Chargers' first-round pick feels painfully obvious due to coaching connection

The LA Chargers can go in a multitude of different ways with the 21st pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. There is not a concrete pressing need for the Bolts in the first round of the draft with moving down even being a possibility for the team.

Arguably the most popular selection for the team to make among the fanbase is at wide receiver. First-round wide receivers are very easy to be excited about and this fanbase has been pounding the table for a first-round receiver the last three years.

It certainly is a possibility for the Bolts and might be more likely because of the coaching ties the team has to one of the premier first-round prospects in the draft class. Chargers wide receivers coach Chris Beatty has connections with USC's Jordan Addison as he was the coach that helped first recruit him to Maryland and then to Pitt. Once Beatty left Pitt, Addison left for USC (h/t 'The Rich Eisen Show').

Jordan Addison to the Chargers at 21 seems much more likely because of this connection.

Brandon Staley is a head coach who really seems to value connections in the NFL and this previous connection between Beatty and Addison very well could be enough to sway the team in one direction. Beatty's previous experience in coaching Addison and the vouching he can do for the young man really can do a lot in the draft process.

The Chargers have reportedly met with Addison already, so there seems to be some level of interest there for the team. Nothing is concrete but this very well could be the most obvious example of foreshadowing in recent draft history.

Addison would be a polarizing pick if the Chargers were to go in that direction. While he is undoubtedly a first-round talent, he is not the speed threat that some fans are demanding to open up the top of the defense. That being said, his 4.49 40-yard dash fits right in with the team's current receiver room.

While his 40-time is not the best, he is an elusive and agile receiver who showed the ability to work both in the slot and on the outside in college. That is a valuable trait that will get him snaps right away even if he is the WR4 for the Chargers in year one.

Some fans might be upset at the lack of speed but in truth, Addison might be the most refined round 1 WR prospect of the bunch. He may not have the highest ceiling but he ultimately could have the highest floor.

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