LA Chargers: Best and worst-case scenarios for picks 1-5
By Jason Reed
Best-case scenario:
- Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow
- Washington Redskins: Chase Young
- Detroit Lions: Jeffrey Okudah
- New York Giants: Isaiah Simmons
- Miami Dolphins: Justin Herbert
Before we talk about the selections that matter, it is worth noting that the first and second overall picks are going to be the same in both instances. Barring some unseen surprise, Joe Burrow and Chase Young both appear to be concrete locks for the first and second overall pick in the draft.
Picks 3-5 that really impact the Chargers.
The most important selection in this top-five, as far as the Chargers are concerned, is the fifth overall pick. In this best-case scenario, the Miami Dolphins get wary of Tua Tagovailoa’s injuries in college and select Justin Herbert.
While Tua has had several injuries, the narrative that he is injury prone is a bit of a stretch and his freak hip injury is his only real major injury. He is easily the second-best quarterback in this draft and was a shoo-in to be the first overall pick before Joe Burrow had a historic season.
The third and fourth picks are also important as well. While Okudah and Simmons could be two potential “best available” prospects, it would be best to see them both drafted early on. The Detroit Lions need a corner to replace Darius Slay and the New York Giants might get enthralled by Simmons potential.
Why is this important? Well, it helps stretch out the draft class at offensive tackle. It might seem trivial, but not having a tackle selected in the first five picks could have a butterfly effect, leading to the Chargers having a better prospect available to select in round two than it otherwise would have been.