Chargers meet with potential third-round pick in 2024 NFL Draft

Head coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz are currently preparing for their first draft together with the LA Chargers. With several roster holes that need to be filled, the 2024 NFL Draft is widely important as it will lay the foundation for the upcoming Harbaugh era.

One of the several needs that the Bolts have this year is at the linebacker position. Both starting linebackers Eric Kendricks and Kenneth Murray are on new teams and the only replacement the Chargers have added is Denzel Perryman.

Even if Daiyan Henley gets starting snaps next season, the Chargers still need to bulk up the room and might look to do it early on in the draft. That at least seems to be in the cards, as the Chargers met Wednesday with a prospect who would likely have to be picked on day two.

Chargers meeting with Edgerrin Cooper may be telling of draft strategy

If the Chargers are going to draft Edgerrin Cooper then they will almost certainly need to use a pick on day two of the draft, particularly in the third round. Pro Football Focus ranks Cooper as the 62nd-best prospect in the class while he checks in 49th on CBS Sports' big board.

Taking at linebacker at 37 might be a bit too rich for the Chargers, especially if they do not trade down and accumulate extra capital in the first round. It would be in the Chargers' best interest to wait until the 69th pick to take Cooper, assuming he is still on the board.

This is a pretty thin linebacker class that really drops off after the top guys. That may prompt linebacker-hungry teams to take prospects earlier than expected, which might not even give the Chargers a chance to take Cooper in round three.

But at the very least, this gives fans some intel on what the Chargers might be thinking heading into the 2024 NFL Draft. Just because the team met with a prospect does not mean it wants to draft them, but it can be revealing of the process as a whole.

Fans now know that the Chargers are not ruling out taking a linebacker in the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft. This is not a situation where the Bolts will just take the best option available in one of the day three rounds. This could be a real priority for the Bolts, as evident by who they are meeting with.

Whether or not Cooper is a Charger in a month's time is unclear, but don't be surprised if the Chargers take a linebacker higher than expected during the draft.