The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine is underway.
Hundreds of NFL personnel across the league have gathered in Indianapolis for the annual Combine.
That includes Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz, who made the media rounds early Tuesday morning joining NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" and "PFT Live" from Indianapolis.
"It's an exciting time for personnel people to be here and feel the vibe and get a chance to see all these players work out on the same field," Hortiz told PFT Live.
He also spent some time at the podium answering questions from the team beat reporters and other media alike ahead of the Combine.
The Combine is another piece of the evaluation puzzle between now and the draft when examining a prospect, but having the ability to meet with them in-person and learn more about them is just as big as their performance in the drills according to Hortiz.
"With the players, obviously, it goes by position, but I think, really, half of it is what they do on the field — the type of player they are — but a lot of it is the person, too, the other half," Hortiz said. "You have to know what you're getting, as a person. I think that his makeup, what type of teammate he is, how coachable he is, his desire to play the game, the toughness, those are the things that really matter to me and our organization.
"Every combine is a valuable opportunity for us to get around players," Hortiz added.
The Main Takeaway
Hortiz dove into a variety of topics Tuesday morning in addition to the importance of the Combine.
It was his first time talking to media since his introductory press conference and since then, the NFL salary cap has been set at $255.4 million, a much higher figure than was expected league-wide.
Hortiz said that this does give the Bolts "more increased flexibility" as they attack and talk over free agency between now and March 13.
But even then, the general manger noted that the roster construction will be a year-round thing, not just when free agency opens in a few weeks.
"I think that you're working to get the roster to where you want it every single day," Hortiz said. "That's leading up to the draft. Certainly, we're going to be taking a draft-centric approach. I believe in that.
"But, [unrestricted] free agency, June free agency, signings right before August, turning the roster during the season," Hortiz added. "The roster should never be where you want it, you're always trying to move ahead and get it. We're going to continue to work to add pieces, but we're going to do it throughout the year, at all at all times of the year."
Tweet of the Day
Justin Herbert's reaction to new Head Coach Jim Harbaugh?
"Fired up," the Chargers quarterback said.
Herbert joined 'Chasin' It', hosted by former teammate Chase Daniel and Trey Wingo in a podcast that was released Tuesday morning.
The Bolts quarterback recalled his excitement following the hire and his first conversations with Harbaugh as well as many other topics in 25-minute appearance on the podcast.
A Peek Ahead
On Wednesday, the media sessions will switch over to the prospects.
Both the defensive line and linebacker prospects will speak to the media Wednesday morning, including Texas' Byron Murphy II, Illinois' Jer'Zhan Newton, Penn State's Chop Robinson and others.
Those prospects will also be the ones to kick off the on-field activities Thursday starting at 12 p.m. PT.
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