LA Chargers: Isaiah Simmons needs to be the sixth pick
Defense on a rookie contract
The Chargers aren’t in a bad place when it comes to the salary cap. Well, not yet. There is likely an expensive contract extension for star defensive end Joey Bosa coming this offseason or next. In terms of an evaluation, it’s probably going to end up around $25-30 million per season.
Analysts as well as general managers talk about how important it is to take advantage of when quarterbacks are cheap. Russell Wilson, Carson Wentz, and now Patrick Mahomes have shown how important it is to have salary cap for the rest of the team in pursuit of an eventual Super Bowl win.
The Chargers will have players they need to pay on both offense and defense.
The cheap quarterback concept can also be applied in my opinion to cheap skill position talent. The Chargers will have to pay some combination of Bosa, Keenan Allen, Desmond King, Mike Williams, and Derwin James in the next two years.
That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s really just the economics of the league. There’s high-end talent the team will have to pay.
Having cheap defensive and offensive talents built through the draft must be a cornerstone for this team if it’s going to take the step to next level contenders within the next few years.
Some would say that the same logic could apply to Herbert or Love. While technically true, the team isn’t really taking advantage of their rookie contracts if they may have to sit a full year or two on the bench.
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There are a few key reasons to select Simmons with the sixth pick. His athleticism and versatile ability to play multiple positions on defense are unmatched in this draft. He also fits incredibly well in Bradley’s scheme that already features some positionless defensive schemes, most notably with James.
Herbert and Love also have significant flaws and are reach picks at the top of the draft. Plus, sitting them for a few years doesn’t take advantage of their rookie contracts.
I’m also a fan of Taylor at quarterback, as well as the free-agent talent that is available this year. It’s also important to be efficient with the cap as big extensions get handed out over the next few years.