Joe Hortiz talks about working with Jim Harbaugh

The Los Angeles Chargers are wrapping up draft season and first-year general manager Joe Hortiz is over the moon about his team’s head coach. Jim Harbaugh has already left a huge impression on the front office, and he hasn’t even had a real practice yet. Hortiz opened up on the Pat McAfee Show this week on what it’s like working with the former Michigan coach.

“I tell you what, you walk in the room, you feel it,” Hortiz said. “There is an incredible amount of energy. It’s awesome. Truly, I feel blessed. I work for a great organization and as a first time general manager, Jim Harbaugh is my head coach, Justin HerbertHe’s our quarterback, man, I feel really lucky and blessed. It’s a really perfect thing to walk into.

During the draft process, Harbaugh’s energy was a big help to the Chargers as they tried to determine which players were the best fit. At the end of it all, they left the draft with nine new additions, including first-round pick Joe Alt. According to Hortiz, having Harbaugh in the room for pre-draft interviews was a major advantage for the Chargers.

“It’s a weapon. He comes into the room and lights it up,” Hortiz said. “You talk about the combined interviews, the script, everyone’s ready, well, you’re not ready to be a coach. You walk in there and the energy is just elite. That’s what he does, he takes it away from the players.

“You see the guys who can keep up with the coach and have the same energy. It is special. He is a unique coach who brings energy, charisma, passion, knowledge of the game, experience at the level. Everything stands out. And he wins everywhere. That’s why he wins. He has proven it time and time again.

Chargers considered options on No. 5 overall pick

During his appearance on the Pat McAfee ShowHortiz also revealed how close the team was to trading the No. 5 overall pick.

“We had a few calls, one probably on the clock or before the clock,” Hortiz said. “It was an attractive offer compared to what they were offering. They weren’t trying to get as many as five on the cheap. But we felt like the path it would take us to wouldn’t put us in the range of players we really wanted to consider.

“The best decision was to take Joe (Alt.)“, Hortiz continued. “We all agreed with Joe. Everyone loved Joe. Everybody, Jim (Harbaugh), all the scouts, all the coaches, John Spanos, we all agreed with Joe.

Hortiz joined the Chargers this year after working in the Baltimore Ravens front office since 1998. He started as a personnel assistant and worked his way up to scout, director of college scouting and director of player personnel .

On3’s Brian Jones contributed to this report.