Takeaways from Daniel Jeremiah’s conference call

Jeremiah said early in the call that this is the best tight end class he’s seen in a decade, with 11 players earning top three round grades from the prominent analyst. Those players are as follows:

Dalton Kincaid, Utah

Michael Mayer, Notre Dame

Darnell Washington, Georgia

Luke Musgrave, Oregon State

Sam LaPorta, Iowa

Tucker Kraft, South Dakota State

Davis Allen, Clemson

Payne Durham, Purdue

Luke Schoonmaker, Michigan

Brenton Strange, Penn State

Josh Whyle, Cincinnati

Jeremiah went on to compare Kincaid, his personal TE1, to a “better version of Zach Ertz”. However, he was quick to point out that there’s no consensus around the league about who TE1 is. Kincaid, Mayer, Musgrave, and Washington all have their fans around the league. According to Jeremiah, the value at the position will be in the third and fourth rounds, where players he has graded highly will slip because of positional value and the strength of the class elsewhere.

This is important to the Chargers for two reasons. One, it means that their #1 choice at tight end may be available at the 21st overall pick since there’s little consensus about the best prospect. Kincaid will not participate at the combine due to a back injury, but expected performances from Washington and Musgrave are sure to push them up boards. If LA chooses to address the position early, they’ll have options.

Two, it means that LA doesn’t have to address the position early. If another need, like wide receiver or pass rusher, prevents a better value at 21st overall, the Chargers can live with waiting on a tight end until Day 2. That sort of flexibility is key in the draft, as locking into positions to target often results in overdrafting.