LA Chargers pick Justin Herbert in final 2020 mock draft
As the 2020 NFL Draft approaches tomorrow, what do the seven rounds of picks look like for the LA Chargers?
Despite being just one day from the draft, there’s still so much uncertainty for the LA Chargers. Currently, the most substantial point of contention for the draft is how the five picks in front of them play out. What Miami does at pick five has the potential to alter the franchise for years.
At the same time, it doesn’t feel right for the Chargers to trade up in the draft either. Trading up would require a ridiculous amount of draft capital to beat Miami up the board. While it could change a lot in a positive way, it could also cripple the franchise. For more information, see file “2017 Chicago Bears Draft”.
Other than the obvious importance and uncertainty with the sixth pick, the rest of the draft’s positions do seem evident. The team will hit on offensive tackle and linebacker early. Later on, positions like wide receiver, running back, and cornerback have the potential to come next.
Leading up to the final mock draft, here’s every Chargers’ mock I did this year:
Completing the mock draft was done through The Draft Network’s mock draft machine. The main needs for the Chargers, in order of importance, included quarterback, offensive tackle, cornerback, interior offensive line, wide receiver, linebacker, running back, tight end, and interior defensive line. Thanks to everyone who has read these mock drafts along the way, as it was my first year doing them. Without further ado:
With the sixth pick, the LA Chargers select…
. Quarterback. Justin Herbert. 6. 820
This became a really hard pick throughout the week. As it’s become apparent throughout most of the process, the Chargers are very likely to take a quarterback with the sixth pick. There’s so much conflicting info right now about which one it might be.
National media members seem to be throwing around the idea that Miami may not be that interested in Tua Tagovailoa at five. Local media members in Miami to still think they will take Tagovailoa. The Dolphins and Giants really decide what the Chargers do in the draft, as Isaiah Simmons, Justin Herbert, an offensive tackle, and Tagovailoa all seem to be in play for picks four and five.
My gut says that the Giants will take an offensive tackle and the Dolphins will take Tagovailoa. A lot can change over the next 24 hours, but that’s how it currently feels. If that holds true, the Chargers will have their decision between Herbert, Simmons, and probably the second offensive tackle selected in the draft.
Herbert is the most likely pick at that point because the Chargers simply don’t know when they’ll be this high in the draft again. The quarterbacks in next year’s draft are going to be hard to get, as the team would have to be absolutely awful for Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields.
My criticisms of Herbert are mainly with his progressions and lack of risks taken at the college level. With the latter, Herbert threw 99 screen passes out of the roughly 400 passes he threw in 2019. At the same time, a lot of my criticisms of Herbert may be able to be redirected to how Oregon’s offense was designed in his time there. It was designed to not be aggressive, unlike the Chip Kelly Oregon days.
Perhaps Anthony Lynn and Shane Steichen could change that. Hebert does have incredible arm strength and is more accurate than some of the other “big arm” quarterbacks that have been drafted recently. While the pick wouldn’t have me enthused at first, there would be a lot of good reasons to eventually get behind Herbert as the quarterback of the future.