1. QB Justin Herbert, Oregon
All signs currently point to the Los Angeles Chargers selecting Justin Herbert with the sixth pick. There are certainly factors that can change that likelihood over time. For example, what happens if teams ahead of the Chargers take Herbert before them because they’re scared of the Tagovailoa injury? What if Washington isn’t setting a smokescreen and they actually take Tagovailoa at two?
Things can change over time, but because the current logic is that Washington will take Chase Young and the Dolphins will still take Tagovailoa at five, it’s Hebert or Love at six if the Chargers want a quarterback.
While the ceiling may be higher for Love, the floor is probably lower for him as well. Herbert is a relatively safe bet who won’t turn the ball over. His play did improve in 2019. There were still problems with consistency when it came to his progressions, but much less than in previous seasons.
As much as Simmons to the Chargers makes sense for me, it feels like they have a need to go quarterback, especially since they don’t really know if or when they’re going to be this high in the draft again.
At this moment, I’m higher on Herbert than Love. Knowing Lynn, he may be as well. Lynn has made his opinion on athletic quarterbacks known before. He prefers a guy that can run outside of the pocket and keep plays alive with his feet, which Herbert can do more efficiently than Love, at the moment.
Herbert is less of a project than Love, as he played all four years in college and doesn’t have the turnover problem when it comes to his processor. He may not have Mahomes potential, but he certainly has franchise potential.
Right now, these feel like the six most likely picks for the Chargers. At the end of the day, it may come down to a battle between Herbert and Love if they are the quarterbacks available at six. Simmons is the best player in the draft, but he’s less likely if the Chargers are gunning for the quarterback of the future.
Tagovailoa is my favorite quarterback, but ultimately Miami will wise up and take him. Brown and Wills are solid players to have on the defensive and offensive lines, but there’s enough talent in the draft to wait a little bit longer on those positions.