The LA Chargers still have the 17th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and nothing has changed about the team's draft capital since the Khalil Mack trade. However, the teams around the Chargers have shuffled picks, which undoubtedly has an impact on the Bolts one way or another.
The New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles swapped multiple picks that resulted in the Saints having an extra first-round pick for the cost of a future first and second-round pick. Before the trade, picks 15-19 in the draft were Eagles, Eagles, Chargers, Saints, Eagles. Now, picks 15-19 are Eagles, Saints, Chargers, Eagles, Saints.
The Saints jumped the Chargers at 17 while also keeping a pick after the Bolts at 19. This could be for several reasons. First, the Saints may have intel on who the Chargers could be targeting and may want to jump them in the case they want someone like Jameson Williams. They also could be preventing a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers from trading down to 17 to get a quarterback before the Saints can.
There is also the possibility of New Orleans packaging 17 and 19 to move up in the draft to take a quarterback. It could end up helping the Chargers if the Saints take a QB, allowing one more prospect to fall in the draft order. It could hurt the Chargers if they had plans of trading down.
Either way, this trade does impact our LA Chargers mock draft.
The philosophy remains the same but some of the possible moves the Bolts could have made are now different. Regardless, following this trade, we hopped on The Draft Network's Mock Draft Machine for an updated seven-round Chargers mock draft.