2 Chargers draft picks that are guaranteed home runs, 1 that was a whiff
By Jason Reed
Chargers whiff draft pick: Max Duggan
This was a selection that I was not a big fan of and shared that opinion on the Bolt Beat Twitter account right after it happened. That was not a popular take as a lot of Chargers fans were defending the selection and I can understand why.
Easton Stick does not really cut it as the backup quarterback and at the end of the day it was a seventh-round pick, so the optics of taking Duggan and it potentially not meaning anything are better. I totally get that logic and it isn't even Duggan himself who makes this a bad pick. It is the entire process.
The fact that the Chargers were willing to commit draft capital to Duggan instead of allowing him to become a potential UDFA target indicates that he has a pretty good chance of making the roster. He won't just be a camp body. And with how this team has operated in the past, that is pointing to there being three quarterbacks on the active roster in 2023.
That is a waste of a roster spot. And I get it, does an extra receiver, linebacker, or cornerback really matter when we are talking about back-end roster players? Is this something that could actually burn the team?
It is not guaranteed to burn the team but it certainly could. If the Chargers showcased the ability to build out a deep roster with three QBs then there wouldn't be this criticism. However, this team literally was running out in-season practice squad additions last season at receiver because it decided it needed to keep Stick only to make him a healthy scratch and run five WRs on the depth chart.
You would think that after watching that last season fans would be pounding the table for that extra receiver, linebacker, or cornerback.
Investing in backup quarterbacks is not a bad thing and many fans point to Brock Purdy's success in San Francisco as a reason why this is a smart contingency plan. While Purdy was a great story, for every Purdy there are dozens of late-round quarterbacks who don't amount to anything.
And let's face it, if Justin Herbert gets hurt then this team doesn't really have a chance anyway. Chances are there will be some seventh-round standout or UDFA star the Chargers could have drafted over Duggan.