LA Chargers: Position candidates for 2022 first-round pick
By Jason Reed
The LA Chargers are gearing up for the 2021 season and it is safe to say that the fans are extremely excited. Justin Herbert has given this franchise new life and the hope is that new head coach Brandon Staley is going to be the improvement the team needs.
Of course, it is not going to be very hard for Staley to be better than the previous coaching staff, so the only direction the team can go is up.
Another reason why fans are so excited is the team's performance in the 2021 NFL Draft. The best-case scenario pick at 13 fell to the Chargers in Rashawn Slater and then somehow, someway, the best-case scenario second-round pick, Asante Samuel, was also taken.
Before the draft, it felt like a way-too-optimistic outlook to mock both of those players to the Bolts and they somehow got both of them. Just one and Charger fans would have been happy.
While we are definitely doing our part to preview the upcoming season, we also thought it would be appropriate to preview the future of the team as well. Based on this year's roster, we can give some early predictions on what position the LA Chargers might take in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
No, this is not another LA Chargers mock draft. This is merely breaking down positional needs.
It is way too early to do a mock draft. Let's be honest, players are going to move dramatically from now until draft season. This time last year it looked like Shaun Wade was going to be a first-round corner and a potential target for the Chargers. He wound up going in the fifth round.
This is merely a breakdown of which positions are currently set up to be taken with the first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. From least likely to most likely, here are the top three candidates before the 2021 season even begins.