The 2023 NFL Draft is an extremely intriguing one for the LA Chargers. Unlike recent years, the Chargers do not have a pressing need on the roster and are instead drafting for depth. Alas, there are several directions the team could, including a potential trade-down.
Tom Telesco and the Chargers' brass typically keep their cards close to their chest so it is impossible to get a complete grip on what the team might be thinking ahead of the draft. That being said, fans can read the tea leaves with what the team is making public to get an idea of what Telesco might be planning.
Who the team is meeting with prior to the 2023 NFL Draft can give fans a peak into what the thought process is. While the Bolts are not guaranteed to draft someone who they meet with, it can tell fans what the team is thinking. The prospect's position and place on the big board can reveal a decent amount.
If we apply that logic to the team's most recent reported meeting then we have a better idea of a potential day three selection by the Bolts. Los Angeles recently met with Florida linebacker Ventrell Miller as a potential sign of things to come in the draft.
Busy week for Florida LB Ventrell Miller.
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) April 6, 2023
He’s met with both the Seahawks and Chargers and is scheduled to sit down with Buccaneers brass today — a meeting that will include GM Jason Licht and HC Todd Bowles, a source said.
Chargers seem to be targeting mid-to-late-round linebacker in 2023 NFL Draft.
Ventrell Miller is the 153rd-ranked prospect on the 2023 Consensus Big Board and is expected to go near the fifth round. This shows fans that the team is doing its homework on linebackers that might go early on day three of the draft.
It makes sense for the Chargers to go in this direction as well. Drue Tranquill signed with the Kansas City Chiefs and while the team signed Eric Kendricks to replace him, Kendricks is a short-term option, not a long-term one.
The future of Kenneth Murray is unclear as his rookie deal will expire after the 2023 season and he has not played well enough to earn a new deal. A fourth or fifth-round linebacker is not going to solve all the issues but it would be a start in building out the room.
Other linebacker prospects that are in this range include Dorian Williams, Nick Herbig and Ivan Pace Jr. Auburn's Owen Pappoe is projected to be a fourth-round pick and like Miller, he played at the Senior Bowl, so he cannot be ruled out.
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Regardless, any Chargers mock draft should probably include a linebacker selection in the fourth or fifth round after the team met with Miller.