well acquainted with the production profile concerns but I think context matters and I’m prepared to trust the tape I watched that the late breakout was reflective of his likely ongoing performance
https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1910100907637055899
FWIW, he’s Steve Smith’s and Dan Jeremiah’s WR1 in the class.
I think 1.22 is about right for him. As it was for Flowers.
@alisterlloyd Well, in fairness, I don’t want any WR at 1.22.
That said, I can quote his Reception Perception profile for why I don’t want him at 1.22, when I feel certain there will be at least one player available whom I prefer:
- “In the NFL, I expect Golden to play as a primary flanker who moves into the slot off motion plays and can line up at X-receiver on vertical concepts. A primary flanker gig makes sense because Golden is at his best when working against zone coverage.”
- “Golden has some issues working against press, especially on quick-hitting routes but his 67.4% success rate is more “okay” than it is a true problem. You can project him to an outside role with that number but I still think he’d do with some role catering.”
- “He doesn’t chart out like a Tier 1 prospect and some of the limitations on base routes might be enough to keep him from developing into a No. 1 receiver in the league.”
- “Overall, I really like Golden’s pro projection to a complementary role behind a high-volume No. 1 receiver who will afford him soft coverage looks. If he can play in a scheme that is similar to that of the Los Angeles Rams, I think he’ll get the exact type of route portfolio that will set him up best.”
Reading that he would excel in McVay’s offense does not inspire me on the fit in Roman’s offense.
If the Chargers are going to draft a first round WR, IMO that player should be a WR1 caliber player. The quotes above are not describing a WR1. In fairness, there were many positive comments in the profile as well, but the ones I quoted here express my reservations.
If the Chargers are going to draft a first round WR, IMO that players should able to be a primary X WR. But Reception Perception charted Golden with a 68.5% success rate against man coverage (44th percentile) and 67.4% success rate against press coverage (50th percentile). That doesn’t strike me as a primary X, and the quotes above support that. He is also 5’11” and 191 lbs, which also doesn’t seem ideal for X.
In addition to that stuff from RP, I heard Steven and Tyler discuss how surprised they were than he ran 4.29, saying they did not see that speed on film. I value that perspective.
Obviously, many people are higher on him. I am not a scout, and I could be wrong, but this is my current perspective.
@tau837 I think Harmon’s profile is basically spot on and aligns with what I saw. I would view Golden as replacing QJ’s role long-term and the team would still need to find an X receiver from 2026 onwards (presuming Mike Williams fills the role in 2025). It would give the team two interchangeable and quite dynamic weapons (Ladd, Golden) who can rotate between Slot and Z and both get open in different ways and both have good speed.
I totally agree with Steven and Tyler about Golden’s speed. I know we live in a conspiratorial time but I’ve heard Sam Monson on PFF speak for 5 mins on a podcast about how he’s certain that Golden’s timed speed at the Combine was a recording error. He claimed that:
- No scout who hand timed Golden at the Combine got anything like a 4.29 (according to his sources).
- He tried to measure it again himself frame by frame on his TV and kept getting 4.40-4.45.
- When you check Golden’s MPH acceleration at various points recorded during his forty and compare them, it would be impossible for it to equate to a 4.29, as a matter of physics.
Whether any of that is true or not I don’t really care. I thought his tape looked slower than a 4.29 but still felt fast enough to me to make him a threat at all three levels of the field. He is fast maybe just not that fast.
If you think only a WR1 calibre player is worth it at 1.22, I get the perspective. It’s probably also worth noting that Roman is likely to run less 11 personnel than some other teams and he’s not exactly a physical blocker.
However, I have now watched at least 4 games of All-22 on every player who’ll be taken in the Top 50 next week and my view is that, in this draft class in particular? Golden will provide adequate return on investment for Pick 1.22. I think it’s a pretty weak class in that range and that Golden is a Top 10-15 overall player.
@alisterlloyd In the last 3-4 days I have softened my stance on taking a WR at 1.22, but I have started to lean toward Egbuka. I know he is not the biggest or the fastest, but the guy just knows how to play WR. He has a natural instinct for the position. It’s the little things he does with his pacing, body positioning, the slight look off he gives to the defenders when sitting in a zone or cutting off a route, etc.. I kind of compare him to Ezeriuaku in that way. Some guys just have a natural ability/instinct/ innate feel for how to play a position and he has it. You also cannot ignore the repeated extreme production he had playing at the highest levels at one of the premier college football programs. I think he can play X if needed and can easily slide in at Z. He might not have the highest ceiling, but at worst, he has an extremely high floor. I will put my final rankings together this weekend in preparation for next weeks draft, but don’t’ be surprised if he is my WR1.
@buck-melanoma This pretty much matches my thoughts on him. He is just solid. You are getting an immediate starter at Z and he has enough in his game that he will not be redundant to Ladd.
@evolz3737 Erick I think everyone is going to view Egbuka the same way but value it a little differently. I’m going to come across as a hater, because I’m an outlier and have Egbuka as my WR7. But if you want to play it safer in the Top 50 he’s one of few prospects in this class I feel comfortable projecting into an NFL role. He’s good at what he’s good at, and you know what you’ll get from him at the next level (I think).
My notes on him are below:
- Summary:
- Highly-experienced 6’1” college receiver with dependable hands and sharp route running skills. Egbuka is an easy projection to the NFL as a higher volume slot receiver who is a friendly target for his QB particularly against zone coverage in short areas while hitting some intermediate chunks on over routes. His lack of YAC ability and overall athletic limitations limit his ceiling and the gadget reps he saw in College are not how NFL teams are likely to use him. But in a class full of question marks at WR, Egbuka is a player who offers certainty to an NFL GM and reasonable value in a Pro-Style Offense.
- Strengths:
- Long, demonstrated history of college production (49 games, 205 catches, 2,867 yds, 24 TDs).
- Creates separation through advanced footwork at the line, head fakes and route savvy (including subtle push-offs). Nicely changes up the pacing of his routes.
- Hands are ever reliable including through contact. Natural catcher of the football.
- Does the little things well. Squares off horizontal routes sharply. Works back hard to his QB.
- Feel for reading zone coverage, locating the football quickly and catching it is already at a good NFL level.
- Question Marks:
- Limited to a slot role (73.2% of the career snaps)?
- Lacks the raw speed to create separation on slot fades or go routes from outside alignments. Get-off and acceleration is average.
- YAC skills rarely displayed which limits playmaker upside. He will go down or get caught shortly after the catch. In 2022, there are snaps where Cade Stover looks more explosive after the catch.
- Lacks any ‘playmaker’ gene that depends on raw athleticism. The Buckeyes used Egbuka as a motion player and gimmick option (including out of the backfield). Doubtful he has the athleticism to be used similarly in the NFL.
- Heard hype about his blocking skills but didn’t execute his assignments nor sustain blocks in the games I watched.
@alisterlloyd Alister this is a well thought and thorough evaluation. I mentioned the same things about him. Pacing, head fakes, savvy route running. Like I said, high floor player. I like that there’s not a lot of projection with him. I would play him at Z where he can be used in motions and have an easier release at the LOS. I am also high on Bech also for the same reasons. The guy just has a feel for the game and knows how to use his body to make plays and contested catches. Good stuff. Can’t wait for the next pod.
@evolz3737 Thanks mate. I find it hard ranking these guys. I watch someone like Kyle Williams and think he’s a better separator than Egbuka with more exciting movement skills and acrobatic potential. But I know Egbuka is going to be better at fighting through contact and also stronger at the catch point than Williams. And has a longer history of production. Projecting to the NFL is a hard job!
FWIW, here are my notes on Bech who I also liked and right now is my WR8:
- Summary:
- Bech is a physical, strong WR who, at times, resembles a TE despite his 6’1” frame. His hands are like Velcro and he plays with the toughness that football coaches yearn for. His somewhat choppy and rough movement style might limit his ceiling in the NFL and consign him mostly to Z and Big Slot snaps. But with a knack for contested catches and working hard to block for this teammates, there is a spot for Bech in most teams’ starting line-ups.
- Strengths:
- Toughness personified at the catch point. Takes big shots while holding onto the football including in the RZ. Excellent hands.
- Protects the catch point with subtle push-offs. Great ball-tracking.
- Good feel for quickly sitting in zone at the sticks.
- Build up speed is decent if given a free release. Big slot potential (see 50 yd TD v UCF (2024)).
- Battering ram after the catch. Moves the pile for first downs.
- Has better juice and wiggle after the catch than expected (eg, 40 yd TD v Kansas (2024)).
- Very good run blocker. Strong and committed.
- “Football player”.
- Question Marks:
- Slow-ish release off the line and general tightness in his movements. Sometimes looks like a TE playing WR.
- Limited explosiveness in any area.
- Separation likely to be a problem for him if asked to play X. His slant and dig routes are too easily covered and getting off NFL CBs with his limited speed may be challenging. He does use a diamond release to get open sometimes (eg v Mello Dotson from Kansas), but generally it’s not a strength of his game.
- Only one year of with 500+ receiving yards.
@kylededi I am going over my top 50 players for my final rankings that I will post next week. Big movers for me were Egbuka and Scourton. Egbuka is just solid all around and has a natural instinct for the position and he can compliment Ladd. He is also not slot dependent. Scourton fits the profile of what they have had from a power rusher/edge setter. His Purdue tape IMO, was better because of his weight and usage. I think he will be better playing at around 265-270 or even lighter as a base end in an odd or even front.
@evolz3737 of the edges likely available at 1.22, I like Scourton quite a bit. Tough, plays through the whistle, very good run defender with an above average pass rush win rate.
Very young too….there’s time to develop his game further.
Happy Easter Stormcloud!
I’m posting these on Twitter later in the week, but happy to share it early with all my friends in here.
1. Prospects I’m Higher and Lower on than the 2025 Consensus Board
2. My 2025 Chargers Draft Night Mood Board (sorry this took so long @bolt_dk). These are the (realistic) players I want the Chargers to take on Thursday night (in order of preference)
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