LA Chargers: How the quarterback carousel affects the Chargers

Affect on the LA Chargers’ draft plans

So that’s it, that’s every team in the league sorted into the likelihood of taking a quarterback. There are four clear teams that in my opinion need to draft a quarterback next month: Chargers, Bengals, Dolphins and Patriots.

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Having the number six overall pick leaves the Chargers with many possible avenues to explore in the time between now and the draft. The smart money is on them taking a quarterback in the first round. How they go about that remains a mystery.

Perhaps they go all-in on Tagovailoa and convince Patricia and the Lions to trade back. This move would almost certainly require the Chargers to give up this year’s second-round pick and next year’s first-round pick at minimum if they want to compete with the Dolphins and their trade ammo.

Tagovailoa has his health concerns after multiple ankle surgeries, and major hip surgery this past year. Does the talent far outweigh those concerns? For me, that answer is yes. I’m sold on him as a prospect and if it weren’t for his hip surgery I would even have him ranked higher than Burrow. He’s an elite talent, it’s just a matter of weighing the risk vs reward.

The next option is obviously staying at pick number six and picking whichever quarterback is the best available in their eyes. The national assumption seems to be pointing towards Herbert, but the hype train surrounding former Utah State standout Jordan Love continues to build.

Many media pundits view him as a higher ceiling alternative to the safer prospect in Herbert. Either one would come into a great situation behind Taylor.

The argument against taking a quarterback at six is that the Chargers would be passing up an elite blue-chip talent. It is likely that either Isaiah Simmons or Jeffrey Okudah are sitting there at pick number six. The Chargers would also have their choice of an elite offensive lineman, whether that be Jedrick Wills, Tristan Wirfs or Mekhi Becton. That’s a lot of talent to pass up in favor of Herbert or Love.

Perhaps, the over-saturated market at quarterback could lead to Herbert or Love falling in the draft which would create an opening for taking one of those elite prospects at six and then trading back into the late teens or early twenties and still be able to take whoever remains between Herbert or Love. That would be a very risky game of cat and mouse, and it doesn’t really seem like Tom Telesco’s style, but it wouldn’t be totally impossible.

Of course, they could always take one of those elite talents at pick six and wait to take Jalen Hurts, Jake Fromm or Jacob Eason in the second round and let one of them develop behind Tyrod Taylor.

I’m particularly higher on Fromm than most are, but none of those three present the upside that Tagovailoa, Herbert or even Love do. That upside is the key point in this discussion.

There are two ways of approaching this draft: load up on defense to try and slow down Mahomes or taking a quarterback with a very high ceiling to try and outscore Mahomes because that’s who they’re chasing at this point.

The smart decision for the LA Chargers, in my opinion, has always been to draft the heir apparent to Philip Rivers sixth overall and let Tyrod Taylor serve as the bridge quarterback in 2020.