The 2024 NFL Draft is officially in the books. After months of speculation about what the LA Chargers would do in the draft the event itself went by in the blink of an eye. The Chargers welcome nine new players to the roster, some of whom will play big roles in 2024 and others will provide key depth.
Unless a team really messes up the draft it is hard to be negative about what your favorite team does. Without any of these players actually playing an NFL snap, it is really easy for a fanbase to convince itself of the best-case scenario when that is not realistic.
However, that does not seem to be what is happening with the Chargers' draft class this year. The Bolts put together a genuinely good class that deserves every good grade it receives.
Chargers draft grade for Joe Alt: B
This grade was initially lower when the pick was first made but it was definitely made better by the rest of the class. If the Chargers did not land a first-round wide receiver talent in the second round then this would be lower. But alas, the Chargers did and it showcased a good feel of the board by Joe Hortiz.
There is no denying that Joe Alt is a great tackle prospect who will one day be a Pro Bowler. Something would have to really go wrong for him not to be an above-average tackle in the NFL. The debate was always between need vs. best available, as the need for wide receiver was much higher than tackle.
Alas, the Chargers stuck true to their best-player available strategy (even though some ranked Malik Nabers higher) and took Alt over Nabers. Would the Chargers have been better with Nabers, Jackson Powers-Johnson and Trey Pipkins starting? Maybe, but we will never know.