Potential Chargers future quarterback Justin Herbert named MVP of Senior Bowl
By Travis Wakeman
If the Los Angeles Chargers do in fact go with a new quarterback in 2020, that quarterback could be Justin Herbert.
Herbert looked sharp in Saturday’s Senior Bowl, completing 9-of-12 passes for 83 yards and the game’s first touchdown. He also carried the ball three times for 22 more yards.
That effort led to him being named the MVP of the annual game. He was also named the “Practice Player of the Week”, completing a solid week at the Senior Bowl, one in which he improved his draft stock about as much as he could.
It seems a forgone conclusion that LSU’s Joe Burrow will go to the Cincinnati Bengals with the No.1 overall pick in the draft and that most likely, Tua Tagovailoa will be the next quarterback off the board. Both of them could be gone by the time the Chargers go on the clock with the No. 6 pick, but Herbert will almost certainly still be there.
For those who don’t believe in what Herbert did in the Senior Bowl, his most recent performance before that took place in a pretty important game called the Rose Bowl. In that game, Herbert ran for three touchdowns, including a 30-yard scamper in the fourth quarter that ended up being the game-winner over a solid Wisconsin squad.
Still, if you were to poll fans of the Chargers, most of them don’t like the idea of the team selecting Herbert. But before Burrow had a historic season, there were many mock drafts that had Herbert as the easy choice as the No.1 overall pick, even over Tagovailoa.
Mel Kiper’s most recent mock draft has the Chargers using the No.6 selection on Herbert. After watching his last two performances (Rose Bowl, Senior Bowl), that doesn’t seem that far out of the realm of possibilities.
Some people won’t be pleased no matter what happens, but if the Chargers feel that Herbert is the guy, then he needs to be the pick at No. 6.
Herbert is an accurate thrower and he can place the ball into tight windows. His decision-making abilities aren’t that bad and he will surprise with his mobility in the pocket as well as up the field.
He may not be exactly the guy many fans want, but I really believe that fans should start to come around on this guy. The Chargers could do a lot worse with the No. 6 pick than selecting Herbert.