Compared to his first NFL draft as a general manager when he owned the fifth overall pick, Joe Hortiz’s phone has been eerily silent this draft season. That’s how the Chargers GM knows his strategy is working.
“We’re going to try to pick as late as we can every year,” Hortiz said.
The 22nd pick in Thursday’s draft has attracted fewer trade propositions than last year’s selection, Hortiz acknowledged, but he’s happy to keep picking later in the first round if it means the Chargers can build on last season’s success. Hortiz set the table for the Chargers’ 11-win season by acing his first draft and hopes for an equally impressive encore this week.
The three-day draft brings a rarely seen sparkle to the eye of the former Baltimore Ravens scout. This is, as Hortiz called it, “the scout Super Bowl.”
With 10 picks, Hortiz’s plan for his big game is determined by the Chargers’ first wave of free agency that brought in 12 players. While the transactions didn’t make national headlines, they gave the Chargers a solid foundation entering the draft, in which they could add talent in several key areas including offensive and defensive line, receiver, running back, edge rusher and tight end.
“You gotta make smart decisions, calculated decisions, trying to build your roster as deep as you can going into the draft,” Hortiz said, “so you can sit there, kind of let the draft come to you and pick the best player available.”
The Chargers addressed questions on the interior of their offensive line by signing right guard Mekhi Becton and former Las Vegas Raiders starting center Andre James. By re-signing returning center Bradley Bozeman, Hortiz hopes to have a competitive offseason to strengthen an offensive line that gave up four sacks in a playoff loss to the Houston Texans.
The defensive line that lost Poona Ford and Morgan Fox in free agency reloaded with Naquan Jones and Da’Shawn Hand. But just because Hortiz signed proven veterans doesn’t mean he won’t stockpile more talent at the same positions through the draft.
“Maybe it’s not a need. Two weeks later, it can be a need,” Hortiz said. “So you just take the best player available and he’s going to be here for four or five years or even longer and he’s going to help win games.”
Instead of having to hunt for position-specific help in the unpredictable draft, Hortiz and assistant general manager Chad Alexander learned to focus their strategy on the best prospects while working for the Ravens. It worked flawlessly last year when the Chargers raised eyebrows by picking two cornerbacks in the fifth round. Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart proved to be worthy starters when injuries decimated the secondary.
After signing former Pittsburgh Steelers star Najee Harris in free agency, the Chargers could add another running back in a draft that’s especially deep at the position. Besides Harris, the team’s only running backs are special teams stalwart Hassan Haskins, former sixth-round pick Kimani Vidal and practice squad member Jaret Patterson.
For the third consecutive year the Chargers could take another wide receiver in the first two days of the draft with hopes of giving quarterback Justin Herbert more weapons. Last year’s second-round pick, Ladd McConkey, set Chargers rookie records for receptions and receiving yards while Quentin Johnston showed marked improvement in all statistical categories in his second season, but the former first-round pick still struggled with consistency in big games.
Receivers Tetairoa McMillan and Matthew Golden were among the prospects who reportedly visited the Chargers ahead of the draft. McMillan, a towering 6-foot-4, 219-pound prospect, is a Servite High alumnus who caught 84 passes for 1,319 yards at Arizona last season. The 5-11, 191-pound Golden clocked 4.29 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, the fastest among receivers.
Although the Chargers zeroed in on the receivers among their 30 in-person visits allowed by the NFL, it’s no sure indication of Hortiz’s plans for draft day. The Chargers didn’t host Joe Alt before they chose the right tackle with the No. 5 pick last year.
They’re still beaming about that decision.
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