2024 NFL Draft: Tracking the Los Angeles Chargers’ pre-draft visits

If you’re wondering when Jim Harbaugh will take his first Michigan Wolverine, the answer is probably Day 2.

NFL teams are allowed 30 pre-draft visits with prospects between the NFL Combine and the start of the draft — which happens to kick off this Thursday. At the moment, 22 of the Los Angeles Chargers’ private visits have been reported, according to tracking from Sportskeeda and WalterFootball.

For what it’s worth, USC receiver Brenden Rice (son of Jerry), UCLA running back Carson Steele and UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu do not count against the Chargers’ pre-draft visit count as they are local players within their exemption footprint. Lucky Bolts.

But if we want an early look at what the first draft in the Jim Harbaugh era will end up looking like at the end of this weekend, we might want to peep who the team has brought in to get a hint.

Day 1 Prospects (rankings via consensus draft board)

• #5: WR Malik Nabers, LSU
• #8: OL Joe Alt, Notre Dame
• #9: EDGE Dallas Turner, Alabama
• #10: TE Brock Bowers, Georgia
• #22: CB Nate Wiggins, Clemson

Obviously, the favorites to be drafted with the fifth overall pick — assuming that Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is off the board — are LSU receiver Malik Nabers and Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt. It’s no surprise Harbaugh’s squad brought them both in to kick the tires.

If the team happens to trade down, though, highlight Alabama’s Dallas Turner and Georgia’s Brock Bowers as options. A trade-back for Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins either means a massive trade-back or a pretty big reach is in store for the Chargers’ future.

Day 2 Prospects

• #44: DL Braden Fiske, Florida State
• #54: DL Kris Jenkins, Michigan
• #55: TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas
• #58: LB Junior Colson, Michigan
• #70: RB Blake Corum, Michigan

If you want to go ahead and call this the Michigan tier, I won’t blame you. Three of the five Day 2 players that the Chargers brought in on pre-draft visits were former Wolverines — the same program that Harbaugh led to a championship last season. If the team is going to take a former Michigan player, I’m going to go ahead and bet it’s either with the 37th or 69th overall picks in the draft.

Beyond the Michigan players, it’s interesting how involved the team is in the tight end market. On top of bringing in potential top-10 pick Brock Bowers for a visit, the squad also scheduled visits with Ja’Tavion Sanders (#55) and Jared Wiley (#131). Despite signing Will Dissly to a three-year, $24 million contract this offseason, Los Angeles might still be looking at a co-starter next to the former Seattle Seahawk. It’s also worth noting here that all of Bowers, Sanders and Wiley are known best as pass-catchers, while Dissly has only managed to crack 265 receiving yards just once in his six-year NFL career.

Day 3 Prospects

• #116: RB Ray Davis, Kentucky
• #119: LB Trevin Wallace, Kentucky
• #125: RB Isaac Guerendo, Louisville
• #131: TE Jared Wiley, TCU
• #147: WR Ainias Smith, Texas A&M
• #185: CB DeCamerion Richardson, Mississippi State
• #201: WR Anthony Gould, Oregon State

The fourth round, where the Chargers own two picks following the Keenan Allen trade with Chicago, is where Los Angeles seems to be focusing its energy on the running back position. Both running back Ray Davis of Kentucky and Isaac Guerendo of Louisville are supposed to come off the board there.

Davis is an older running back, as he will turn 25 years old in November, but he is a quality inside runner who could be a solid consolidation prize if Harbaugh isn’t able to land Corum on Day 2. Guerendo, who never was really able to take over as a full-time bell-cow back at either Wisconsin or Louisville — in part due to injuries — ran an insane 4.33-second 40-yard dash at 221 pounds at the NFL Combine.

Undrafted Prospects

• #311: S Millard Bradford, TCU
• #316: TE McCallan Castles, Tennessee
• #450: QB Michael Hiers, Samford
• N/A: DL Savion Jackson, NC State
• N/A: S Julius Wood, East Carolina

Some teams use their visits mostly as a form of undrafted free-agent recruiting. It does not appear that will be the case for the Chargers under Harbaugh. With just Max Duggan and Easton Stick behind Justin Herbert at the moment, maybe Samford’s Michael Hiers ends up signing with Los Angeles and becoming Herbert’s long-term backup.

Hiers, a former three-sport star in high school, spent time at three programs during his college career. Ultimately, he led Northwest Mississippi Community College to a JuCo national championship, a game he was named the MVP in. At Samford, he was a two-time All-Conference player who earned SoCon Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2022. In that same season, he was also named the Associated Press’ second-team All-American for the FCS division.