Los Angeles Chargers Mock Draft 2024: Building Jim Harbaugh’s Team With Trades

In this deal, the Minnesota Vikings agreed to trade the 11th overall and 42nd overall picks in the 2024 NFL Drat along with a 2025 third-round pick for the 5th overall pick. From our perspective, this deal allows Los Angeles to move into a more reasonable range with the depth of the offensive tackle class and the second-round pick will also help address another need.

While Joe Ale is the consensus No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2024 class, drafting him also means a position switch to right tackle. That’s not an impossible task by any means, but there can be a difficult transition period. None of that exists if Los Angeles trades down and selects Taliese Fuaga.

For a run-oriented team, Fuaga brings the exact nastiness and strength you’d want at the position. Physicality is what Harbaugh wants and offensive line coaches love tackles who will bury their man in the ground and then look for someone else to take out. Fuaga brings that and the combo of athleticism and technique to also hold up very well in pass protection.

Second Round, 37th overall: Zach Frazier, C, West Virginia

A theme at the start of our Chargers mock draft is offensive linemen who don’t just embrace the physical part of the game, they make it part of their identity. During the NFL Combine, West Virginia center Zach Frazier made it very clear he wants to play for a coaching staff that loves to run the ball. He was also a wrestling champion in high school who posted one of the best records in the nation.

If not for a fractured fibula suffered in November, Frazier likely would’ve been a first-round pick. He’s made a full recovery and proved in Indianapolis that he’s ready to be a Week 1 starter. Similar to Fuaga, physicality is a calling card of Frazier’s game, but he also pairs it with above-average athleticism. Frazier can be a do-it-all center for Los Angeles, filling the void left by Corey Linsley with Nick Hardwick serving as his mentor.

Second Round, 42nd overall: Ennis Rakestraw Jr, CB, Missouri

With the second-round pick acquired from Minnesota, Los Angeles addresses its need at cornerback with arguably a Round 1 talent. Standing at 6 feet, Rakestraw immediately brings the experience of playing in the SEC. He didn’t test well athletically at the NFL Combine (4.79 RAS), but he moves much better than that on film. He’s also a physical corner, matching that same stylistic play we targeted in offensive linemen.

In coverage for the Missouri Tigers last season, Rakestraw allowed just 1 touchdown and only drew 28 targets across 277 coverage snaps. He displayed solid ball skills throughout his collegiate career and he does a nice job staying tight in coverage. Just as importantly, Rakestraw Jr. is a very willing run defender and he plays with an infectious energy in the secondary that should pair nicely with Derwin James Jr.

3rd Round, 69th overall: Bralen Trice, EDGE, Washington

Once viewed as a potential first-round pick, Washington Huskies edge defender Bralen Trice is now projected to fall outside the top-50 selections. Standing at 6-foot-3, he was a bit on the thinner side at the NFL Combine (245 pounds) and he didn’t test very well athletically. However, he was extremely productive at Washington, served as a team captain for that defense, he’s beloved by coaches and he operates with a high motor.

While he won’t be one of the biggest edge defenders in the NFL, Trice knows how to win with what he has. Trice posted the 10th-highest PFF pass-rush win rate (19 percent) among qualified FBS edge rushers last season, generating 66 pressures. He’s also a willing run defender. Trice would immediately enter the league knowing how to use his leverage and positioning to win one-on-one battles, plus he disengages from blocks well. Plus, there’s plenty of reason to believe he can add more muscle to his frame with the help of NFL coaching. He’ll likely never be a Pro Bowl edge defender, but Trice offers the size, motor, football IQ and work ethic to have a 10-year NFL career.

3rd Round, 74th overall*: T’Vondre Sweat, iDL, Texas

With Khalil Mack drawing significant trade interest around the league, Los Angeles should be able to avoid making him a salary-cap casualty. The biggest thing for the Chargers in this scenario is the cap space created by dealing him, but packaging him with the 139th overall pick also allowed Los Angeles to jump up to the 74th overall pick in a deal with the Atlanta Falcons.

Standing at 6-foot-4 and 366 pounds, T’Vondre Sweat is one of the biggest players in the 2024 NFL Draft. He is by no means a great athlete, but no one should expect that from a defensive tackle weighing nearly 370 pounds. Instead, Sweat gives Los Angeles a behemoth that will eat up blocks in the middle of the line.

Last season, Sweat posted the fourth-highest PFF run-stop win rate (13.5 percent) and earned the second-highest run defense grade (92.0) among FBS defensive tackles. He’s simply a massive devourer of space, who knows how to use his frame, strength and violent hands to create problems for interior linemen. The Chargers would never experience great production on the stat sheet from Sweat, but he makes life easier for linebackers and edge rushers. That’s something Los Angeles has missed for a while.

Los Angeles Chargers 7-round Mock Draft 2024

Here is our full seven-round Chargers mock draft.

• 1st Round, 11th overall*: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
• 2nd Round, 37th overall: Zach Frazier, C, West Virginia
• 2nd Round, 42nd overall: Ennis Rakestraw Jr, CB, Missouri
• 3rd Round, 69th overall: Bralen Trice, EDGE, Washington
• 3rd Round, 74th overall*: T’Vondre Sweat, iDL, Texas
• 4th Round, 106th overall: Trey Benson, RB, Florida State
• 6th Round, 183rd overall: Anthony Gould, WR, Oregon State
• 7th Round, 223rd overall: Trey Taylor, S, Air Force
• 7th Round, 256th overall: Trente Jones, OT, Michigan

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