Take a look inside the Chargers' suite as the team scouts top prospects at the Combine.
We just reached the midpoint of the on-field workouts at the 2018 Scouting Combine, but that only represents a tiny sliver of what the Chargers have been up to this week.
From draft evaluations to prospect interviews to free agency preparations and much more, it's been a whirlwind few days for the Bolts in Indy.
Fortunately, President of Football Operations John Spanos took a few minutes out of his busy day to provide an update on the team's progress in Indianapolis.
Needless to say, it's been an important and fruitful week for the Bolts.
"It's going really well and it's been very productive so far," he said. "We've been real busy since we've been here and have spent a lot of time talking with players, watching them perform and looking over the medical reports. This year we've been fortunate enough to have even more continuity than normal in regards to the coaching staff, which is always a huge plus. They've been great to work with. We're really encouraged by the work we've gotten done. This is not the end of the draft process. In fact, it's far from it."
Fans may be surprised to know that while teams evaluate over 300 prospects on the field and interview 60 of them throughout the week, they are equally hard at work preparing for the upcoming free agency frenzy.
After all, the new league year is only 10 days away, meaning all 32 teams must immediately get their ducks in a row.
The Chargers are no different.
"The draft process is a year-long process, so we've been working on the draft since even before the 2017 season even began. That's been a constant all year. But now, the free agency preparations have really picked up in the last month or so. We've been busy with that here as well, and when we get back, we will really be full swing into free agency. But the good thing is we're very well prepared for free agency."
A common misconception is that a draft class deep at a certain position might cause a team to not address that need during March's free agency.
Spanos explained why that most certainly won't be the case for the Bolts.
"It certainly doesn't change our preparation for free agency in terms of getting to know the players who are about to become free agents. The other thing is it is very tricky to sort of just depend on a certain position being filled in the draft because you never know who's going to be there when you are drafting. So even though it may appear deep, there are no guarantees in the draft process."
Fresh off a 9-7 campaign that saw the Chargers win nine of their final 12 games, the Bolts have earned universal praise among notable pundits and experts all week long. They're a trendy pick to do major damage in 2018 with many believing they are primed to be a major force not only in the AFC West, but the entire league.
Those experts aren't the only ones who feel that way as Spanos explained the prospects at the Combine also believe the Bolts are building something special.
"We absolutely sense their excitement this year," he explained. "We've talked with a lot of kids obviously, and a lot of them come in excited to be meeting with us. A lot of them are training in Southern California in LA, Orange County and San Diego. So for them, they talk about how great it's been to be out there training, and how they'd love to come back full time."
