3. Jordan Love, QB, Utah State
You might be shocked to see Jordan Love included on this list as a best-case scenario second-round pick, so let us explain.
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There are a lot of Charger fans that love the idea of seeing Love suiting up in the powder blue and it is not hard to see why. He has excellent athleticism for the quarterback position, which fits the team’s agenda of getting a mobile quarterback, and has a rocket of an arm and has proven that he can make any throw on the football field.
However, there are some drawbacks to his game. His decision-making needs work and while his supporting cast was not great at Utah State, throwing 17 interceptions this past season is not a good sign, especially considering he was playing non-power 5 conferences.
There are some fans who love Love so much that they would take him with the sixth overall pick, I am not sure I would fall in that boat. If we just let the chips fall, chances are Love won’t be taken until at least the 20th pick.
However, if the Chargers don’t go with a quarterback at all in the first round and instead draft the best available, you could absolutely make out a path in which Love could fall all the way to the second.
Let’s break down teams that might be interested in drafting a quarterback in round one. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders (both have two picks) and New England Patriots are probably the most likely.
After trading Nick Foles the Jaguars may look to add a quarterback but I don’t think that quarterback comes in the first round. Unless the team trades up for Tua Tagovailoa, they have bigger holes to address and can roll with Gardner Minshew.
I think we are still a year away from the Las Vegas Raiders drafting a quarterback, especially after the team signed Marcus Mariota to a two-year deal. Think the Chargers last year when they signed Tyrod Taylor.
Finally, the New England Patriots. At this point though, the Patriots would have the choice of Justin Herbert, Love, Jacob Eason and others. Just based on the play style and how turnover prone Love was in college, I think Bill Belichick would draft Herbert or Eason before Love.
You could make the case for the Colts or the Lions to select Love in the early second round, which is the dangerous part about him falling. However, at this point, we are assuming that Eason/Herbert is still on the board and that only one of them takes a quarterback, with that quarterback not being Love.
It definitely is possible for him to slip all the way to the second round and if he does, that would be the absolute best-case second-round scenario. The Los Angeles Chargers get their quarterback to build around in round two while also getting an elite draft prospect in round one.