The Chargers future is bright under Jim Harbaugh, and a strong 2024 rookie class is a key reason why.
The Bolts top pair of picks from Joe Hortiz's first draft class appear to be home runs, too.
ESPN's Ben Solak recently released his All-Rookie Team and included both offensive tackle Joe Alt and wide receiver Ladd McConkey on the first squad. The Chargers were one of two teams with multiple players on the First-Team offense on Solak's list.
Alt, the No. 5 overall pick, was the NFL analyst's clear choice at right tackle, as he was as good as advertised in Year 1.
Solak wrote:
The best compliment you can give a rookie tackle is that you forgot all about him, and that's the case with Alt. He was so quietly dominant shutting down pass rushers that any unknowing film watcher would never guess he was a rookie who had flipped sides. Alt is exactly what the Chargers hoped when they drafted him: smooth, long, physical, technically sound, quick, smart and explosive. He checks every single box a team would expect from a franchise tackle. Also, when Rashawn Slater went down right before Week 18, he slipped right back to the left side and looked like he'd been there all season.
Alt made 16 starts for the Chargers as a rookie and finished with a 94.3 percent pass-block win rate, according to ESPN, which was the fourth-highest mark among offensive tackles in the regular season.
He gave the offense a major boost throughout the season along with McConkey, who put together a historic rookie season.
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
Take a look back at the Chargers Wild Card matchup with the Texans in monochrome!
The No. 34 overall pick out of Georgia had the seventh-best rookie wide receiver season of the century in terms of yards per route run, according to Solak. McConkey also broke the Bolts franchise record in catches and yards with 82 receptions for 1,149 receiving yards in 16 games.
It took him a couple of games to get acclimated but once McConkey hit his stride, he never looked back and put together one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory.
Solak wrote:
McConkey averaged 2.57 yards per route run this season, just 0.04 yards behind [Brian] Thomas. While Thomas has the more traditional big-play game, McConkey matched him in explosiveness, producing in the intermediate areas of the field. He averaged 10.4 yards per target to Thomas' 9.7, and his 14 yards per reception compared well to Thomas' 14.7. This is a big-play receiver with legit speed.
He was able to do it all over the field, and Solak is interested to see how he continues to develop and be used in the Bolts offense for years to come.
Solak wrote:
McConkey will still always be best on breaking routes as a consistent stick mover from the slot. A whopping 46.8% of his targets went for a first down or touchdown this season, which is easily best among rookies. I'll be interested to see whether the Chargers continue using him heavily in the slot and add to their outside positions this offseason, or start using him in more of a hybrid role. Either way, he can handle it.
Rookie cornerback Tarheeb Still was also on Solak's list as a Second-Team cornerback.
Still, a fifth-round rookie, was inactive until Week 4 but turned into a game-changer for the NFL's No. 1 scoring defense once he stepped on the field.
The Maryland product notched four interceptions, which finished tied for the second-most among rookies and most on the Chargers.
The highlight of his season came in Week 13 when Still intercepted a pass and took it back 61 yards for the go-ahead touchdown that would give the Bolts a win in Atlanta.
