There has been a lot of speculation around the Minnesota Vikings leading into the 2024 NFL Draft. All signs are pointing to the Vikings trading down in the draft. Minnesota is reportedly going to be aggressive in pursuing a top-five pick, and the Chargers might be the only team in the top five willing to trade down.
If the Chargers love Malik Nabers too much then they might end up staying put simply to take one of the best wide receiver prospects in recent draft history. But if the Bolts aren't as sold on Nabers, and Marvin Harrison Jr. doesn't fall to five, then it swings the door wide open for the Chargers to make a trade.
Based on similar draft trades in recent history, here is how the deal could end up working itself out between the Chargers and Vikings:
Back in 2021 the San Francisco 49ers traded a 2022 first, 2023 third and 2023 first to go from the 12th pick to the third pick. Miami essentially picked up two extra firsts and an extra third for moving down. Here, the Chargers get slightly less in a similar situation, picking up one extra first, an extra second, and an extra third.
This obviously takes Nabers and Rome Odunze off the board for the Chargers, so they end up going with a different position with the 11th pick. Let's dive into the mock using Pro Football Focus' mock draft simulator.
Chargers draft CB Quinyon Mitchell with 11th pick
Trading back to 11 takes the top three wide receivers off the board so the Chargers should address the other glaring roster hole: cornerback. Even after signing Kristian Fulton, the Chargers have a huge need at the position and can address it here with top-line talent.
Quinyon Mitchell has rapidly climbed the draft ranks and now looks to be someone who will be picked in the 10-15 range on draft night. He has all the traits to be a legitimate CB1 at the next level and might just come into the league as the best cornerback on the Chargers depth chart.
Suddenly, the horrible-looking cornerback room would look a lot better with the additions of Mitchell and Fulton. It would not be perfect, but it would give defensive coordinator Jesse Minter a lot more to work with.
Chargers draft WR Brian Thomas Jr. with 23rd pick
The Chargers still take a wide receiver in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft and quite frankly, Brian Thomas Jr. may rise so far up the draft boards that the Chargers feel compelled to take him at 11. It certainly would not be an awful decision, and there are other cornerbacks the team could take at 23.
But with how the big boards are configured now, Thomas could fall right in the range of the early 20s and the Chargers could reap the rewards. Thomas might not be Nabers, but his lighting-fast speed would give Justin Herbert a deep-field element that simply is not there right now.
If the best version of Thomas comes to the league then the Chargers can get a WR1 that instantly makes an impact. However, he is not as sure-fire of a pick as the top three receivers in the draft, so there is some risk there.
Chargers draft LB Junior Colson with 37th pick
This is a bit early for linebacker and it would be a bit of a reach. But with the Chargers getting an extra pick in the top 25, they can afford to reach for someone who Harbaugh and Minter are very familiar with.
Junior Colson likely won't fall to the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft and the Chargers know that, jumping on the selection here in this mock. Colson would give the Chargers a respectable threesome of linebackers with Denzel Perryman and Daiyan Henley while also being the long-term starter at the position.
Los Angeles could go with someone like Kris Jenkins or Brandon Dorlus here and save linebacker for another pick. But it might be easier for the team to add defensive line depth with cheap signings than it would be at linebacker.
Chargers draft RB Jaylen Wright with 69th pick
Taking a running back with the 69th pick is probably too far-fetched without trading down and picking up the extra selection in the first round. With that extra pick, the Chargers can afford to take a running back before day three and here would land arguably the most exciting running back prospect.
He may not have ties to the team like Blake Corum or MarShawn Lloyd but Jaylen Wright has the physical tools to be a very special running back in this league. Wright absolutely tore up the NFL Combine and has all the tools to be a weapon in both the run game and pass game.
Wright would be the perfect fit schematically next to Gus Edwards and would give the Chargers the closest thing to Detroit's David Montgomery-Jahymr Gibbs pairing that they can get.
Chargers draft TE Cade Stover with 105th pick
The Chargers have already added two tight ends to the roster this offseason and this is a selection that can go either way. It would not be surprising if the Chargers opted instead to go with a defensive lineman for depth in this position. Cade Stover is the selection in this mock draft simply because of his ceiling as a prospect.
While the Chargers added two tight ends they do not have a reliable pass-catching tight end on the roster. Donald Parham is more of just a red-zone target, Will Dissly is a blocking specialist and Hayden Hurst has injury concerns.
Stover is not the best blocking tight end available in this range but he has the biggest ceiling as a pass-catching threat. He could easily be the best pass-catching tight end on the Bolts in 2024, and would have the runway to blossom into a special weapon in 2025 and beyond.
Chargers draft WR Cornelius Johnson with 110th pick
Another slight reach for a Michigan prospect that makes sense for the Chargers. With this pick (that the team obtained from the Keenan Allen trade), the Chargers add a much-needed depth wide receiver who can do the dirty work that the team needs.
Johnson has favorable traits and early on in his college career it looked like he would blossom into a top-100 draft prospect. Poor quarterback play and simply being overshadowed in Michigan's offense hurt his stock, but allowed the Chargers to get him here.
Johnson likely won't make much of an impact in the passing game as he would reasonably be the Chargers' WR5. However, he showcased excellent run-blocking skills at Michigan that will make him very valuable to the new identity that the Chargers are trying to craft, as well as make him a special teams threat.
Chargers draft OL Sataoa Laumea with 140th pick
This is this year's Jamaree Salyer/Jordan McFadden selection; an offensive lineman who has experience playing both guard and tackle, has played at a high level for a respected program, but falls in the draft because he is stuck between positions.
Laumea has offensive tackle skills with offensive guard size. We see this time and time again where getting stuck in between like this hurts someone's draft stock. But at the end of the day, the Chargers have benefitted from it before and can do so again.
Teams should be taking at least one offensive lineman in every single draft. Here is the Chargers' first, and it is not the last.
Chargers draft C Hunter Nourzad with 181st pick
The Chargers signed Bradley Bozeman to be the team's starting center this year so that the starting center of the future can sit and learn for a year. There are a lot of talented late-round centers in this year's class, with Hunter Nourzad being one of the most exciting.
This is the ideal way to handle the center position long-term. Signing Bozeman allows the Chargers to ease Nourzad into the fold while also getting the coaching staff's hands on him to develop his already-strong foundation.
Chargers draft LB Jaylan Ford with 225th pick
This is another spot where the Chargers could take a defensive lineman but we opted to double-dip at linebacker. Jaylan Ford has tons of starting experience in college and should be a nice addition to Ryan Ficken's special teams next season.
We already know that Ford is at least on the Chargers' radar thanks to NaVorro Bowman, so taking another linebacker late in the draft is in play.
Chargers draft S Kitan Oladapo with 253rd pick
Kitan Oladapo is this writer's favorite seventh-round prospect for the Chargers to draft and keep from becoming an undrafted free agent. Oladapo has legitimate NFL size and athleticism and with the right coaching staff can develop into an impactful defensive player with time.