Chargers mock draft: Bolts snag three day-one starters in first three rounds

Justin Herbert is out for the rest of the season and the Chargers are already out of the playoff hunt. With four games remaining in the 2023 season, the focus for the Chargers has rightfully turned to 2024, and most importantly, the 2024 NFL Draft.

As it stands right now, the Chargers have the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft with room to move up. There are several teams that also have a 5-8 record. If the Bolts lose out, they could reasonably climb to the sixth or seventh spot in the draft.

That is not a guarantee, though, so in our latest Chargers mock draft we simply used where the team currently is in the draft order. Using the Mock Draft Database's mock draft simulator, here is how our three-round mock draft shook out.

Chargers select TE Brock Bowers with the 10th overall pick

Brock Bowers has captured the imagination of many Chargers fans who want to see the team fill its tight end hole with the best tight end in the class. The 2023 draft class was a historically deep class for tight ends and Bowers was better than everyone in that class.

The depth of the position is not as promising as it was last season so drafting Bowers in the first round is in play. As bad as the offensive line has been this season, a big reason why Herbert has been pressured so much is the team's inability to pick up free rushers. Part of that problem is the tight end room.

It is unclear if Bowers will actually be available at 10th overall if that is where the Chargers end up. But if the team moves into the 6-7 range then he should be on the board, especially with the quarterback-hungry teams that are at the top of the draft.

Chargers select CB Josh Newton 41st overall

It is not a popular take among the fanbase but the Chargers' biggest need in the first round of the NFL Draft is cornerback. The only player that the Chargers should take over a cornerback is Bowers, and that includes some of the promising receivers and edge rushers at the top of the big boards.

Cornerback is simply the most barren position on the entire roster. Michael Davis is a free agent, J.C. Jackson is long gone and the room is not very talented. Asante Samuel Jr. (who will be in his fourth season), Deane Leonard, and Ja'Sir Taylor would be the only corners with actual NFL experience on the roster.

That is obviously not good enough so the Chargers would need to take someone early in the draft. If the team is going to end up with Bowers in the first round then taking a corner in round two is a given. In this specific mock, Josh Newton makes the most sense among the corners available.

Newton has some holes in his game that might be redundant to Samuel. He is not great in run defense and he is not the most physical tackler in the world. That being said, his coverage instincts and footwork are next level. He has the size and speed to play on the outside and would instantly provide a big boost to the Chargers' cornerback room.

The regime might change in Los Angeles before the draft but if it doesn't, Newton profiles to be someone who the front office will really like. He has the traits that Brandon Staley typically looks for in cornerbacks and has already confirmed that he will participate in the Senior Bowl, which has been a huge resource for the Chargers in previous years.

Chargers select RB Trey Benson with the 72nd overall pick

Both Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley are free agents after the 2023 season and neither player has done enough to warrant being re-signed in the offseason. Thus, the Chargers are going to have to rebuild the running back room and that will include the 2024 NFL Draft.

There is a blueprint for the Chargers to craft a decent enough running back room that can produce as a committee. The team can draft a running back in the mid-rounds, sign a cheap veteran like D'Onta Foreman, and give Isaiah Spiller a bigger role in year three. It may not have a standout star in 2024, but that strategy could work nicely.

There are several intriguing mid-round running backs that the Chargers could explore with Trey Benson being arguably the most exciting. If Jim Harbaugh is hired then Michigan's Blake Corum might be the pick, but if not, the team may favor Benson.

Benson has done nothing but produce at the collegiate level. Benson, who is on the bigger side, has averaged 6.11 yards per carry over his last two seasons with 23 combined rushing touchdowns in 26 games. He has added 371 receiving yards with a receiving touchdown to that total as well.

There are other directions the Chargers could go in the third round but running back seems more likely. Some fans want to see the team take a center in the first three rounds but nobody outside the building knows the full extent of Corey Linsley's medical issue, so to speculate about it is unfair.

Wide receiver is certainly a compelling need but that feels like something the team will address in round four or five while still putting faith into Quentin Johnston. Los Angeles isn't going to draft an offensive tackle early to pay Pipkins $8.75 million to go to the bench, and the team can fill out its interior defensive line depth in the later rounds.