Los Angeles Chargers: Five-year history of the sixth pick in the NFL Draft
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Chargers have the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, which could be a great omen considering the last five NFL Drafts.
The Los Angeles Chargers finished with a disappointing 5-11 record just one year after going 12-4 and being a legitimate contender for the Super Bowl. Now, the team has its third pick inside the top seven in the last five years and has a monumental selection on their hands.
If the team does not sign a quarterback in free agency then they are undoubtedly going to use the sixth overall pick on a quarterback, which will not only decide the fate of the team next season but for the next several years.
Luckily for the Chargers, the sixth overall pick has treated teams well the past five years. With some inspiration from our FanSided sister site, The Viking Age, we bring you the five-year history of the sixth-overall pick.
2019: Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants
The New York Giants received a lot of criticism for this selection and it probably is the worst on the list, although there is still plenty of time for this selection to work out for the team.
The selection of Jones itself was a strange one to begin with, as there were more notable quarterbacks such as Dwayne Haskins and Drew Lock available. What made it more worrisome is that the Giants used the sixth overall pick on Jones, when in reality, the team could have likely used the 17th overall pick and received the same quarterback.
The Giants used that selection on defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who recorded 38 tackles and 2.5 sacks in his rookie season. That was not an awful selection, but the Giants would have been better off selecting someone such as Josh Allen or Devin Bush with the sixth overall pick and saved the 17th pick for Jones.
Compared to the quarterbacks taken after him, we cannot remotely call Jones a bust. However, he is the worst of this bunch.
Could have selected:
- Josh Allen
- Devin Bush