The 2023 NFL season is officially in the books and LA Chargers fans had to watch the Kansas City Chiefs win yet another Super Bowl. As painful as it is to watch the Chiefs win three in the last five years, Chargers fans can at least rest easy knowing that the Bolts have the right pieces in place to be the next version of the Chiefs.
Just because the Chargers have the right pieces does not mean they are guaranteed a run to the Super Bowl. The new regime in Los Angeles needs to instil a culture change and that starts this offseason with free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft.
With a new GM in Joe Hortiz, fans are hopeful that the team will do something it never did under Tom Telesco: trade down in the NFL Draft. In theory, the Chargers could trade down with a quarterback-hungry team for more draft capital and still land a top-tier prospect in the first round.
That is exactly the thought exercise we went through in our latest Chargers mock draft, which was done on Pro Football Focus' mock draft simulator.
Chargers trade fifth pick to Atlanta Falcons for eighth pick, 74th pick, future third-round pick
The Falcons are a team that might look to trade up for a quarterback and the Chargers are in a very important spot with the fifth overall pick. With the quarterback-hungry New York Giants picking sixth, the fifth overall pick becomes the spot to jump to if the New England Patriots and Washington Commanders aren't interested in trading down.
Thus, the Chargers can pick up some draft capital for moving back three spots in the draft. As far as the NFL draft trade value chart is concerned, the Chargers ever-so-slightly get the better end of this deal, which is common for the team trading down.
This might not seem like enough, but the Buffalo Bills traded two second-round picks to move up five spots to select Josh Allen back in 2018. It seems fair that the Falcons would have to trade two third-round picks for just three spots.
If the Chargers can milk more out of the Falcons then great, but in this exercise they pick up another top-75 pick. With the trade explained, let's dive into the actual selections.
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Chargers draft Brock Bowers with 8th pick in mock draft
This is the same selection that this mock draft would have made with the fifth overall pick. There is some risk in trading back this far if Brock Bowers is the main goal as he has outright admitted that the Tennessee Titans is his team of choice. Tennessee has the 7th pick, so this opens the door for them to swipe Bowers.
However, in this mock, he falls to eight and it is a no-brainer for the Chargers. There is some debate among Chargers fans about positional value and how his contract might stack up compared to the rest of the tight ends in the league in five years but the Chargers are not in a place to worry about that.
The team simply needs to fill the holes in the roster and one of the largest holes is tight end. Why not take a generational tight end in a year where the tight end class is not that great behind him?
Plus, all of the signs for taking Bowers are already there. Greg Roman is the offensive coordinator and his offense is predicated on having a strong rushing attack that needs strong run-blocking tight ends. Roman's two most prolific offenses both included great pass-catching tight ends as well in Vernon Davis and Mark Andrews.
Hortiz has also expressed his love for compensatory picks and taking Bowers gives the Bolts one of their only chances to get a comp pick from this offseason. By taking Bowers, the Chargers can afford to let Gerald Everett walk. Everett might end up getting the biggest contract by any Chargers free agent, so letting him walk for the comp pick makes sense.
Chargers draft Keon Coleman with 37th pick in mock draft
It might be a bit surprising to see the Chargers take two pass-catchers with the first two picks in the draft and to be fair, that is not the most likely outcome. However, if the team is trading down to get another top-75 pick then it makes sense to take a pass-catcher if someone who the team likes falls.
In this case, Keon Coleman is someone who the Chargers should absolutely be circling as a potential second-round pick. This year's WR class is deep and every year there are 1-2 first-round projections that fall to day 2. If that happens with Coleman, the Chargers should jump all over him.
Coleman is on the younger side and might not have the All-Pro WR1 ceiling that other prospects have. However, his skill set should translate quite nicely to the NFL and will make him a contributor as early as his rookie season.
More importantly for the Chargers' case, Coleman is the perfect Mike Williams replacement. Williams is definitely going to be cut or traded to save cap space this offseason and without him, the Chargers do not have a single receiver that can be Herbert's jump-ball specialist.
Coleman can be that. His ability to haul in contested catches will allow him to absorb Williams' route tree in this offense while also making him a dangerous red-zone target on day one. The Chargers have good experience with former basketball players and can try to recapture that magic with Coleman.
Chargers draft Mike Sainristril with 69th pick in mock draft
Here is the Michigan selection for Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers need to add cornerback help desperately this offseason and there is a strong case to be made to take a cornerback in the second round.
However, a second-round corner is not necessarily needed, especially with there being solid third-round options in this class. The Chargers can quickly build up the room with a selection like Sainristril and a cheap veteran signing for depth.
Sainristril would come in and instantly start in the slot for the Chargers. He is familiar with Jesse Minter, Harbaugh, and would provide a much-needed boost for the Bolts in the slot. If Sainristril was projected to live on the outside he would be a top-50 prospect because of his talent alone. Here, he falls because of slot projections and the Chargers capitalize on it.
Chargers draft Bucky Irving with 74th pick in mock draft
This might be a bit early to take a running back and many people expect the Chargers to take Blake Corum. While Corum might still be the betting favorite because of his ties to Michigan, Bucky Irving might just be the best mid-round back in this draft class.
The Chargers need to rebuild the running room, so potentially reaching to draft a running back that they like is not a bad thing in the slightest. Irving is one of the most explosive backs in this class and would give the Chargers' RB room a jolt of athleticism that it has so dearly missed.
Just like at cornerback, the Chargers can quickly rebuild the running back position by taking someone like Irving and signing a cheaper veteran to complement him in the backfield.
Chargers draft Sedrick Van Pran with 105th pick in mock draft
Corey Linsley is 99% retiring this offseason after a non-emergent heart issue sidelined him for most of the 2023 season. With Linsley out of the picture, the Chargers need to find a solution at the center position.
Michigan's Drake Nugent is an intriguing prospect and definitely is possible because of his ties to Harbaugh. Georgia's Sedrick Van Pran is a tick better than Nugent, though, and if he fell into the fourth round it would be a no-brainer for the Chargers.
Nobody the Chargers draft will be as good as Linsley right away. But the team needs an anchor in the middle of the offensive line that can build a rapport with Herbert. Van Pran has the tools to do just that.
Chargers draft Gabriel Murphy with 142nd pick in mock draft
This is a case of the Chargers taking the best available player as the team would be thrilled to draft UCLA pass rusher Gabriel Murphy in the fifth round. Murphy gets overshadowed by Laiatu Latu but he is a productive and versatile defender that can really give the Chargers more flexibility on defense.
Minter is all about throwing different looks at offenses and adding someone like Murphy who can move around the front line alongside Tui Tuipulotu would be great for the Bolts. He may not be anything more than a rotational player in year one, but Murphy has all the makings of being a day-three steal.
Chargers draft Ty'Ron Hopper with 183rd pick in mock draft
The Chargers need linebacker help as there could be a world in which both of last year's starters are not even on the team. Los Angeles is going to have to bring in a cheap veteran to fill out the room, even if Jim Harbaugh is confident in Daiyan Henley.
To build out the rest of the room, the Chargers use a sixth-round pick on Iowa State's Ty'Ron Hopper. There is a lot to like about Hopper's game and under Navarro Bowman's coaching, he could blossom into someone who plays legitimate defensive snaps in the future.
For now, he would be a solid addition to Ryan Ficken's special teams unit.
Chargers draft Kitan Oladapo with 226th pick in mock draft
The final pick of this Chargers mock draft is a safety who will mostly play on special teams in his first season but has the potential to blossom into a full safety who gets playing time in an NFL defense.
Kitan Oladapo is a bit on the slimmer side for an NFL safety but he is smooth in coverage and has a knack for attacking the football. His frame and collegiate program hold him back on draft boards but his traits make him a very exciting safety to develop.
There is no guarantee that Oladapo develops, as is the case with any seventh-round pick. But he has the exact traits that a team should be betting on in a late-round pick.