San Diego Chargers: Potential Draft Day Trade Partners
By Conor Denton
With the 2016 NFL Draft fast approaching rumors having been circulating over the past few weeks about the Chargers being open to the idea of trading down from their number three overall pick. Now there are only a handful of scenarios in which I see the Chargers trading their first round pick such as if Tom Telesco receives an offer he simply can’t refuse (a la St. Louis Rams and Washington Redskins RGIII trade package) or Jalen Ramsey is taken by the Browns at #2. As of right now I believe TT is going to follow his “best player available” mantra from the past three drafts and take Ramsey with a huge smile on his face. However, let’s not completely exclude a scenario in which he decides to execute a draft day trade with another team involving that coveted #3 overall pick.
Now that the Cleveland Browns have recently signed Robert Griffin III to a two year deal it seems as if they aren’t as sold on taking a quarterback as they once were. If they decide to go a different route and take Jalen Ramsey a pick ahead of us it could very well send a few other teams located in the top 20 into a frenzy over who wants to take the first quarterback in the draft. This could work in favor of San Diego as they might be able to capitalize on the eagerness of other teams and garner some extra assets in this draft as well as future drafts too. So without further delay let’s take a look at some teams in the league that might be willing to pay up for the Chargers #3 pick.
San Fransisco 49ers:
The 49ers hold the seventh pick in this years draft and are rumored to be ready to move on from Colin Kaepernick. If they do eventually trade or release Kaepernick they will obviously be looking for a replacement. Moving up only four spots instead of possibly three times as many spots compared to other teams that will appear on this list will allow the 49ers to pay a lower price, however the Chargers should still be able to demand quite the package considering that all the leverage is in their favor. I’d say a swap of first rounders this year, along with San Fran’s second round pick this year and maybe a conditional first round pick next year would be a fair trade for both teams.
Philadelphia Eagles:
While this scenario seems more unlikely with the extension of Sam Bradford and signing of Chase Daniel there is still a decent chance that the Eagles pull off a draft day trade. With the recently acquired number eight overall pick courtesy of the Miami Dolphins the Eagles will have the opportunity to move up even higher if they can strike a deal with the Bolts. I’d say a swapping of first round picks this year, a third round pick this year, and a first and second round pick in 2017 would work well for both teams.
Los Angeles Rams:
It has been well documented over the past few years that one of the few missing pieces the Rams need is a quality quarterback. Sam Bradford didn’t pan out and neither did Nick Foles while Case Keenum is a back up in this league at best. Could it be that the Rams are tired of playing musical chairs at the QB position and are ready to jump up in the draft to select their next franchise signal caller? If so, they would most likely have to say goodbye to their first and second round draft picks this year, #15, #43, and #45 respectively, along with a first round pick in next years draft as well. Prices become much steeper for teams that are willing to jump up double digit spots in the draft especially if it is into the top three.
New York Jets:
The Jets are a dark horse contender for the number three overall pick and it’s only because they still haven’t had successful negotiations with Ryan Fitzpatrick in free agency yet. The man just led them to a double digit win total and if it weren’t for a competitive wild card race this year they would have been in the playoffs. Having said this their projected starter as of now is Geno Smith and we all know how he has fared as a starter up to this point in his career. If the Jets are willing to move up this far in the draft it also means that they are willing to give up a king’s ransom in draft picks. For the Chargers to even consider moving down seventeen spots in this years draft the Jets would need to offer something along the lines of a first round pick for the next three drafts coupled with a second round pick this year.
With a few teams seeking to find their next franchise QB in the upcoming 2016 draft the Chargers should do their homework and weigh all their options as they continue to collect phone calls from other teams. While I don’t believe a trade is likely, I do think that if the Chargers play their cards right they could come out of this years draft as clear cut winners even if they don’t make a selection at the number three spot. What do you think? Should the Chargers be content with selecting at the number three overall spot or should they heavily consider moving down in order to collect some more assets? Leave a comment in the comment section below and let us here at BoltBeat know.