• Position: Wide Receiver
• College: Michigan
• Class: Senior
• Number: 6
• Selected at: Round 7 Pick 33 (253th overall)
• Age when drafted: 23.51

Production

Games Watched:

• Minnesota - 10.08.2023
• Rutgers - 23.09.2023
• Ohio State - 11.25.2023
• Washington - 01.09.2024

Positives:

CJ is a fierce blocker who loves to shut down corners even on the backside of the play. The first area of actual receiver work I liked it when he opened up on speed cuts, he ran a post route vs Ohio State where he didn't have the best release but his second phase of full open strides ate up ground, the best part though was the speed he carried through the cut, he has the ability to maintain his stride length all the way through this type of move and it intrigues me into thinking he could be a downfield threat. He absolutely burnt Davison Igbinosun with a clean head fake Out'n Up on the iso/boundary side of the play, he froze the corners feet with good upper body details and if JJ had spotted him it was a score. He might be bad at getting into his breaks but he gets out of them with speed so if he can have a role that is more vertical I feel like he can be a threat. I see proper burst off of his back foot cuts so it is frustrating to know he has the athleticism to make football moves but his technical work is so far away from complete that it's hard to see him making the jump as a pro especially having spent five years at an elite power five school. I like the intangibles shown on tape, he runs QB friendly routes on broken plays making himself available on roll outs and he sprints to blocks even when he's got 25 yards to make up on an A gap run. He made a great grab on a short hitch from the slot where he overhand caught a bullet from JJ and brought it into his chest through hand contact without having to readjust the ball position and risk a fumble; nice work. Yet again he overcomes his reputation for inconsistent hands to make a grab at full extension going against his momentum on wild throwback on the rollout by JJ, this shouldn't have been thrown but CJ was ready for it and seized the moment. I think it's noteworthy that on a game clinching drive against their biggest rivals on their way to a championship season, Michigan went to Cornelius 3 times and he secured all three catches; that's trust. Looks a genuine threat when running a crosser using his long strides and tall frame to box out any trail attempt, I want to see him used in this way at the next level. Whilst he is not smooth at the top of his routes with false steps appearing more often than you'd like, he can get to a stop quickly and he uses the first step out of it well to gain separation coming back to the ball. Against Minnesota he showed some decent YAC ability catching the ball on the out route off of a short inside motion, he caught the ball whilst transitioning and didn't lose any momentum with tidy footwork, he then broke a tackle and gained 15 yards after the catch using long strides to take the challenge to the defense; he looked like a threat here off the concept that gave him the ball in space. He punished the Gophers on a post route where he used a decent head fake to explode off of his one step cut to attack the middle hole and JJ connected with him allowing him to turn back to the catch that meant he could protect himself from the multiple tacklers waiting for him; CJ does everything better downfield when he's built up speed, this is where he should play. Now there is the star play I've been waiting for; he is playing the slot of the motioned trips and he runs the post part of the post/wheel concept which gives the half field safety pause and Johnson exposed this with a full stride release and speed cut across the safety’s face, he threw his hand up straight away as he knew it was over, JJ put his all into the throw but his deep ball arm strength isn't the best so CJ had to make an acrobatic grab through contact whilst waiting for the ball to land; this was a very impressive play.

Negatives:

Okay let's get this out of the way; this man was not taught how to run routes correctly, he is gangly, uncoordinated and it looks like he was taught to run by reading a book. His route running is unlike anything I've ever seen as an evaluator at this level, he throws his limbs at the floor in the hope it will end up in what he's been told will be a dynamic movement but it just ends up like a performance of a route instead of an actual route. He takes double the amount of steps that should be needed to come to a stop and his lateral cuts are very much rounded off; essentially he is just running to spots on the field without any of the technical ability you’d expect to see in a draft eligible receiver. Even though he is a good blocker he did get rocked back by a safety coming downhill against Ohio State so he isn't quite the alpha dog that you'd expect for someone who stayed on the field all game long despite only getting under four targets per game. His choppy releases have got to be erased from his arsenal because they are so flat that all it does is give corners time to settle, read and reposition, please just use your size and speed instead Cornelius! 17 drops is far too many for a player targeted as infrequently as he was, his technique is questionable as he turns all the way back to the ball and stoops to grab it instead of meeting it at a higher point, his footwork needs to be better here to put him in a better position. This showed up against Minnesota where he had to extend down to catch a ball and it cost him a touchdown. His drops can also be attributed to his dramatically small hands (6th Percentile) which is something that cannot be coached to improve and that is a concern. His hips telegraph his cut direction long before he's sinking to make his move, he really needs to work on staying square as he turns his shoulders as well as together this makes his breaks incredibly easy to read, when you add this to his rounded footwork and extra steps its hard to see how he could possible make an impact in a horizontal scheme at the next level. To say his release package is limited is being kind, he has three moves; a skip diamond base that turns into an inside stem or a wide go pattern and a sprint one. If he's to play X he'll need a few more at least to beat press and they're not beyond his capacity.

Overall Grade:

WR21 / Tier 9 / Round 7

Summary:

From watching his tape against Ohio State and Washington in the CFB final I was underwhelmed about his translation to the NFL as he is technically very far away from being pro level when operating as an starting receiver. However, once you dive further into the tape, especially against Minnesota, you can see what should become his primary role going forwards as a deep threat. His numbers before his senior season represented this deeper role but as he became more reliable Michigan wanted him to do more and it just did not suit his skill set. CJ’s long open strides, long frame body and efficient speed cuts can turn him into a player who can operate as an X receiver in a vertical offense at a decent level but there are genuine concerns about his catching talent. His Trump level of disproportionately small hands go some of the way to explaining his 17 drops but his technique isn't great either as he relies on his arms to close the gap to the ball location where his footwork should be doing this. In general though Cornelius is just not a technically sound receiver at all, his lateral work is shocking for someone that has played five seasons of Power 5 football off the back of being a highly recruited receiver at high school, Michigan wasn't the best fit for his style so I'll give him some grace here but the tape doesn't lie and what it shows is that he rounds off every lateral cut, his release package is severely underdeveloped and his general route running is lacking any kind of detail. Overall I like his upside as a deep ball winning X but his inconsistent hands and lack of dynamic movement skills really limits the trust that can be put on him especially if he ends up in a system that requires him to try and work laterally. I project him to be a role player on a run heavy team that can give the primary smaller receivers a break from running deep routes.

System fit:

CJ projects as someone who can thrive in Greg Roman's offense because of his blend of size, speed and power even if he doesn't have the immediate capability to work horizontally or separate against press man through high level route running. Roman's run-first system unsurprisingly matches what Michigan ran last year so it's easy to see his fit if there are some adjustments made. In Ann Arbor he was asked to be something he is not as their recruitment efforts were rightly focused on other areas, the NFL is a different beast and specialisms win out because the transition from backup spots to starting is very difficult to surmount. Michigan only threw the ball 40% of the time and their passing concepts were largely built off of that base. CJ is a vertical and crossfield threat that can and should be on the field for two man play action concepts which require someone with size who can block and fly which the roster is lacking outside of Josh Palmer. Streamlining his role into a deep field X who can also be a genuine blocking threat (and loves to do it) is something that means he can get onto the field earlier than expected. However if his usage is even slightly unclear I expect him to fall off the bottom of the roster because he is nowhere close to a technically sound receiver in a very crowded WR room that will afford very little opportunity outside of special teams.

System Player Comparison:

Someone the Ravens drafted to fit this role in Greg Roman’s offense was Miles Boykin. The Notre Dame alumni was brought in to be a 15+ YPC seam threat that could force teams to play two high as a ridicilously high RAS score athlete that could use his size to frame out cover 3 corners. He never lived up to his ability for various reasons, including a lack of dynamic ability and special teams contributions. Boykin was a better athlete but it didn't translate to deep route running prowess, he was productive on post routes from narrow alignments with several big plays but CJ has an advantage in that his speed translates through efficient adjustments to his vertical stems and he is quick off the line even if his release package lacks options. The league has moved on from base cover 3 as a coverage but they still like to get there especially with rotating corners into a deep half alignment and I think Johnson can be a threat that can limit what teams can play against him abd that is a great asset to have in your WR room. Look for CJ to be a matchup guy who can come in against teams like the Browns and Chiefs and keep them from getting to their full arsenal of coverage rotations. Greg Roman and the scouts saw something Cornelius that meant they didn’t want to risk missing out on him and I think this role is where they want him to grow into.

Additionally for a bit of fun; he is exactly the same in almost every physical way as Cordarrelle Patterson (99% match on Mockdraftable which is absurd) even though they couldn't be more opposite as players.

Pick Assessment:

As with every player taken at the bottom of the   pick was all about not risking him being lost to other teams as a priority UDFA. I've made the argument before that players taken here are considered more valuable than those taken at the top of the 7th because you're saying we can't afford to let this guy go to another team. According to the consensus board, Harbaugh wasn’t just being a homer by taking another Michigan man, as Johnson's overall consensus rank was 194th as the WR28, yet he was taken as the WR35 at 253rd overall. I had CJ higher than that at WR21 but I did not watch 35 wide receivers in this class because, frankly, I have a life outside of football, so my rankings can't compare like for like. What I can add to the evaluation of value is the role he projects to play and the traits he possesses that put him above a backend 7th rounder; as I've said if he can focus on being a deep field X receiver that excels at blocking I believe he can make an impact within his first two years. This is a narrow window to hit and I hope he has the coaches attention and the personal long aimed focus to do so as he is almost 24 and can't afford to wait for development to come in other areas that he doesn't seem to have the movement skills to pull off.

Might be nice to sign Connor Williams as our long-term center (I know you are all sick of my begging for this).

I believe that our entire draft class is signed!!!

Sorry this took so long, but we finally have the results of the 2024 Predicative Mock Draft!

As a reminder, @kevdiego was the winner of the 2023 PMD. We'll keep doing this every year, and although we don't have cool prizes to offer up (yet?), Ryan and I did think up what we hope is a cool-little honor for past winners. Without diving too far into the weeds, we're aiming to develop our own 2025 Draft Board on the site, one that will resemble what you traditionally see from other scouting pages (with special formatting that Ryan's working on). It will eventually transition in the spring to a Chargers' specific draft board, that implements many of the systems and traditions we've heard Hortiz bring. One that we are really excited about is giving all of our writing staff a "Blue Star" to put on the draft board, like Hortiz does with his staff. Staffers will write a quick blip independent of Ryan and my contributions to the scouting report that will explain why they believe this prospect is a can't miss guy. 

Past Winners of the PMD will get a Blue Star as well (or we might make it a Yellow Star to give a little more attention to their notes).

Anyway, without further adieu, here are the top three placers in the 2024 PMD:

1) @nflnate17 - 5 pts total, 1 point for guessing one trade, Joe Alt, Junior Colson, Cornelius Johnson, Kimani Vidal

2) @erick-v - 3 pts, 1 point for guessing one trade, Joe Alt, Junior Colson

3) Kyle De - 3 pts, Junior Colson, Cornelius Johnson, Cam Hart.

Nate is actually a new writer for StormCloud that I'm prepping to on-board, so be sure we welcome him on board when you see him poke around. 

Thanks for playing again this year everyone!

• Position: Wide Receiver
• College: USC
• Class: Senior
• Number: 2
• Drafted at: Round 7 Pick 5 (225th overall)
• Age when drafted: 22.10

Production:

Games Watched:

• Utah - 10.22.2023
• Washington - 11.04.2023
• Oregon - 11.12.2023
• UCLA - 11.18.2023

Positives:

Fought through four defenders to get the ball back after a fumble and won, showed real tenacity here. Rice has sufficient speed through a clean release out of the slot to keep safeties honest, he clearly knows how to drift his stem to open them up the way he wants too. Knows how to sit between zones as a possession receiver, I think he can see and understand coverages or at least read the apex defenders relationship to the formation. Then we have the play that secured Caleb as the #1 overall pick, Rice's part in it is underrated as a downfield receiver as he does well to quickly erase the cushion off the line before using accurate hand fighting to give himself space as the corner tries to get into his hip pocket, he then extends away again as he opens up another gear when tracking the ball and then makes a great grab into his chest whilst at full stride yet keeps his balance to go all the way for a score; yes it's a wild throw but this is great downfield work. Shows a nice understanding of spacing and angles as he runs a crosser between zones meaning his trailing corner was sent right at his free safety. I think Rice has really good hands, he can switch between downfield and possession techniques and always gets the ball back into his body before making a move. So far he has played both inside and outside roles sufficiently, he doesn't flash on tape in either role but his positional flexibility is a plus. His best asset is his mind, he understands the timing of the offense so well and is always on time with his route tempo, this is a plus especially as this was his only year with Caleb so that trust was built in early. His route running is unimaginative but his breaks are smooth and pretty efficient, he’s not a twitchy athlete but he uses the right techniques at the right time to get to where he needs to be. Brenden gives great effort when blocking, he keeps his hands and feet active and does well to reset and keep fighting even after losing leverage, on one long run play he got beaten inside but he recovered on the turn and walled off the sideline for his back to get another 7 yards to finish the run; great hustle. Beautiful back shoulder timing grab when his Defender was stacked over him, timing and route control on display again. Love that he  went from a slant, turned it into a crosser to help his QB then tried to sit before coming downhill and walling off a pursuing defender to give Caleb a free path to the sideline for a few extra yards on a scramble; great hustle. After a lot of targets I finally see some juice, he reels in yet another USC bubble screen RPO (stop it Lincoln please) but this time he breaks through one defenders grasp whilst stiff arming another into the turf using his 79th percentile long arms before bursting and rolling for a relatively big gain out of nothing. One route I really like from him is his blaze out route from a narrow alignment as the Z; he sets it up very well by getting the corner to open up just enough before snapping off the stem with quick hips, it's hard for any corner to stay with this with the kind of timing he has with his QB. Against Washington Rice had a iso matchup on the wide side of the field in the redzone and he pulled off a nice slot fade with some quickness in the second phase meaning he got past level then used his inside arm to fend off the defender giving him a path to the ball but the corner made contact early drawing flags, hidden yardage was his reward for a good route. Did well on a scramble drill to reverse back out of a crosser to secure the grab on the sideline on a QB friendly angle. He has an adequate release with good stride length but he’s not sudden. He has a nice transition on double moves and even manages to use his size effectively to frame out trailing corners.

Negatives:

Got the ball punched out of his hands on a simple hitch vs off coverage, needed to go to a five point grip instead of trying to stiff arm through a gang tackle. Doesn't have the strength to efficiently fight through defenders who are protecting the leverage he wants to win, takes him too long to cross faces of guys who are willing to get in tight and resist. Got absolutely bullied out if a ball that was left too far inside on a fade, the corner didn't respect his ability at all and sat over the top, Caleb read this wrong to put the ball there but he's got to be in more control when he is dictating things, this is where a vet like him should outsmart by playing with route detail, fakes or late hands. Corners just do not respect his athletic ability, they'll happily shut off outside lanes knowing he doesn't have the route running prowess to open them up or the athleticism to play through them. Whilst he is willing his blocking technique leaves a lot to be desired; he is too narrow and over extends into center mass meaning his opponents can slide to one side and beat him easily, the basics are there so with tweaks he could be fixed within a short time frame. He may have a good understanding of zone coverage and when to break off his routes but he doesn’t do this quickly enough and often ends up drifting out of passing windows, need to see him make these moves more confidently as Caleb trusted him enough to spot them but they didn't connect because Rice was a beat behind. He's 6ft 2 /200 lbs but he plays like he's two inches shorter and 20 lbs lighter, I don't think he has the mentality to be an aggressive receiver to win route leverage through sheer will despite having average physical tools that mean he should play that way. He doesn't run clean clearout routes and whilst it's a good thing that he's adding detail to keep defenders honest, that's not his job in that role and it gives safeties over the top time to read the concept instead of being threatened back onto their perch. He got absolutely leveled mid route by a safety trying to cut off his vertical stem, he just doesn't have that toughness in him. I think Rice needs to focus on one area of his game and try to develop a specialist area because right now his body is tuned to be an all round athlete and that's just not going to get him taken high enough for his ambitions.

Overall Grade:

WR20 / Tier 7 / Round 5

Summary:

Rice may look like he's got the size to play multiple roles in a modern offense and you see flashes of that ability very sparsely but overall he just does not have many components to his game that attract you as an evaluator. You can execute an offense with Rice as a major component but that is about it; he is not going to win games on his own. He isn't technically complete, he isn't strong and he isn't explosive. The attraction of Rice is that he is clean, smart and efficient with an industrious approach to route running. He is barely scratching the surface of what his body is capable of but I feel he has taken the wrong path as a receiver and his mentality needs to shift from a version of his dad to a modern X receiver that can bully lighter cornerbacks. I see some potential in him as he plays team football and plays well both inside and outside the scheme but there isn't enough to project him as a contributor anytime soon. All of this considered means he is a Day 3 guy for me, he could grow into a support role that could fill in at multiple spots as a sub 500 yard guy, his best abilities right now will be availability and flexibility but eventually with some adjustments he could push into a role a lot of teams are looking for.

System fit:

To be honest Rice could fit just about any system but the big question is whether Greg Roman, Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh have targeted a particular skill to develop, or perhaps it could be they see him as a stop-gap swing type player at all three spots. From looking at Greg Roman’s history of developing Day 3 draftees at the WR spot I think he will start by aiming for a specialism whilst his role expands as he gets more years under his belt in the same system. Both James Proche and Tylan Wallace joined as late round draft picks and they started off learning Roman’s pro system as slot receivers before expanding their role whilst reducing their overall snap count as other players passed them by on the depth chart. This is essentially the path I see for Brenden but the difference he has over those two is size, he might not play like it but is actually a pretty big receiver (he is somehow bigger than Xavier Legette which blows my mind) so whilst I think he will slowly expand his role it will from the outside in instead of the inside out like his Day 3 predecessors. If Ben Herbert and his new personal coach, his dad (who just happens to be the best receiver of all time), can get him to a point where he can use that natural size then he can have an edge that the Chargers could use. 

System Player Comparison:

People often confuse the ‘jack of all trades’ analogy, the actual full expression is “Jack of all trades, master of none, is still the best person to get the job done” so whilst it’s often used as a negative label in draft profiles, it is always one I have upheld as a positive one. Rice fits the bill of a guy who can do a bit of everything for an offense just like his system player comparison has done across his 8 years in the league; Demarcus Robinson. Rice was primarily a boundary player occupying the Z role in USC’s offense during his Senior year but he did a lot more than that; he also went in motion including into the backfield and he was in the slot on 13% of his snaps. Demarcus similarly averaged 12% of his reps in the slot during his time in Greg Roman’s offense in Baltimore during the 2022 season. Additionally they both had an ability to add value above expectations within their respective systems, Rice thrived in his senior year hauling in 12 touchdown passes and Robinson managed to convert 50% of his catches into first downs so you can see that they both represent flexibility and importance to their team despite being below average athletes. Another element of synergy between the two is represented in their availability, since starting Brenden has only missed one game in three years due to injury and Demarcus has played in every game other than one across the same time span. Their athletic profiles are similar too as you can see below with Rice being slightly bigger and Robinson having a slight dynamic movement edge. To me, if Rice can carve out a career similar to Demarcus he should consider himself a success given his lack of explosive traits and whilst this may seem like I am putting a ceiling on his abilities, it should be seen as an asset to be as well rounded as his system predecessor in the jack of all trades role. You need guys who can help keep your offense moving, both Rice and Robinson provide that kind of reliable service.

Pick Assessment:

In a similar manner to Cam Hart the Chargers got a consensus rated steal at pick at 225 overall as the WR32. Brenden was ranked as the consensus pick WR20 and the 106th overall player so on face value it seems like a great coup. Now I am fairly convinced that the Rice family name plus the fact he played for a prestigious school and the fact that he was the unanimous QB1’s favorite target, meant that his tape was watched by every member of the draft community, somewhat skewed his ranking amongst his positional peers. To my eyes he was always a late Day 3 pick and whilst I appreciate the value if you consider his production and the upper reaches of his potential, there is very little about his tape that excites me so for me this pick isn’t quite the triumph it was being heralded as post draft. At pick 225, you can do a lot of things and even if he turned into a serviceable backup it should be considered a win but I think that we shouldn't expect a lot of early returns on investment from Rice despite his heritage.

• Position: Cornerback
• College: Notre Dame
• Class:
• Number: 5
• Drafted at: Round 5 Pick 5 (140th overall)
• Age when drafted: 23.39

Production

Games Watched:

• Ohio State - 09.24.2023
• USC - 10.15.2023
• Clemson - 04.11.2023

Injury History:

Cam has had three shoulder surgeries in the last five years; he suffered a shoulder injury (October 2019), which required season-ending surgery, he then underwent another shoulder surgery after the 2021 season. Lastly he missed the final two games of his junior season with a left shoulder injury (November 2022), which required offseason surgery. He has been fully cleared each time including his latest one (after which he played a full season) but the frequency of these could be a concern, three surgeries in under five years means reccurance is possible.

Positives:

He is able to hold his own against good blocking receivers keeping his leverage through good functional strength. Plays downfield catch technique which is risky but he has the footwork to keep active and make it seem like he's defending his ground which he is entitled to do. Nice job on the goal line to flow over the top and stay underneath both target routes to cut off any underneath throws; this was a sign of awareness of offensive concepts. Drives well off his backfoot when in off-man, shows no hesitancy to close gaps. Didn't bite on a nasty head fake underneath when he was in quarters zone. Finally a proper lockup vs MHJ who lined up inside the numbers, he exploded off the line then broke out and up in a typical slot fade release but Cam was there all the way, swiping away the arm bar then closing into his hip pocket and then showing great deep speed to stay with him all the way and force a drop. He shows a good ability to mirror movements in phase in a flash but his footwork coming out of them could be better, he has potential for sure. Good awareness to pick up the leaking tight end screen and force a throwaway. What a heads up play to stop a game winning TD as Cam squeezes all the way from his outside quarter to meet the skinny post inside and times the hit to perfection to rock him back on the one yard line. Cam uses his size to bully any receiver who tries to cross his leverage at the release, he shows smooth feet to keep his weight on his toes allowing him to reset his hands and keep his chest clear of the receiver's attempts to control the route. USC ran a bubble screen to his side and Caleb left the ball slightly high which exposed the receivers ribs; Cam saw this coming and hammered downhill into the receiver's side causing a drop, this was the kind of physical play I've been waiting for, shows he has it in him to play to his physical strengths. His eyes are well disciplined as he diagnosed a fake double reverse to shut down the alley in pursuit. Whilst his pre-draft testing didn't manage to put this into plain context Cam can play a lot faster in pads than without them, he made Bruce Feldman's 'Freaks List' because he hit 23 mph on his GPS tracking which is a speed not many players can boast. It wasn't until the Clemson game that I saw him play press and he showed an improvement of his lateral footwork at the release and good hip transitions to keep himself in position as routes turned vertical.

Negatives:

Like that he knew to stay with his receiver even though the toss play was coming at him but didn't like how he never tried to get back out to his contain spot, corners need to be able to peel their eyes off their man at points, this was an obvious run he just gave up on. Got crossed up by an outside-to-in seam and did well to recover using a quick transition to get back underneath however he was out leveraged with no safety help so this could have been a touchdown, tough to play this better but a more patient read of the stem could have helped. Got beaten on a slant from MHJ where he played too passively and couldn't get underneath the pick route with enough speed to make a difference in the passing window, I'd want to see him play this more aggressively at the line. Looks to use his catch technique in the wrong places as he gets caught with his hips open and if MHJ was part of the progression I think this would have drawn a holding call. Failed to disengage from a block and it led to a massive touchdown, if you're not comfortable being in tight and fighting with upper body strength then keep your feet active and look to get around the block or play over the top of it. Tried to catch a skinny post by Fleming and got punished as he wasn't able to open his hips in time and was beaten deep for what should have been a touchdown. When his gamble catch technique faces inside breaks it pays off but he really needs to learn a counter for when they go inside to out. Played a C2 flats match rule incorrectly when he hung underneath the two vertical stems but felt he needed to man turn up towards the sideline route which was wrong as it both took his eyes off the ball and the inside route. Hart has a habit of turning his hips too early when operating down low and he can get crossed up by this, when you add on his lack of hip recovery speed this can lead to separation. For a bigger guy he just doesn't have the mentality to make the most out of that advantage in the run game, other teammates overtake him in pursuit which is inexcusable. Hart had two DPI calls and a holding call in coverage in his senior year as he doesn't quite know how to carry his long arms which naturally get him into trouble.  He just doesn’t have the killer instinct to win on outside runs, he will happily stay on a block so he can tell the coach he did his job but in reality he could have been more assertive in affecting the play; he’s cautious despite playing with a big body. In press he looks smoother than in other areas but he still looks loose with his footwork, he isn't a natural backwards mover and his feet tell that story when being attacked off the line by speed releases. Cam's feet and hands are not tied together so when he extends he tends to overlean and get himself out of balance meaning secondary moves against shifty receivers can lead to pretty consistent separation, this really showed itself at the Senior Bowl where he got taught some harsh lessons trying to stay tight with smaller receivers in open spaces.

Overall Grade:

CB15 / Tier 4 / Round 4

Summary:

Cam Hart is a toolsy prospect that looks every bit like a corner should with good height, long limbs and a solid mass plus his athletic upside especially in straight lines will mean that coaches will want a chance to see if they can turn him into a force on the outside. As a former wide receiver recruit who only made the full time switch to corner in his redshirt year I expect him to make significant leaps in a pro system with coaches who can spend time developing his lateral movement skills. His linear movement skills, football mind and natural athletic ability mean I like Cam's overall potential but I worry about a few things. His transition from a very simple heavy man Notre Dame system to the pros will be a tough one and could limit his path to playing time, additionally his inability to read two way go's downfield as he relies on his catch technique could limit his effectiveness at the next level. He clearly prefers to be in alignments that allow him to see the play which, for a big guy, is an outlier and could mean he is caught in between roles. Whilst I think ball production is overrated as a indicator of ability Cam's lack of interceptions could mean chances are squandered whilst he is on the field as he had his only two in the same game against Wisconsin in 2021 and zero in the rest of his 47 college appearances. In summary Hart flashes abilities to match his prototypical cornerback frame but his lack of killer instinct against both the pass and run plus his inexperience operating horizontally means he is a project player meant for Day 3.

System Fit:

His size and catch technique prowess could be used to neutralize bigger receivers on iso comeback routes on key down, his 93rd percentile arm length paired with his easy early phase mechanics could serve him well here. It also looks like he could play the trap role with his patient read speed and willingness to stay on the ball. These are two of Jesse Minter's biggest requirements of downhill cornerback play so you can really start to see why they took Cam. His natural linear twitch is seen on tape in flashes and it's here that I think he should focus his efforts early on in his career because from his outside quarter lane this is the skill that will get him onto the field over the likes of Fulton, Still and maybe even Samuel. If he can match big X type receivers stride for stride from off the line or even down in press then he will be a unique prescence in the cornerback room. The concern I have is that if teams motion shifty receivers into his area of responsibility especially if the call is for man, that's a bad matchup and I can see that being exposed by teams like the Chiefs with their new found desire for smaller faster recievers that require free releases. The good news is that this isn't a frequent ask in Minter's system but still to have any player on the field that limits your play calling against certain teams means he will be less likely to see starting reps. It seems to me like he is going to be matchup specific to teams with big bodies, he'll be tasked with taking on the Mike Evans type opponents.

System Player Comp:

Of all the prospect profiles I have written for the site I struggled with this one the most, even Mockdraftable can only find a sub 80% match to Cam's size and athletic skills. To me it seems like the Chargers wanted some length on outside to match up with bigger receivers with the rest of the possible contributors in that position being sub 6ft 1 and only Deane Leonard, the former 7th round pick, being over 6ft. This speaks to Minter trying to find a Will Johnson (6ft 2” 200lbs) type player who can play through receivers backs and not be framed out at the catch point. Now Cam is nowhere near the level as Johnson as a prospect but if you don't find big corners who can cover fluently outside the 1st round, where Johnson will most certainly go next Spring, so this is a case of "If I can't find a product to fit my needs, I'll make one myself". Minter and his secondary staff will aim to mould Hart into a guy who can fill that backside of the 3x1 corner who can keep them honest elsewhere. The Ravens haven't really used big corners in the same way Minter did at Michigan, Jimmy Smith was the last player who you could say matched Hart's frame but their play styles are completely different with his aggressive press style of football aligning with the way the Ravens played football. I actually see a lot of Tariq Woolen in Hart's game but he has never even been near a system like Minter's so it's not a comparison I'll spell out in any kind of detail.

Pick Assessment:

As I said with the Still pick three spots earlier, I only had Kalen King and DJ James ahead of the pair however the consensus board had Cam Hart much higher than me. They had him 108th overall as the CB12, so to take him 140th overall as the CB19 represents significant value. That kind of drop though usually signals that his injury concerns are genuine however the Chargers medical team have historically been risk adverse when it comes to signing off prospects with injury history and the only ones they have taken have been on Day 1. That said this is a new regime and if this is how they seek to gain value on day 3 then I am all for it as a strategic way of 'beating' the system. Overall this is a bet on tools and health because if Cam is available and he can continue to grow into the nuances of the cornerback position then his natural tools can put him into a big man role that usually requires a premium pick or an expensive contract to fill. Without significant improvement Cam will be unlikely to see the field early on but this coaching staff is once again betting on themselves to turn him into a workable player in the secondary who can take out the simple jump ball approach which can sometimes undo a perfect gameplan.

If there were concerns that Joe Hortiz may take a season or two to acclimate to his first General Manager gig, his performance through May should all but quell all remaining doubt for Chargers fans. Mere months into the job and it's clear Hortiz has more foresight and confidence than fans ever saw in the Tom Telesco era.

We'll revisit the offseason in it's entirety as Opening Kickoff draws near, but there was one move Joe Hortiz made that is difficult to not procedurally compare against his predecessor. Hortiz's trade-up for Ladd McConkey, and his overall execution of this draft, should be argued as a master class by Chargers fans.

An Immediate Disparity Between Telesco and Hortiz

Two years ago, frustrated with Tom Telesco's performance as a GM, I tried searching for measurable ways to grade his draft performance against his peers. The project grew in scope into a piece on creating systematic approaches to "beating" the Jimmy Johnson Draft Chart, as evidence piled up that draft trades were significantly correlated to the values this chart set decades ago, and that Tom's trades were routine examples of how smart teams use the chart's inefficiencies to best lesser GM's.

The biggest takeaways were that Tom could be defended as an average talent evaluator on a per-selection basis, but he routinely drafted from a pick-deficit because of his inability to build surplus draft capital through compensatory picks or trades, and this caused his overall "value" accrued through the draft (with Pro Football References "AV" metric as the measuring stick) to rank 27th in the league. Tom compounded this deficiency by fairly regularly trading up early in his GM career, and each trade netted a player that didn't earn a second contract in powder blues.

Joe Hortiz was asked about his team-building philosophy in his opening presser, and he started his explanation by speaking glowingly about compensatory picks:

I'm a big fan of comp picks. Alright? Number one. Let's create that chain. Let's create that cycle of comp picks. How do you do that? You gain as many picks as you can early, and then you draft, develop, and then make smart decisions on who you re-sign, obviously you want to extend your core players, but then there's some players you're not able to because of the cap. But you want to create that cycle of comp picks.

Hortiz highlighted the importance of establishing a war chest of draft capital. Regardless of the round the picks come in, Joe wants them, and they are the foundational piece to how he constructs his rosters. It's a point that should be hammered home time and time again: compensatory picks are the only systematic divergence from the NFL's obsession with encouraging parity within the league.

While Telesco was able to bring in solid talent in the first two rounds of the draft, his vision would start to blur and he would take significant reaches against the consensus board in round three for developmental players. The rest of his drafts often seemed like dart throws, and only one player drafted outside the first two rounds during Tom's tenure was signed to a second contract. Ironically, in the second year into his contract Trey Pipkins has already been replaced by Joe Hortiz's first pick, Joe Alt. Whether he finds a new starting spot on Jim Harbaugh's line remains to be seen.

How Hortiz's Trade-Up Outshined Tom's Trades

Tom Telesco made four significant trade-ups in his drafting career with the Chargers. In each trade, he packaged two selections to move up between two and fourteen slots, and lost three fourths and one third in total. The returns were less than ideal, netting Manti Te'o, Jeremiah Attaochu, Melvin Gordon, and Kenneth Murray. None were signed to second contracts (aside from Attaochu taking a small vet-min deal as a rotational depth piece many years later).

Joe Hortiz's trade to get Ladd McConkey showed another strategy entirely. Rather than discard a draft pick to move up the mere three slots as Tom Telesco always had, he swapped a fourth round pick for the Patriots fifth.

The JJ Chart value for the trade broke down as :

• LAC's 37th (530) and 110th (74) = 604 points
• NE's 34th (560) and 137th (37.5) = 597.5 points

Joe "overpaid" to make this trade happen by 6.5 JJ Chart points. Tom Telesco's history suggests he would have traded away his fifth round pick, which would have only been a 6-point "overpay," but would have left the Chargers with eight selections instead of nine.

As the draft showed, if you're committed to taking the best player available and have a deep scouting pool, you can slide back from the fourth to the fifth and still find fourth round talent. Although Joe Hortiz could have theoretically selected Cam Hart in the fourth and many would have lauded the pick, we'll be able to grade the outcome of this move by how Tarheeb Still and Hart collectively produce for this team... and since Still was selected before Hart, it's likely that Hart was the player the Chargers would have lost had Hortiz parted with the fifth rounder to grab Ladd.

Regardless of outcome, this move was a clinic in why Joe Hortiz's process will outshine Tom Telesco's tenure with the Bolts.

How to Grade Hortiz's Scouting Moving Forward

This year will be tricky to be critical of Joe Hortiz's selections, because he was largely left with the scouting team Tom Telesco left behind. The overall process is what fans should be extremely excited and hopeful for.

However, there's one measuring stick fans should look to as an early-indicator of what's to come. We already saw Joe's process in action, but what should be most telling about his ability has an evaluator is how two specific selections perform: Justin Eboigbe and Tarheeb Still.

According to NFL Mock Draft Database, the average selection for Eboigbe was #143rd. Miranda Wilhelm and A.J. Schulte mocked Eboigbe to the Chargers in round six and five respectively, and the Chargers selecting him at #105 was considered a reach by a whole round.

An even starker contrast against Hortiz's big board and the consensus was Tarheeb Still's selection. NFL Mock Draft Database only had two mocks where Still cracked a roster, once in the sixth round to the Jets and once in the seventh to the Bengals. His average ranking was 272nd, 135 players lower (comfortably in UDFA territory, where the volatility of these rankings is significant) than where the Chargers drafted him.

Joe Hortiz and his staff stuck their necks out for these two players, and it's clear they have a vision for each. Justin has the potential to be a creative and effective pairing with Poona Ford in the stunts Ryan Watkins pointed out Jesse Minter loves to throw at opposing offensive lines. As a fifth round pick, Tarheeb Still may be a sneaky special teams warrior thriving in the new hybrid kickoff scheme given is excellent tackling skills, with upside to be a solid apex defender for Minter.

Where the McConkey trade was a showcase in Joe's elite draft approach, how these selections fare two selections will provide some takeaways on Joe's ability to find diamonds in the rough.

• Position: Interior Defensive Lineman
• College: Alabama
• Class: Redshirt Senior
• Number: 92
• Drafted at: Round 4 Pick 5 (105th overall)
• Age when drafted: 23.04

Production

Games Watched:

• Ole Miss - 9.23.2023
• Texas A&M - 10.7.2023
• LSU - 11.4.2023

Injury History:

Justin missed most of his Junior season with a herniated disc that he suffered in October 2022, the herniation was pushed against his spinal cord which resulted in season-ending surgery (performed by neurosurgeon David Okonkwo) and wore a neck brace followed by a bone stem device to help stimulate bone growth for three months. He was fully cleared for football activity after seven months and he went on to play his first game less than one year after the injury.

Positives:

He clearly has a strong back and lower half to take this kind of shock from two lineman and keep working towards the ball. The raw power is there though, he did a nice, if unconventional, two arm lift move before surging straight through and over the running back chip-help to get pressure and force the QB to take off. Knifed through the zone blocking scheme to force the back to take a wide path, his impact on the game is certainly felt against the run more than the pass. His anchor against pullers is an interesting trait as they just don't get an inch from him once he counters with his long arm and then steps into it, this could be where teams see the potential for dealing with gap blocking concepts. One thing that stands out consistently is his motor, he recovered from being 7 yards past the QB to get back and be the one to bring him down from behind after looping the long way around. We finally have a good pass rush rep and it results in a sack, he gets under the pads of the tackle with an impressive long arm move before disengaging with quick hands to swim back over and reel in the QB, this showed positive traits but the flashy disengagement in a tight space is the one that stands out to me. Against LSU he looked more twitched up converting his speed to power more efficiently, his arm length isn't elite but his wingspan is because of his large torso. He's a tad under 300lbs but he's huge which shows he's got a good physique and that reveals itself on tape where he wins the contact battle if he's got his feet under him. He just has a real knack for burrowing through turned lineman to find the back in crowded spaces, he refuses to accept he is out leveraged and just keeps on pushing, it's a good habit to have gained, he's a hungry lad. One play against LSU highlighted this where he fights through four blockers from two gaps over to take down the back from behind and everyone is surprised that he made the stop from that far away. He looks much more fluid acting on the weak side of an even front especially when he's asked to attack either A gap, he shows a quicker first step when knifing inside allowing himself a full first stride. The way in which he can bench off a Tackle and shoot inside to get a run stop a gap over from his own is very nice, needs to use his length to his advantage like this rather than getting in too close like he often does. He was rarely asked to be the spiker on stunts but he has the profile for it, he just needs to be more decisive and crash down when he does get the green light for it. God forbid you have to down block across him as an OT because he just blew #66 from LSU off his feet and sent him flying into the back for a highlight reel TFL; this is what happens when he plays from a low stance with a straight back, he really fired off on those poor dudes. I did not expect to see him flatten 90 degrees to bring down the jet motion hand-off player, wow he dropped anchor and bent the edge completely uncharacteristically, where has this been?

Negatives:

Can get beaten initially as he doesn't have an explosive get off, he's slow to get out of his stance with lumbering movements but he resets really well after absorbing the double teams push. He lacks the pass rush upside of his classmates with a clear lack of explosion and quickness to his movements. He's a disciplined lane rusher but there is really no dynamism to his pass rush skill set, it's simply power and length with the occasional rip move, he really needs to develop some technical skills to continue playing anywhere close to the edge at the next level. Doesn't have the footspeed or bend to be effective as a looper on stunts. When he gets his leverage right he can push good interior lineman back into the middle of the pocket but again he's not reaching his full potential here as he doesnt have a natural feel for the body angle this requires. Can get washed down when lineman attack his sides, needs to be able to pivot his hips a bit better or put more weight on his inside plant leg to stop this. Has a good nose for the ball vs the run but his lack of burst costs him as he is in position to make plays but gets beaten for speed. Man he really lacks the lateral movement skills to adjust to elusive skill position players, he had the QB Max King dead to rights but a slight shimmy sent me flying by, it wasn't even a good move. He needs to build in some counters because when he gets in tight or comes up tall he has no secondary move and will just keep going into his blockers chest, his pad height is a concern in general but this is a bit common in guys his height playing inside. The stiffness in his midsection is probably a result of the long term spinal injury he suffered but he can counter this by pivoting and getting his feet under him, when he gets his chest too high this is the type of move he struggles with. Could do with reading his keys better as the read edge on the option concept because he chooses neither option multiple times, make a decision and hit it early or play both slowly, can't exist in no man's land like he does. 

Overall Grade:

DT9 / Tier 4 / Round 4

Summary:

His final year as a redshirt senior was his first as a full time starter and his production exploded. He played all across the bama front all the way from a 5 to a 0 but whilst his versatility can help out for depth I don't think he showed enough athleticism to be effective wider than a 3 in an even front. I like his unceasing tenacity where he never gives up on a play but his lack of pass rush iso winning upside means this is the only way he gets sacks. His real impact is felt in the run game where he can survive against double teams with a solid lower half and he shows a real nose for the ball on interior run concepts. He stonewalls pullers too which is a great trait to have as an early downs guy and he keeps working through contact no matter how many gaps over he is. Eboigbe's Senior Bowl tape may have pushed him further up the Chargers' big board as he dominated any guard that wasn't considered an elite prospect whilst flashing some quicker movement skills than he showcased in season. Overall Justin Eboigbe has been a real slow burner only breaking out in his 5th year in school and his tape got better as the year went on, by the LSU game he was showing some real flashes that could mean he is primed for even more growth at the next level.

System Fit:

Given the quality of the Edge rushing group it seems like the opposite is going to be the case for Jesse Minter's interior defensive line. The fact that any combination of Otito Ogbonnia, Morgan Fox, Scott Matlock or Poona Ford are set to start shows that the strength of this line is not on the inside. Whilst I think collectively that group is being undervalued, there is arguably no one that had the upside to be a three down impact player against both the run and pass. Justin Eboigbe steps into this room with fantastic run stuffing ability with a natural nose for the football that I would argue doesn't already have a presence among this position group. He also has shown flashes in pass rush and could develop into more than a clean up high motor player on passing downs and that gives him upside that will get him more snaps eventually. I think he will be an early downs guy to begin with with some short yardage 3rd down work especially if the Chargers stick with an even front in those situations.

System Player Comp:

This was a difficult one because neither the Ravens or Wolverines had any players who aligned with Eboigbe's skillset and frame that crossed over with Jesse Minter's or Mike Macdonald's tenure so I had to think laterally and eventually thought of a slightly unconventional one. Zach Sieler was Ozzie Newsome's final pick at the end of his long term stint as Baltimore's GM, he was taken in the 7th round of 2018 out of Div II Ferris State to play defensive end in Wink Martindale's defense but never really got a chance to shine in a system that didn't fit his profile and he was released after only two games in purple. He found his home in Miami where he broke through relative unanimity with a huge 10 sacks from the interior last season as well as having a game wrecking gap shooting ability against the run. He continues to be one of the most underrated players in the league despite Miami paying him well enough. I can see Justin having a similar path as I believe if he is pigeon-holed to a 5-tech role in a traditional even front he wouldn't be set up for success however I see his tools being better suited in fronts that put him between a 4i and 1t with the ability to be on the field in a match front. Sieler is more of a quick burst athlete that can get through gaps with quick second phase speed but like Eboigbe he uses his length and power to put guards in unwinnable situations. Zach's draft profile had him as more of a run stop player with flashes of upside in the pass game and that's how I see Justin's potential career trajectory if he harnesses the best of his abilities.

Pick Assessment:

There are some issues I have with this pick. The first is how far in advance of the consensus board they took a one year starter who had a serious spinal injury to recover from. The second is the quality of player that was still left on the board, Brandon Dorlus was available as my DT5 ahead of Justin as my DT9. Overall the consensus board saw this as a reach after he went 47 picks ahead of his 152nd overall ranking and 4 spots ahead of his positional ranking of 15th. Dorlus has pass rushing upside and position flexibility (more so than Justin) gives him an edge, I was surprised he didn't go earlier as I had a second round grade and the Falcons, despite already taking a DT two rounds earlier, pounced on the Chargers' oversight. The good news is that in retrospective this pick was still more than acceptable because the DT talent fall off after Eboigbe and Dorlus was dramatic, plus Hortiz and Harbaugh clearly wanted more of a run stopper and whilst Dorlus is a much better gap shooter, Eboigbe will do the dirty work to fight through blocks, take on double teams and he never stops working and that is exactly what Harbaugh covets. Jesse Minter's edge rushers are so elite that the interior just needs to be the support and Justin fits that role very well.

• Position: Cornerback
• College: Maryland
• Class: Senior
• Number: 4
• Drafted at: Round 5 Pick 2 (137th overall)
• Age when drafted: 21.28

Production

Games Watched:

• Michigan State - 9.23.2023
• Michigan - 11.18.2023

Positives:

Still has twitchy movement skills that can get him across short areas quickly without having to be in perfect technique meaning he can make adjustments on the fly. Absorbed the two hand reach block and threw it off his body aggressively to fill and replace his blockers outside shoulder. Love the violence he attacks the block with. He covers a lot of ground with a natural low foot spring step going in either direction meaning he can easily get depth or attack downhill. Nice sideline tattoo finish early in the game to let his man know it won't be an easy day. Has good pattern match and cross field reads to climb and maintain deepest threat principles, keeps his eyes up and works for depth. Fantastic vision to pursue the run inside then bail out and use his speed to bubble back over to the naked side he abandoned to beat Corum to the edge and stop him by himself. He shouldn't have dived inside but wow what a recovery. Next play he makes another run stop where he bounces his feet despite the line drifting towards him and steps through at the right time to take down the backs legs through the side with solid technique. Stayed tied to a dig route where the non-explosive receiver stacked him vertically and pushed off at the top of his stem, he stayed tight using physicality with his arms extended to control the route as best he could. He showed good hip recovery here too to get back in position after opening up the wrong way. Played a toss to perfection as he widened with the bubbling RT before reading the two way go to launch himself inside beating the blocker for speed, the dive caused the back to jump but Still made contact and tipped off the backs balance in midair, the second defender then planted the back in the air but this was all Still. Played the iso TE comeback route well, used his arms to keep the big man out of his chest, keeping his leverage all the way to the top of the route. Then he countered the push off well with a slight grab before getting under the tight ends arms to disrupt the catch attempt. The DPI call was a bad one from my perspective. He has good zone principles installed already, he sees one route leaving and gets his eyes up to the one replacing and he does well to position himself to make the throw harder during the transition between zones.

Negatives:

Poor shuffle technique as he crosses over his feet with his downfield foot first which means he can't plant off of it if needed. His coverage technique is untidy, he plays high and out of control. Looks like his natural movement skills have made him lazy, needs to build in proper play height and technique to stay at pro speed and be ready for tempo switch ups. He isn't the most natural cover corner, in man he opened up early from a narrow square position and if this was a better receiver he would have been dusted inside. Despite the DPI call being a bad one on the TE comeback he still arrived a little early on the thrown and will invite yellow flags doing this. This is part of playing a physical style of disruptive coverage so I'm sure his coach can live with it. Allowed a completion out of his outside quarter where he didn't feel the route tempo well enough to close the spacing before the WR cut the stem off, then went too narrow and tall into the tackle. This looked like match principles to me so I get why he stayed over the top scheme wise but at some point he has to play football. Got beaten badly on a swim move at the top of inside bending stem which sent him sailing past, his footwork in tight areas is awful and he really needs to sink his hips to have some control over directional changes. Tarheeb doesn't have a natural feel for coverage where he can slide into receivers like seasoned vets can, overall his man coverage is sloppy and whilst he doesn't allow a lot of separation down low this is mostly down to his aggression and athleticism.

Overall Grade:

CB14 / Tier 4 / Round 4

Summary:

Still is going to be a better pro than he was a prospect, I'm willing to bet big on this. His athleticism might not spring off the page but it's sufficient enough to keep him within range to make the kind of splash plays he has the potential to make with his anticipation and aggressive mentality. It's slightly odd to say that a zone corner has a tough dog mentality but Still has that in buckets, he is aggressive in all the right ways but his prowess is found in his ability to read and react to route concepts in a zone or pattern match coverage scheme. Why he will be drafted though is his work in the run game, he is a genuine threat to rushing concepts with his ability to play the apex or naked side even from an off coverage perch. I really like this side of his game but the other side of it has some real areas for growth. He is not a natural corner that flows backwards with ease, he is better when playing downhill and this limits his system landing spot. He has the profile to play either inside or outside the numbers having played 60% of his snaps in the slot for his sophomore and junior years, this flexibility will serve him well as a depth piece but I think his true role should be in a zone system that can allow him to play aggressively with his back protecting the sideline. Overall I have big questions over his man coverage outside but he has the movement skills and attitude to improve in this area but his zone match abilities and run game work make me want to bet on him.

System Fit:

Jesse Minter's defense uses corners in a different way than most corners entering into the NFL will be utilized. His corners act in almost exclusively vertical scheme that moves them between a deep quarter down and a cover 2 underneath flat and then down into man with very little requirement to chase in-breaking routes as a traditional zone system might ask them to do. Therefore how the off-season has gone so far is reaffirming that this stance will be seen in SoCal this season as the Chargers lack of heavy investment indicates corners will see their roles reduced. Minter has seen offenses nullify premium corners with quick game from tight formations and he proved his method to counteract this was successful during Michigan's championship season. This means players like Tarheeb who excel at coming downhill to close quickly on short concepts and dominate the outside run lane have not only a chance to be a role player early but I genuinely think Still has a chance to start from Week 1 because he is a better for this system than any other corner on the roster. Minter likes his apex players to be more interior focused but with Still's experience playing in the slot plus his confident reads and downhill mentality he could end up playing there however I see him playing primarily outside.

System Player Comp:

Looking for an appropriate player comparison for a first time defensive coordination isn't a simple task with projections for Jesse Minter's system either having to be based on the very few secondary players that have made it from Michigan to the NFL or having to examine the coaches who have influenced Minter's scheme to date. I found a good body type alignment in Rock Ya-Sin who played under Mike Macdonald, the now head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, during the 2023 season. An old draft crush of mine, Rock Ya-Sin was taken in the second round of the 2019 draft before failing to live up to expectations as a tough nosed zone corner that has since bounced around the league. He may have only played a minimal role for Baltimore however the fact that Macdonald recruited him during free agency gave some insight into how this coaching tree sees the corner position. Tarheeb and Rock have remarkably similar testing data but when you watch the tape you see that whilst Rock was resilient or "Temple Tuff", he wasn't a naturally aggressive player like Still has shown he is. He could tackle but he never came downhill to find extra work and Still to me seems to be the natural next step in where Jesse Minter could look to better the position.

Pick Assessment:

As a prospect I think Still has some very interesting traits that you can see aligning with Jesse Minter's vision for how he wants to transform this cornerback room however the pick did seem like a reach at the time. Arif Hasan's consensus board had Tarheeb ranked at 265th overall and he was the 29th corner listed, the Chargers took him at pick 137 overall as the 18th corner. Whilst these are never directly comparable when you add in real world context the disparity between expectations and results shows that the Bolts could most likely have afforded to wait and get some value by moving further down the board if they were insistent on getting Still on the books. I personally liked D.J. James and Kalen King more than Tarheeb as overall prospects however whilst James is a good Quarters corner he doesn't quite have the same combative disposition as Still. King does have that approach to the game nailed down but his lack of play speed may have meant the Chargers had him off their board completely. Therefore whilst a first look may have shown this as a reach, the play style match and the context of the remaining draft board made it clear why the Chargers chose to take Still and prosper rather than risk him slipping through their hands.

• Position: Running Back
• College: Troy
• Class: Senior
• Number: 28
• Drafted at: Round 6 Pick 5 (181st overall)
• Age when drafted: 22.66

Games Watched:

• Kansas State - 09.09.2023
• South Alabama - 11.02.2023

Positives:

Showed nice vision on the bounce out with smooth COD mechanics as he gets laterally quickly with his feet already under him to burst upfield. Pass pro looks good so far, good vision and hits square and on time. Like his ability to make tacklers hit him skinny as he slides away from giving them a solid area to hit leading to extra yards. Can win on short downs with a gap hop with his smooth easy footwork that seems tied to his eyes in the way an experienced back develops. Outstanding contact balance to break through arm tackles and recover from a tackle attempt from a safety who held on to spring up for another five yards that didn't exist; impressive play. Nice vision to ignore his lead H block on the pin and pull concept as he wasn't going to get to the LB in time and cuts behind his team mate and gets upfield showing decent leg strength and drive to take two men with him to the 1 yard line. I like his ability to press the stem and then burst out of it within structure, he's not exactly dynamic here but his efficient movements get him into creases quickly and defenders struggle to break down in time to stop him. Turns a broken blocking plan with a puller moving too slowly, into a nice gain after giving his OL time with a late jump cut to avoid the penetrating blitzer then sinking his hips and getting back to his original gap; this is mature back play that raw athleticism can't get you to, he did really well at each phase of this and processed this all in a flash. Switches hands and stiff arms and defender who has him beat to the edge on a bounce out, not sure at his height/weight he'll be able to do this in the pros but it's a good skill to have. His best work comes when moving laterally and then cutting back, getting skinny and slipping through lanes, his vision, contact balance and efficient footwork are his best tools and he uses them well in these concepts. I want to see him use this more behind a line that can give him the time. Wow he uses his jump cut well to get away from backfield penetration on the goalline, would love to see him finish this but to even get a yard was amazing.

Negatives:

Has the long speed to punish teams when wide open gaps are left for him to expose but I am not sure about his short area quickness.He does not have the power to overwhelm tacklers dead on, in fact he often loses contact battles when facing a downhill defender. Don't like that in head on situations he almost gives up and accepts the contact never fighting through it. Vidal shows patience and an ability to vary tempo but it's not consistent and only happens in short bursts. I like his leg drive when he's holding up the pile and moving it forward for extra yards, again though he doesn't seem to have the mentality to do this more often and there are no excuses for why as he was the heart of this offense. 

Overall Grade: 

RB10 / Tier 4 / Round 5

Summary:

Vidal has the tools you want to see built into a running back; he has the vision, footwork, discipline and balance to become an effective early downs back that can be effective over the span of four quarters but it is important to note that whilst he tested well, he didn't show any explosiveness traits on film. Unless you went into more detail you may miss what he can bring to a team because of it but as always it is good to know his body is capable of better things. His RAS Score is particularly impressive given his shorter frame. He plays like a bigger back than he is and I think he can stand to lose a few pounds in order to unlock some more short area quickness and burst because his play style does not suit being any heavier due to his lack of interest in going through players. Overall Vidal has good upside as a volume back to move the chains and keep an offense on rhythm but his lack of explosive power or speed may mean he gets overlooked for better athletes.

System Fit:

Greg Roman's gap scheme rushing offense will be something Vidal's running back colleagues will be very used to having spent most of their career immersed in this exact system under Roman but for vidal it will be a slight adjustment but one I think is a perfect match to his skillset. I'm not one to use PFF grades as gospel but his 91.8 grade on gap schemes reflected the very little tape I have on Vidal. You will see from my notes so far that he has good patience, an excellent understanding of tempo control as well as the vision to make the most of the play design. These traits mesh perfectly with Roman's scheme as he wants his backs to play slowly coming into the mesh to allow the pullers the time to get to their gaps but then have the speed and decisiveness to hammer through the extra gaps created by the overload. This is where Vidal can really make a claim for his spot on the gameday roster as this skillset matches JK Dobbins' but his injury history means that if he is not 100% then Vidal has to be the guy to act in the same capacity as Gus Edwards is a very different type of back.

System Player Comp:

Looking at the recent history of Greg Roman's backfields and once you rule out the two guys who are already on the Chargers' roster, you see a lot of one year additions who failed to execute the timing of his system with any sustained level of success. Roman clearly believes in the shorter stout running backs as he had Devonta Freeman and Mike Davis during his last years in Maryland. However, one player stood out as a decent comparison to Kimani Vidal from a few years earlier; Mark Ingram. The former Alabama back found great success in his first season under Roman finishing with over 1000 rushing yards. Stylistically Ingram was more of a true power back compared to the elusive style of Vidal but their ability to control tempo and use their vision to read paths through the second level is very similar. I see them as similar backs because they also find extra yards at the end of runs even if they do this as different ways, Ingram would go through and over defenders whereas Vidal likes to slip and shift at the contact point using his smaller stature to maximize his yardage after contact. Vidal is a far superior athlete compared to Mark Ingram who only posted a 2.96 RAS score but the man had raw power that Vidal could develop with time. Overall I don't see Vidal being a bellcow in his first year but I think there is certainly a path to him being the guy once the veteran contracts have expired which would leave him with two years left on his rookie deal to earn his next contract.

Pick Assessment:

Sixth round picks are usually special team contributors and depth pieces but Joe Hortiz may have genuinely found a volume early down back that has an opportunity to grow into a system that fits his skill set perfectly. If Vidal can find a way to translate his athleticism to the field more often and learn from Gus Edwards how to avoid his hesitation at the contact point then he can shed his Day 3 pick tag very early on. Vidal has already become a dynasty draft darling thanks to the cheap short term contracts in front of him and I'm with them in this line of thinking as he has very little resistance to becoming the lead back in a run heavy system. To get that in the sixth round is outstanding value, we'll see if this projection comes true but for now I'll applaud the approach.

• Position: Offensive Tackle
• College: Notre Dame
• Class: Junior
• Number: 76
• Drafted at: Round 1 Pick 5 (5th overall)
• Age when drafted: 21.15

RAS Score:

Production:

Games Watched:

• Clemson - 11.04.2023
• Ohio State - 09.23.2023

Positives:

His size just dominates the tape as it's hard to see beyond that both literally and analytically, he can just hold off the pass rush with his long arms and he doesn't have to ever reach full extension or pivot his hips to get further into his man. His footwork for a man of his size is outstanding, his first steps laterally or vertically gain so much ground without overstriding in fact his pass sets are often short as his length can just cut off the rusher's angle before he can even get to the edge. His run game work is a bit less refined but he has the quick feet and length to open up gaps on his own, especially his B gap down blocks which are lethal, he can climb well from this position too. For someone only 2 years into playing the position he has great vision, timing and control when facing stunts, he exchanges smoothly without giving any space for one of the rushers to slip through. He absolutely demolishes anyone who plants their feet near him, he may use a push technique that's not technically sound but with his long arms and power through his leg drive this sends big stout dudes flying, he uses rocker steps to generate power so this could be made even more potent when he learns proper technique. Alt doesn't lose many reps overall, his natural movement skills combined with his size means he can get to a spot and just wall you off no matter what you try to do. Alt is physics-defyingly quick out of his stance when attacking the second level from a free release, his first few steps are so sudden that he can get his long arms inside the grip of his opponents before they have even figured out if it's run or pass.

Negatives:

His hip height is tall even for a tall man and it leads to him not being able to anchor against power sets, this doesn't result in him getting flattened because he has good balance but overall I do not like the position he puts himself in here. His footwork whilst quick and clean is nowhere near the technical level of his peers in this class, he needs to learn a proper pass set for under center drops and will need to learn how to get narrow and vertical quicker as right now he just turns his hips to the outside. His lack of experience shows when pulling as his play speed slows down as he is unsure where to block as a priority, he kept being asked to seal the inside which is a tough ask but he has got the hip speed to swing around and do this but his lack of momentum control takes him into contact too early sometimes leading to a narrow gap for his back to hit.

Overall Grade:

OT1 / Tier 1 / Round 1

Summary:

Alt is raw, unpolished and has areas of the game he needs to improve on but I'm betting every OL coach in the league would like to get their hands on his frame and athletic skill. The former tight end started at RT as a freshman then switched over to LT without a hiccup so his multifaceted movement skills haven't been engrained meaning he can take on coaching very well still especially being so young. Alt has a freaky ability to cover ground and reach wide rush paths with ease and has the upper body strength to absorb contact even if his tall hip height and lack of natural knee bend costs him some leverage. I think he might struggle if he is asked on day one because NFL Edge rushers have so many more weapons to their pass rush arsenal and they might be able to set him up for failure with veteran moves. I do not expect this to last as he rarely got beat by the same move twice and his athletic upside may be the best of any offensive lineman over the past decade. His run game is good but not dominant, this is where he has much more room for growth. Overall I expected better tape for someone considered a consensus top 5 pick but you can easily see the projection to be a franchise LT, he will need work and time to develop the techniques to make him into a professional level tackle but by all accounts this won't be a problem for a cerebral and willing player with exceptional ability.

System Fit:

Greg Roman was probably doing backflips in the draft room when he found out he was going to have a potentially elite long term right tackle for the first time in many years. In recent seasons he has had Morgan Moses, Daniel Faalele, Alejandro Villanueva and Orlando Brown to fill his Right Tackle role. This was a varied group in terms of skill sets but my view is Roman has been trying to find a long body with light feet that can both reach wide pass rushers and dominate iso blocks in the run game, he looked a bit uncoordinated on dynamic lateral move blocks but his down blocks with his length are deadly and a great tool to get the guards moving as he can cover their backside gaps with ease. The more tape I watched, the more I could see what Harbaugh and Roman saw in his potential that could unlock gap and power concepts that most Tackles could not enable by dominating inside and allowing his inside line-mates to fly outside and take on the lighter apex players of the modern game.

System Player Comp:

This one was tough as the Ravens have never had a player who fits what Joe Alt is now or what he can become. In fact his closest Mockdraftable comparative player was only an 80% match, that means no one has truly been like Alt since their records began in the early 2000s. His combination of raw ability, height, length and light feet are just not something you see especially in a player that is less than 3 years into playing Offensive Tackle. I can see similar thinking from Joe Hortiz in how the Ravens took Daniel Faalele in the 4th round, he was a raw, new to the position prospect who had the athletic profile to take a leap in the pros. However they are completely different players with Faalele being 60 lbs heavier and him being a powerful oversetter whereas Alt is a fluid short setter who plays light on his feet. The name that comes to mind when considering play style is Alejandro Villanueva, the former Pittsburg Steeler who made a veteran move to their AFC North rivals to finish his career in Baltimore. He was also a taller and slimmer build who was a better pass blocker than he was a run blocker in a similar profile to Alt. He actually switched sides when moving from his long standing left Tackle role in Pittsburg to the right hand side under Greg Roman. So in summary, this is a unicorn player profile that has been targeted to improve a position the offensive coordinator has previously struggled to find an elite player in.

Pick Assessment:

I have been public in saying that I did not want the Chargers to draft Joe Alt 5th overall so I will elaborate as to why. The value of OT1 in a historically good draft class is not as high as in a normal year and when you consider Alt is a guy who is still developing as well as learning a new side of the offensive line, it makes it a bit hard to swallow. Switching sides is really not easy, it is unlearning and rebuilding your muscle memory and according to every lineman that has ever done it, it should not be taken lightly. I believe in this coaching staff and this is clearly a vote for themselves but from a pure value perspective in a vacuum I am not a fan. However, in the beneficial clarity that an overall post draft evaluation affords me I can see that the combination of Alt and Ladd is a better situation to be in than Odunze and the tackles that were available at the top of the second round. Would Patrick Paul, Blake Fisher or Ross Rosengarten be able to create a pair of franchise tackles? Not likely, so this has to be seen as a win in terms of results. Future contract value should come into consideration too, elite Offensive Tackles never make it to the market and trading for them is expensive whereas wide receivers frequently want to move teams through discounted trade deals or monster free agent deals. This liquidity of the available talent should always be considered when drafting and Hortiz nailed this.