The 2024 NFL Draft is complete, and it's clear that the Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz aced his first one with the Bolts.
Where does that leave the Bolts in the post-draft power rankings?
NFL.com's Eric Edholm tabbed the Chargers at No. 15 overall but noted this is a team on the rise.
I'll probably bump the Chargers up two or three spots between now and training camp, hoping many won't notice … I still lump them in with some of the biggest offseason winners for landing Jim Harbaugh and all the players he's brought in since, and I will continue to do so.
Sanjesh Singh of Yahoo Sports also had the Chargers in the top half of the league-wide rankings.
The biggest thing going for the Chargers is the potential Jim Harbaugh effect. Harbaugh may not always win titles but he'll have his teams in the conversation. Let's see if he can help break the Chargers' curse and build toward that status after this year.
A pair of other outlets — Bleacher Report and the New York Post — put the Bolts a tad lower at No. 21 but said Harbaugh is certainly beginning to build something in Southern California.
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report wrote:
If there was any question how new head coach Jim Harbaugh planned to craft the Los Angeles Chargers, it was answered with the fifth pick in the 2024 draft. Beginning with Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt, Harbaugh drafted both help in the trenches and two players from the University of Michigan.
Even Dave Helman of FOX Sports, who had the Bolts at No. 26, said he doesn't expect them to be at that spot very long.
Helman wrote:
Justin Herbert with Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt protecting him is a solid place to start, and I trust Jim Harbaugh to get this moving in the right direction.
Check out the Chargers Draft Hub for all news, analysis and photos of the Bolts 2024 draft class.
