Chargers home run pick No. 2: Tuli Tuipulotu
The Chargers so desperately needed depth at edge rusher and it was a guarantee that the team was going to take at least one edge rusher on the first two days of the 2023 NFL Draft. Heck, before the draft we here at Bolt Beat were pounding the table for the Chargers to follow the Philadelphia Eagles' lead and draft a pass rusher not just in 2023, but every year.
The team selected USC's Tuli Tuipulotu in the second round, making him the first edge rusher the Chargers have taken in the first three rounds since Uchenna Nwosu in 2018. Hopefully, this becomes a trend as the best teams in the league have depth on the defensive line.
That is not to say that the team will necessarily need someone to replace Tuipulotu as he has the makings of being an impact player at the NFL level. Tuipulotu was one of the most productive players in college football last season and if he was not a tweener he would have been a bonafide first-round pick.
Tuipulotu is a bit in-between an edge rusher and an inside pass rusher and while that may have hurt his draft stock, it presents a great opportunity for the Chargers. The team can get creative and throw out pass-rushing sets that include Tuipulotu, Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack and Morgan Fox all on the field at the same time.
That is a quarterback's nightmare and even if Tuipulotu ends up playing more inside than outside he should be a productive pass rusher. Sure, an inside edge rusher may not have as much "positional draft value" as an edge rusher but it doesn't matter. All this team wants is more pass-rushing depth and they got just that.