Two positions dominated the chatter around the LA Chargers' first-round pick on Thursday night. The Chargers proved that chatter correct, taking Miami edge rusher Akheem Mesidor with the No. 22 pick.
Now the Chargers are left with a seemingly obvious path in the second round: draft a starting left guard. This is complicated, however, by Joe Hortiz's desire to always draft the best player available, as well as his desire to accumulate more draft capital via trade.
Still, guard is too big a need for the Chargers to ignore and Hortiz himself may have accidentally slipped in telling reporters what positions the Chargers are going to pursue next. When talking about the depth of the class during his first-round press conference, Hortiz was very specific about the positions that are deep in this draft.
"I think once we settle in, there's going to be players. There's going to be linemen in the second, in the third, in the fourth. I'm telling you. There's going to be linemen there available. And there's going to be corners there available and there's going to be defensive linemen there available and there's going to be inside back-- it's a good draft," Hortiz said.
Joe Hortiz may have just revealed what positions the Chargers are targeting in the NFL Draft
Hortiz stopped himself, but he was about to say inside backers (middle linebackers). Perhaps he realized what he was doing, in that he was specifically naming the positions that the Chargers are already circling for day two and three.
This tracks with the roster needs the Bolts had coming out of free agency. Edge rusher and guard were by far the two biggest needs, but there was also some momentum toward the Chargers taking an interior defensive lineman or a corner in round one.
Linebacker is definitely a need with question marks around 2024 third-round pick Junior Colson. It's no coincidence that these three positions are exactly what Chargers fans were circling before the draft began.
That being said, there are some exclusions. Hortiz said nothing about wide receiver or tight end. The Chargers could theoretically add to both positions in the draft, although it's not a pressing need. Hortiz omitting these positions doesn't mean the Chargers are guaranteed to stay away, but it is interesting to see where his mind gravitated to first.
Keenan Allen remains unsigned and there is a looming Tyreek Hill shadow over the wide receiver room. That could very well be the Chargers' plan there. The Bolts also don't need to draft a tight end, and can sign another veteran now that Kenyon Sadiq didn't fall to them in round one.
The Chargers will have more flexibility if they trade down to pick up more capital. But as it stands right now, the Bolts only have four more picks to make in the draft. Guard, defensive tackle, cornerback and linebacker very well could be those four picks, in whatever order, if the Chargers are static.
And if so, it was written in the stars all along thanks to a potential slip-up by Hortiz.
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