The first two days of the 2021 NFL Draft are officially in the books and the LA Chargers have added four new players to the team. The team knocked the first two picks out of the park and they were legitimately the two best picks that the team could have asked for.
The front office filled the top two roster needs, offensive tackle and cornerback, with Rashawn Slater and Asante Samuel Jr. Slater was widely expected to go before the 13th overall pick while Samuel was viewed as the best-case scenario at 47… and he fell.
The Chargers followed that with two interesting picks in the third round. With the 77th overall pick the Chargers selected Tennesee wide receiver Josh Palmer. With the 97th overall pick, the team selected Georgia tight end Tre’ McKitty.
The two prospects are similar. Both have solid traits that can project nicely to the NFL but neither were utilized much on their respective college teams. Both were also surprising picks for the team.
It is impossible to fully judge the LA Chargers picks this soon but there is a route that might have been better.
The reality is that we will not have our full answer on the third-round picks for at least three years. A lot can happen and in three years’ time, Palmer and McKitty could be the two biggest contributors on the team. They could also be off the team.
What we can say is that the Chargers did reach a bit based on most big boards and that Tom Telesco’s resume in the third round since picking Keenan Allen in 2013 has been poor. You cannot blame fans for being skeptical when that is the case.
If I were the general manager of the LA Chargers, here are the two picks I would have made.