The 2023 NFL Draft is an incredibly interesting one for the LA Chargers as it is hard to pinpoint what the team is going to do. There is not one pressing need for the Chargers, who are instead looking at the draft as a chance to add depth and build towards the future.
There could be several tricks up the Chargers' sleeve and they may end up surprising fans with the choices that are made. It really feels like the wild west with what the Chargers may end up doing in the draft.
Regardless of what path they take, there are some seemingly obvious moves that need to be made. Most notably, the team needs to replace several of its 2023 free agents with prospects in the draft.
4 Chargers free agents that will be replaced in 2023 NFL Draft:
DeAndre Carter
The Chargers need receiver depth, that almost goes without saying. As it stands right now, the Chargers only have three NFL-caliber wide receivers on the entire roster. Those three are very good but the depth of the position is alarming.
DeAndre Carter would have been a smart player to re-sign at his price point but instead the team let him walk and he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. Now, the Chargers need to find someone who can not only provide depth in the receiver room but can produce on special teams as well.
It will be interesting to see how the Chargers handle this situation. Will they wait until round three and hope to get someone like Jayden Reed that can be the WR4 and the kick returner? Will they draft someone early who can do both like Zay Flowers? Or will they draft a different receiver in the first round and then draft a return specialist later in the draft?
There are multiple directions the team can go and regardless of which path it takes, it is undeniable that Carter needs to be replaced in some capacity.
Kyle Van Noy
Kyle Van Noy was one of the prominent players that saved the Chargers' season in 2022. The Chargers had a defensive resurgence in the second half of the 2022 season and Van Noy was a big part of it, going five consecutive games with a sack.
Van Noy was thrust into playing more edge rusher than the team probably had in mind when Joey Bosa tore his groin in Week 3. This revealed the shocking lack of depth on the edge as Van Noy, who was probably meant to play more inside linebacker, pretty much became a full-time edge rusher.
While he had a solid stretch last year, the Chargers still have not re-signed him and at this point it seems unlikely that the team does. Instead, the Chargers would be better off drafting a third edge rusher for multiple reasons.
Drafting someone would not only give the team more depth at the position but if LA drafts an edge rusher early enough then it will give them their Khalil Mack replacement. Mack is likely entering his last season with the Bolts as his 2023 cap hit is insane, especially for his age.
Getting someone in the building now that can provide the depth that Van Noy provides while also being the next man in line for a starting job presents a great harmony between balancing the present and the future with the roster.
Bryce Callahan
Bryce Callahan was another veteran signing that the LA Chargers made last offseason that paid huge dividends for the team. The Chargers did not draft a cornerback early in the 2023 NFL Draft so they did not have anyone to start at slot corner. With that in mind, the team went out and signed Callahan to a one-year deal.
Callahan was coming off of a down year in which he was injured but the potential was obviously still there. His previous ties with Brandon Staley got him in the building and it quickly became clear in the 2022 season that he was going to play a prominent role in the secondary.
Callahan did everything the Chargers could have asked for in the slot. That being said, his age and the tendency for cornerbacks over 30 to fall off without warning makes it obvious that the team should move on in 2023.
LA may already have its starting slot corner in Ja'Sir Taylor, who showed a lot of potential both in defense and on special teams last season. However, just because Taylor is ready for a bigger role does not mean the Chargers will ignore cornerback in the draft.
Brandon Staley is a defensive-minded head coach after all and as long as he is partly calling the shots the team is going to invest in the defense. With J.C. Jackson's injury presenting an unclear future, drafting more corner depth in the 2023 NFL Draft seems likely.
Jalen Guyton
There are two receivers on this list because the Chargers should be drafting two receivers in the 2023 NFL Draft. Los Angeles took this approach in 2020 and while it did not work with Joe Reed and K.J. Hill, taking the same approach in 2023 is probably the way to go.
This team desperately needs wide receiver depth and it does not seem like Tom Telesco is in any kind of hurry to bring in a veteran receiver this offseason. If there is not going to be veteran help then the need for a second receiver in the draft is massive. Heck, even with a veteran receiver it would not hurt the team to draft two wideouts to have six on the active roster.
With the two receivers the Chargers are drafting there are multiple boxes that need to be checked. First, it would be nice for the team to draft someone who they believe can blossom into a larger role in the future. With that in mind, they need to add at least one player to help in special teams and another that can add speed to the offense.
Those two needs may intersect into one player and the other receiver that is drafted might be more of a well-rounded receiver, like Jordan Addison, for example. Or those two needs could present themselves in different players.
Regardless, there needs to be at least one dynamic speed threat that can challenge the deep part of the field and you cannot blame the Chargers if they move on from Guyton. As promising as he is as a depth receiver, his no. 1 skill was his speed and there is no telling how that looks after a torn ACL.
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