With the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine set to kick off this week in Indianapolis, Matt "Money" Smith and Chris Hayre previewed the event on the latest episode of Chargers Weekly presented by YouTube TV.
The guys also discussed Daniel Jeremiah's latest mock draft, which has the Chargers selecting a wide receiver at No. 17 overall. Download and subscribe to the Chargers Podcast Network wherever you listen to podcasts. A few highlights are below.
Money on the importance of the on-field work in Indy
"There's merit to what they're doing on the field. There are measurables, there are numbers, there are benchmarks that teams simply have that if you're not a corner that measures at 'this' [or] if you don't have an arm length that's at 'this,' [or] if you don't punch a number on the three-cone that's 'this,' you're off our board.
"... So, a lot of coaches and a lot of people are getting their eyes on these prospects for the first time. This is their introduction, and what better way to do that then to see them competing against other players at their position where you can have...You're not going to have a corner from Washington, LSU, Cincinnati on the field at the same time, doing the same drills within minutes of one another so you can see it in front of you and start to make those evaluations. There is so much value in the combine for these teams. The idea that it's not valuable and we can do away with it is just crazy."
Money on DJ's latest mock that has OSU WR Chris Olave to the Chargers at No. 17 overall
"Look, Olave's great. [USC's] Drake London's great. It's a really deep [wide receiver] class. [OSU's] Garrett Wilson, [Alabama's] Jameson Williams could be there because of the injury. I'm sure he would have been a top-10 pick if it weren't for the injury. So, it's interesting and it's fun. One thing, not to pull the curtain back on people taking these things seriously -- certainly, DJ wants you to consume his mock draft -- but he's got to do like four of these things, or five of them. Now there are, I think, there are some things on there that I think you can read into."
Money on this year's wide receiver class compared to the Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase
"Ja'Marr is a freak. If you look at his lower body, the way he's built. I think if you were to talk to DJ or to some of these guys, the [Todd] McShays and Bucky [Brooks], they would probably I think take any of the top three last year over any of the receivers in this draft. Chase, to me, is in a category to himself. Nobody's close to that. ... I think teams would probably even take [Miami's Jaylen] Waddle or [Philadelphia's] Devonta Smith ahead of any of the receivers in this group."
