Happy Valentine’s Day!
While you may be scouting chocolate and flowers, the Chargers remain hard at work scouting players for April’s NFL draft.
Here are six of my crushes for Los Angeles in honor of Valentine’s Day.
Troy RB Kimani Vidal
While he may not be the most physically imposing at 5’7 ⅝” and 215 pounds, Vidal runs with a violence that’s nearly unmatched in this year’s draft class. That matches well with the physical brand of football Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman will want to install with the Chargers in 2024. Vidal also finished second in college football in missed tackles forced with 94, just two behind Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks. (Brooks is coming back to school in 2024.) He may be a tick slower than Michigan running back Blake Corum, who has similar measurables, but will be available later in the draft than Corum and comes without the injury history.
Pass pro isn’t passive! Featuring #Troy RB Kimani Vidal💪🏾 pic.twitter.com/3JfNZswUhr
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) January 30, 2024
Washington TE Jack Westover
A sixth-year tight end who began his college career as a walk-on, Westover blossomed into a key contributor for the Huskies over the last three seasons, even if the box score doesn’t show gaudy numbers. Watch any Washington game from their run to the national title game and you’ll see Westover make a clutch play or a tough catch outside his frame. He also played through a calf injury that required surgery at the end of the season, the same reason he missed early February’s all-star circuit. He’ll be available on Day 3 but will likely grow into a role player in the NFL just as he did in college.
Has any UW player been as clutch as Jack Westover in 2023?
This crucial 4th down catch continued the drive, leading to a 33 yard Rome Odunze TD to give them the lead. pic.twitter.com/98uuMPDdTQ
— connor (Deathrow KP) (@keithpricetrut1) November 12, 2023
Penn State C Hunter Nourzad
A Cornell transfer with experience at all five positions on the offensive line, Nourzad has the smarts and versatility required of any modern offensive lineman. He’ll stay on the inside in the pros, just as he did at Penn State, because of size concerns, but don’t let that fool you. Nourzad is a stout blocker in both the run and pass game and his ability to break down what he’s seeing before the snap will have NFL teams swooning in the interview room. While Los Angeles may not be able to take a big swing at the position like Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson, Nourzad has the toolbox to be a consistent starter for 4th or 5th-round capital.
Well hello there Hunter Nourzad 👀
(Penn State Center) pic.twitter.com/cw7xaw0Y26— Steven Haglund (@StevenIHaglund) February 7, 2024
Northern Iowa DL Khristian Boyd
Virtually off the radar prior to January’s East-West Shrine Bowl, Boyd left the week in Frisco as one of the biggest winners of anybody. The Northern Iowa defensive tackle beat anyone put in front of him, no matter what level of competition they played at. An agile athlete for 320 pounds, Boyd fits the aggressive, athletic mold of interior defensive linemen that Jesse Minter liked at Michigan. Likely a 4th or 5th-rounder, Boyd will be a hit for any team that misses out on a player like Texas’ Byron Murphy or Michigan’s Kris Jenkins earlier in the draft.
Northern Iowa’s Khristian Boyd has really made a name for himself at the East-West Shrine Bowl. Wins with a push-pull-swim combo again. pic.twitter.com/KiSfG8rGP6
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) January 28, 2024
Michigan LB Junior Colson
Linebacker play in the NFL is becoming more important than ever. The Super Bowl was proof: San Francisco’s Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw (before injury) and Kansas City’s Nick Bolton were among the league’s best this season, allowing both defenses to do so much more from a disguise standpoint than those with more run-of-the-mill players at the position. Colson could be next in that line, a late contender for LB1 in a weaker class filled with specialists rather than all-around talents. While he needs to exercise a bit more patience at times, there’s no denying Colson’s fit in the modern NFL as a linebacker who can viciously fit the run and cover tight ends with ease. Add in the Michigan connection, and Colson could be the apple of the Chargers’ eye in the second round.
Junior Colson (LB – Mich) thread:
I do like Jeremiah Trotter JR. as an off-the-ball LB, but from a versatility standpoint, I like the 6’3” 247 pound Colson a bit better.
Colson is quicker and possesses looser hips than Trotter. This allows him to play a bit better in space pic.twitter.com/sdoATJCghX
— Mark Tyler(Hogs Haven) (@Tiller56) February 7, 2024
Louisville CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr.
Los Angeles will need to hit on their picks in the middle rounds to accelerate their retooling timeline, as the team has more needs than selections. Cornerback is an enticing option at the top of the draft, likely in the second round, but Brownlee showed during the Senior Bowl that there are gems to be found further down the board. Currently ranked PFF’s 80th overall player but ranked as low as 146th on aggregated consensus boards, Brownlee could go anywhere from the third to fifth round. His patience as a coverage man paired with a rare ability to break on the ball and a physical mentality in the run game should get him on an NFL field sooner rather than later.
Jarvis Brownlee is one tough CB…
Speedy/Competitive/Sticky in coverage but this kid is a football player!
(I love watching crack/replace concepts on CB prospects – Play 1) pic.twitter.com/DmvrytKnnS
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) February 7, 2024
