What the Chargers' 2022 draft class would have been without Khalil Mack trade

2. The LA Chargers would have taken Abraham Lucas in the second round and DeMarvin Leal in the third round

While the Chargers drafted a guard instead of a tackle, I do think the selection would have been different if the Bolts instead waited until the second round. The best offensive lineman on the board at 48 for the Chargers would have been tackle Abraham Lucas, who went a bit later with the 72nd overall pick.

Lucas is a solid right tackle who is one of the best pass-blocking right tackles in the entire draft class. He does have some work to do in the run-blocking department but the Chargers could have helped that with Tre' McKitty on the edge. In terms of scheme fit, Lucas would have been perfect for LA.

Sure, it would have been a bit of a reach for the Chargers compared to where he actually went but the team "reached" for prospects it actually took in the draft itself. There still would have been a hole at right guard with no Zion Johnson selection and in this alternate timeline, the Chargers would sign Oday Aboushi after the draft.

The third-round pick is a different selection as well as the Bolts continue to bolster the defensive line with DeMarvin Leal. Brandon Staley would have put more emphasis on taking another defensive lineman in the top three rounds without having the veteran in Mack on the edge and the best available is Leal, who would play defensive end in the Chargers' 3-4 scheme.

You could make the case that even with Mack the Chargers should have taken Leal over third-round pick JT Woods, who could have been had in the fourth (in theory). However, in this world in which the Khalil Mack trade didn't happen, the Chargers brought in another big-name player.