The LA Chargers currently have their eyes on making a run for the playoff spot in the AFC. This year has been disappointing with all the talent on the roster but the Bolts are still in a position to make the playoffs if they can take care of business down the stretch.
Of course, we all know that with the Chargers taking care of business is easier said than done. There are no guarantees that the Chargers will win the games they should win.
While that is the immediate focus of the team, some of the fanbase might already be looking ahead at the 2023 NFL Draft. There are several holes on this roster that are going to need to be filled and we can already start to construct a list of positions that the Chargers may target in the first round.
Here are 3 way-too-early first-round draft needs for the LA Chargers in 2023:
3. Safety
The Chargers have one of the best safeties in the entire sport but he needs help. Derwin James plays all over the defense and unfortunately for the Chargers, the team has not gotten the kind of impact it was hoping for out of the others at the position.
Nasir Adderley has been tremendously disappointing after what appeared to be a bounce-back season in 2021. With his contract expiring, it would be very shocking to see him return to the Bolts in 2023.
JT Woods is so green that he has hardly played this season and we should not expect the team to fully trust in him to start next season, especially if a new staff and system is put in place. The other options on the roster are all depth options that are not qualified to start.
There is still a long ways to go until the 2023 NFL Draft and the complexion of the big board is 100% going to change. However, some players to potentially keep a close eye on are Brian Branch, Antonio Johnson and Jordan Battle, to name a few.
2. Interior defensive line
The run defense was a problem for the LA Chargers in 2021 and it has continued to be a problem in 2022. Despite adding Sebastian Joseph-Day and Austin Johnson, the Chargers are still dead last in average yards allowed per carry this season.
The depth of the position is being seriously tested right now after the team waived Jerry Tillery and saw Johnson, Otito Ogbonnia and Christian Covington fall to injury. And while Joseph-Day and Austin Johnson are under contract next season, the Bolts would benefit from a first-round defensive tackle to be a valuable rotation piece in 2023 and an impact starter after that.
Joey Bosa getting hurt certainly didn't help but the fact of the matter is that the Chargers have not been able to generate pressure on the quarterback rushing four this season. Teams have been able to take Khalil Mack out of the game plan and without any great pass rushers inside, the Chargers have been unable to counter that.
Getting a true interior pass rusher to be what the team thought Jerry Tillery was going to be would be fantastic. Drafting a defensive tackle in the first round typically is not the best value-wise but if there is someone the team likes in the mid-to-late round they should not turn away from them.
There is a crop of really good interior defensive linemen at the top of the draft and then there is a bit of a gap until we get into the later rounds. If one of those elite defensive linemen fall, such as Jalen Carter or Bryan Breese, it would be worth the selection.
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.