The Pick Is In — Los Angeles Chargers 2023 NFL Draft

Liam Blutman and Dylan Reubenking

Howdy folks! Welcome to The Pick Is In! That’s right, we’re back for another run with this experiment and can’t wait to see what our GMs, err, writers can cook up. If you’re unfamiliar with this series, lemme paint the picture for you. Our writers will be stepping up to the plate for a NFL franchise and act as if they have full control of the team on draft day. For each team, we’ll have two writers step into the front office and take over as general manager. You’ll see picks made from No. 1 overall to a sixth-rounder, bold picks will be made in unique spots, and trades will be cooked up. To highlight some of our success from 2022, we saw the Bengals trade up to take a star named Tariq Woolen in the mid 40s, the Packers snagged a stud in Jalen Pitre with the 28th overall pick, and with the 98th overall pick, the Saints struck gold with the valuable Zach Tom. This year will be no different. Our GMs will once again be showcasing their unique abilities to find intriguing talent. Whether you know it or not, the draft has already begun and it resumes with The Pick Is In. Welcome to the 2023 NFL Draft. The Los Angeles Chargers are on the clock…

Liam Blutman:

The Pick Is In: Jalen Cropper WR — Fresno State (4th Round, 125th Overall)

Photo Credit: @biletnikoffawrd on Twitter

Justin Herbert just called me and said he wants a wide receiver in the 2023 NFL Draft. I told him, “Gotchu.”

The Los Angeles Super Chargers hold seven picks in the upcoming draft, including three top 100 selections at 21, 54, and 85. While I would love to spend the 21st pick or trade up to snag Jaxon Smith-Njigba, I don’t see this being possible in April and I’d like to at least be a very reasonable and realistic fake general manager. So with that in mind, I’m using our 125th overall pick to select a very cool wideout that Justin Herbert approves of. Jalen Cropper, welcome to LA.

It’s of the utmost importance for our Chargers to add to the WR core through the draft. We need to inject some bright, youthful talents into this position group. As it stands right now, current studs Keenan Allen and Mike Williams lead the way but unfortunately possess some negatives. The two of them are often hurt, Keenan turns 31 in late April, and Mike turns 29 during the season. These things are to no fault of their own. It’s just the nature of sports and life in itself. I’m in no way denying these two excellent talents of being washed or whatever… I just want our franchise to be set up for success in the future and finding an impact wideout will go a very long way.

Jalen Cropper has caught our attention. From 2019-2022, Cropper ignited the Fresno State offense and made waves as he hauled in 220 catches, 2,701 receiving yards, and 21 touchdowns. We saw his dynamic talent on display and have so much confidence that it’ll translate at the next level, especially in our offense with our QB. The 22-year-old rookie is an intriguing prospect, and I was fortunate enough to speak with him about his game. Jalen Cropper exclaimed that his top strengths are SPEED and route-running. It was a bit of a shock to many that Cropper ran a remarkable 4.4 40 at the NFL combine, which tied him with the notable speedster Jalin Hyatt. Cropper relayed to me that he feels like there’s always a disadvantage for the opponent because he always feels like he’s faster than them. And with that speed and the separation he creates, tied in with his lethal route-running, I feel like he could become a route-running savant.

Additionally, he stated that he adds a bit of flavor and spices up his route-running. Now imagine what we’ve just cooked up by drafting Jalen and pairing him with a surgical route-runner in Keenan Allen. Keenan can share some of his tips and tricks and just mentor Cropper. I love that. The way Cropper paces himself, finds soft spots in coverage, and utilizes his clean footwork before and after the catch all stand out to me. I have great confidence that he can be an impact player as a rookie and see no reason why he can’t thrive as a rookie in LA. 

It’s no secret that I’m a massive fan of Jalen Cropper, but hopefully the other 31 front offices are asleep at the wheel and let our Los Angeles Chargers scoop Crop up. We’ll be doing cartwheels in the war room if we got this kid in the fourth round. Oh, and Justin Herbert approves of this selection. Trust me.

Dylan Reubenking:

The Pick Is In: Zay Flowers WR — Boston College (1st Round, 21st Overall)

Photo Credit: Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images

We could look to give Justin Herbert another dynamic running back in Bijan Robinson if we find a suitor for Austin Ekeler. But something tells me another team might take the Doak Walker Award winner earlier than 21. Instead, we give J-Herbo a do-it-all playmaker in Zay Flowers.

There is a surplus of talent at the wide receiver position in this draft class, but we believe in Flowers’ ability to add a new element to our offense. We could use a burner to catch Herbert’s rockets down the field, but also a guy who can win in the short and intermediate game as well. He primarily worked out of the slot at Boston College, but he has shown the ability at times to win on the outside despite his smaller frame (5-foot-9, 182 pounds).

He can take the pressure off of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, especially if one of them is off the field due to injury, which has been a frequent scenario in the past couple of years. Flowers can add some flare and creativity to the playbook, allowing new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore a weapon, a Swiss Army knife specifically, to carve up defenses in new ways. Hopefully his versatility can spice up the offense that often was plagued by some dink-and-dunk stuff, as Ekeler caught 107 balls for an average of just 6.7 yards per catch.

His athleticism shown at the combine was impressive, but as he told The Transfer Portal CFB, game speed matters more. Still, a 4.42 40-yard dash isn’t anything to scoff at.

Flowers has an elusiveness that is pretty rare to find, not just after the catch but on his double moves as well. If he can improve his hands, which has been a problem for our own receivers at times too, then the sky’s the limit for what we can accomplish with Flowers on our team.

About the author

Liam Blutman
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I am a diehard UCLA fan that has enjoyed (?) mediocrity year after year. My favorite CFB moment was witnessing UCLA comeback from 34 down against Texas A&M. Being at the Rose Bowl for that historic moment is something I’ll never forget. I have written about CFB since I was 14 and my favorite thing to do is give under-the-radar athletes the recognition they deserve. You might know me from @NoContextCFB !

Dylan Reubenking
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I am an Oregon Ducks fan who graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism. At the UO, I did on-site reporting with Duck TV Sports and KWVA Sports 88.1 FM and have covered events such as the 2020 Pac-12 Football Championship Game and the 2021 Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament. I previously wrote for Ducks Digest on the Sports Illustrated network.

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