Chargers 7-round mock draft following the 2024 NFL Combine

Chargers draft TE AJ Barner with 183rd pick

AJ Barner made a not-so-subtle plea for the Chargers to draft him in 2024 as he called himself the best blocking tight end in the draft. With his ties to Harbaugh (also a Michigan prospect), it would not be surprising to see the Chargers test that confidence.

If the Chargers aren't taking Brock Bowers in the first round then the team probably won't take a tight end until late in the draft. Barner is by no means the lone solution at tight end, but he could help form a more cohesive room if the team targets a veteran like Jonnu Smith to be the pass-catching target.

Chargers draft LB Curtis Jacobs with 223rd pick

The Chargers need to add linebacker depth and realistically, the team shouldn't expect a day three pick to produce in year one on defense. It could happen (look at Ivan Pace Jr. on the Vikings last season) but it is not something that the Bolts should bank on.

That being said, the Chargers should take a chance on someone who tested really well in the combine and bet on the athletic ceiling. That is why the team takes Curtis Jacobs in this mock draft. Jacobs earned a 9.17 RAS, putting him in the 91st percentile of all linebackers tested since 1987.

Chargers draft S Kitan Oladapo with 256th pick

Kitan Oladapo has become a favorite here at Bolt Beat to be a day-three selection by the Chargers. Oladapo didn't run the fastest 40-yard dash among safeties, but his 4.58 time is still impressive for someone who is six-foot-two and 216 pounds.

Like with Jacobs, Oladapo tested well and received an 8.30 RAS. That put him in the 82nd percentile of all free safeties tested since 1987.