Why the LA Chargers should not draft an edge in the first round

3. There are much bigger needs on the LA Chargers

Some holes on the LA Chargers will naturally be filled if the team can get healthy. As previously mentioned, the safety and linebacker position will get a huge boost next season if Derwin James and Drue Tranquill can get healthy and that is like getting two really talented free agents.

But there are still some other significant holes on this roster and I just cannot look at how this team is built and think that edge rusher is the biggest need. Even if Ingram walks, a tandem of Joey Bosa and Uchenna Nwosu is a better outlook at the position than other positions.

At that point, the Chargers can bring in veteran depth or a mid-to-late round pick for depth. They still would not need to fill the position with an early pick.

Two needs jump off the page right away: offensive line and cornerbacks.

The offensive line has been absolutely terrible this season and the team has to start building youth up. They have free agents in Dan Feeney, Forrest Lamp and Mike Pouncey. Pouncey is all-but gone and there is a chance they have to replace Lamp or Feeney.

They should be in the market for a better tackle as well. Sam Tevi has been better than expected but I would much rather have a high first-round tackle prospect. Then, the team could have said first-round tackle as the starting left tackle with Tevi serving as the depth tackle for both the left and right sides.

Because right now the team has Trey Pipkins backing up Bryan Bulaga and Bulaga has been hurt so much that it has really hurt this offensive line.

That brings up another point: Trai Turner only has one more year left under contract and he too cannot stay healthy and has not been overly impressive in his first year with the Chargers. They need depth and they need young depth. Relying on this right side has burned them.

The cornerback position has been dreadful this season and it is not going to get better next year. The team has to first be able to re-sign Michael Davis and then hope that Chris Harris and Casey Hayward improve.

Will they though? Again, both are over the age of 30 and it is pretty rare for an old cornerback to suddenly flip the script and be better. They can slow down the regression, but be better?

I like the idea of getting a high cornerback prospect to have the trio of Hayward, the rookie CB and Davis as a three-headed rotational group. That would also give said rookie a year to learn and grow under Hayward.

Regardless, I just do not see the need for an edge rusher in the first round of the draft. Later in the draft, sure, but a first-round pick would not move the needle for the LA Chargers, in my opinion.