The offseason was almost going too perfectly for the LA Chargers. After several savvy moves to bulk up the roster and create cap space, the Chargers delivered the dagger: Keenan Allen was traded to the Chicago Bears for a fourth-round pick.
This trade has massive implications on the roster and the moves that the Chargers will make before the 2024 season. As it stands right now, the Chargers have arguably the worst wide receiver group in the entire league. What a way to take care of the franchise quarterback.
This trade is going to have a massive impact on the 2024 NFL Draft, not just because of the added selection but the additional roster need. Using Pro Football Focus' mock draft simulator, let's dive into what a 2024 NFL mock now looks like for the Bolts post-Allen.
Chargers draft WR Malik Nabers with fifth pick
There is no other option. The Chargers absolutely have to go with a wide receiver and have to end up with Malik Nabers or Marvin Harrison Jr. (if he surprisingly falls). Drafting tackle Joe Alt or trading back in the draft is no longer an option. If the Chargers do go that route, it will be a disaster.
There was a good chance that the Chargers were going to draft Nabers before Allen was traded. Now, with Allen off the team, there is no other way this team can go as it desperately needs a true WR1 that Justin Herbert can build a rapport with.
The Chargers are not going to get that later in the 2024 NFL Draft and they are not going to get it in free agency. Even if the team somehow reunites with Mike Williams it will not be enough. The Chargers absolutely have to land one of the top two wide receivers in the draft class, with the more likely option being Nabers.
You can write this selection in with sharpie (assuming Marvin Harrison Jr. does not fall to five).
Chargers draft CB Kamari Lassiter with 37th pick
Michigan's Mike Sainristril was also on the board for this pick and there is a chance that Jim Harbaugh goes with his hometown player. After all, Sainristril has direct experience playing in Jesse Minter's defensive scheme and that will help him transition to the league.
As great as Sainristril is, he is limited to playing nickel and in the slot. The Chargers need to add a true outside cornerback and that is not who Sainristril is. Los Angeles already has Ja'Sir Taylor to play in the slot with Derwin James helping in that capacity. The team needs to add a true outside cornerback.
Kamari Lassiter fits that billing better than Sainristril does. However, he is not limited to only playing on the outside, as he has experience playing both out wide and in the slot. For that reason, if he falls to the Chargers like in this mock draft, he has to be the pick.
The Chargers have not yet added to the cornerback room at the time of this mock draft and it is one of the worst position groups on the roster. Asante Samuel Jr., Taylor and Deane Leonard all have some potential but there is no standout CB1 in that group and they all have their flaws.
If all goes right, Lassiter can be a versatile weapon that can bolster the secondary now while also giving the Chargers the future CB1 that they so desperately need. There is a decent chance he is taken before pick 37 but if he lasts like in this mock then he would be a great selection.
Chargers draft LB Jeremiah Trotter with 69th pick
The Chargers have not done much to address the linebacker position, either. Los Angeles released Eric Kendricks and watched both Kenneth Murray and Amen Ogbongbemiga leave in free agency. With Daiyan Henley getting no real starting snaps last season, the linebacker room looks bleak.
Los Angeles did make the first linebacker addition of the offseason by signing Troy Dye but that is more of a Ogbongbemiga replacement than anything else. Dye is a solid special teams player who has played under Ryan Ficken before and that will be the limit of his role on the Bolts.
Thus, the Chargers need to add a linebacker in the first three picks and here the Chargers get someone who they hope can plug in and start right away in Jeremiah Trotter. Michigan's Junior Colson would be the dream in round three but Trotter is not a bad backup plan, even if his athleticism doesn't jump off the page.
Chargers draft RB Marshawn Lloyd with 105th pick
The Chargers find Gus Edwards' running mate with USC's Marshawn Lloyd. New running backs coach Kiel McDonald coached Lloyd at USC and that connection may get Lloyd drafted by the Bolts. After all, Edwards' connection to Greg Roman got him the job in LA.
From a technical aspect, a smaller, shift back like Lloyd is the perfect complement to Edwards. Lloyd was one of the biggest standouts in the 2024 NFL Combine and alongside Edwards, he could give the Chargers a dynamic 1-2 punch that reinvents the running game in LA.
Chargers draft WR Javon Baker with 110th pick
The Chargers almost have to double-dip at wide receiver after trading Allen and they do so with the very pick that they received in the trade. As it stands right now, the Chargers only have three wide receivers on the roster and one is a specialist. Even if the team signs a free-agent wide receiver, the team has to add two in the draft.
There are a few options for the Bolts in this range and Javon Baker may be the safe route. He does not have the head-turning athleticism that others in this range have but he is arguably the most finished product of those that may go in this range.
Baker may never develop into a WR1 or even a WR2 but that is not what the Chargers need him to be. They would need him to be a reliable WR4/5 that can develop into a starting-caliber wideout in the future.
Chargers draft C Drake Nugent with 140th pick
Drake Nugent makes a lot of sense for the Chargers because of his ties to Harbaugh and the fact that he is simply a good player. Nugent played a big role in Michigan's success running the football and reuniting him with Harbaugh would be great for all parties involved.
It probably would be best if the Chargers still signed a veteran (like Bradley Bozeman) who can play for one year and allow Nugent to develop and be fully ready to take over as the starter in 2025. But even without that veteran, Nugent is good enough to draft, start, and iron out the flaws as the season goes along.
Chargers draft TE Tip Reiman with 181st pick
The Chargers have signed two tight ends in Will Dissly and Hayden Hurst, so drafting a tight end might not be a big priority. There are a lot of risks with Hurst and Dissly as Hurst is injury-prone and Dissly is only a blocking tight end but this is the bed the Chargers are making for themselves.
Los Angeles should still add a rookie tight end to round out the room and give the team someone to develop. Tip Reiman is exactly the kind of tight end the Chargers should be taking a chance on as his run-blocking will make him an effective player in some capacity in his rookie year.
Reiman showed some potential in developing a route tree and being a reliable pass-catching target at the tight-end position as well. He will never be a true TE1 that finishes with 800 yards, but there is real potential there.
Chargers draft LB Curtis Jacobs with 225th pick
The Chargers also double-dip at linebacker so that they can bolster the room and add more special teams players as well. Jacobs' athleticism and hard-hitting nature would fit perfectly on a Harbaugh-led team and would give the Chargers some upside to work with as he develops.
Seventh-round picks are always like throwing a blindfolded dart and there is no guarantee that he will develop into a consistent difference-maker. But with the right coaching, Jacobs can be a serviceable NFL linebacker thanks to his athleticism.
Chargers draft OT Delmar Glaze with 253rd pick
The Chargers should be adding a tackle in some capacity in the 2024 NFL Draft and here it comes with the team's last pick in the draft. Delmar Glaze would give the team a young, cheap swing tackle option to develop and (hopefully) not play in his rookie season.
Nobody expects to find the next Rashawn Slater in the seventh round but Glaze at least has experience playing on both sides of the offensive line, which is valuable as a swing tackle candidate.