The title says it all.
I personally feel like we swung and missed on back-to-back firsts. I am not throwing in the towel on either and hope they can be great Chargers, but there are other guys at those same positions who went later in those drafts that are performing much better. As the GM, you take responsibility for the scheme, how guys are used, and their success or lack thereof.
We also built much of our starting OL in 2022, taking two Gs who are rating at below average by PFF.
There are some hits farther along, including incredible production on the edge from Tuli and Mack.
2022: 1 G Zion Johnson, 3 S JT Woods, 4 RB Isaiah Spiller, 5 DT Otito Ogbonnia, 6 OL Jamaree Salyer, CB Ja’Sir Taylor, 7 DB Deane Leonard, FB Zander Horvath.
2023: 1 WR Johnston, 2 EDGE Tuipulotu, 3 MLB Henley, 4 WR/KR Davis, 5 G McFadden, 6 DL Matlock 7 QB Duggan
I just cannot give a C grades to drafts with missed first round picks, which I suggest we got back-to-back of. That is average, that is the minimum. Despite success later I got D grades both years.
What do you think? What are your grades at this point in the season?
The top of 2022 isn’t great, but I still think Zion will be a long term guard. Mack was worth the trade. Better than average contributors out of 5th/6th/7th round picks .
2023 is way too early to write anyone off. Tuli and Davis look like home runs, and Henley is a good ST at least. McFadden and Matlock were solid in preseason, we’ll see how they develop.
Side note but complaining about 7th round picks is just a fundamental lack of awareness of how the NFL draft works.