3 way-too-early first-round draft needs for the Chargers in 2023
By Jason Reed
1. Cornerback
There are a lot of good cornerbacks in the 2023 draft class and it would not be surprising to see the LA Chargers take a corner at all with how the 2022 season has transpired. While Asante Samuel Jr. has blossomed into a great corner, the rest of the room has been less than ideal this season.
J.C. Jackson was disappointing when he was playing and then suffered a torn patellar tendon, which is typically a death wish for an NFL career. Michael Davis has filled in and has been more of the same but he will still likely be cut to free up cap space next season.
Bryce Callahan has been fine in the slot but he is a veteran that is on a one-year deal and cannot be trusted to be the future for the team. And while the Chargers took two corners in the 2022 NFL Draft, both were late-round picks and do not have the top-end potential that a first-round prospect has.
For all of those reasons, it seems like cornerback is the most-likely position for the Chargers to target in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. This would give them J.C. Jackson insurance while also being able to continually add top-end young talent.
If Jackson returns and can be 80% of what he was in New England then suddenly the Chargers could be in a really good spot with two young corners and a third above-average corner. If not, the team will at least have a fallback plan and can hopefully have someone like Ja'Sir Taylor step up into a starting slot role if needed.
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There is going to be a talented option regardless of where the Chargers pick in the first round, making it the most universal need based on where they fall.