The LA Chargers are in an interesting position with multiple different avenues to explore in the 2022 NFL Draft. A lot is going to happen before the Chargers are on the clock with the 17th overall pick and what happens in the first 16 picks will dictate what the Bolts do in the first round and beyond.
Who they select, if they trade down, or even if they trade up is all up in the air. Nobody, not even Tom Telesco and Brandon Staley, has the 2022 draft pinpointed. There are so many variables this year and it is not as simple as the last two years, where tackle and quarterback were the obvious first-round picks.
While there is a lot of variance in this draft and anything can happen, I wanted to take a crack at some predictions for the Bolts in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Here are 3 bold predictions for the LA Chargers in the 2022 NFL Draft:
1. One of four can't-miss prospects fall to the Chargers at 17
There is so much discourse about who the LA Chargers are going to take with the 17th overall pick. Call it wishful thinking, but I predict that the decision will essentially be made for the team as a top-tier prospect will fall to 17, making the selection easy.
Who are the four top-tier prospects that could fall to the Bolts? Derek Stingley, Kyle Hamilton, Charles Cross, or Garrett Wilson. If any of those four are on the board at 17 then the Chargers do not even have to think twice before turning in the draft card.
Of those four, Stingley seems like the most likely to fall and would perfectly in Brandon Staley's defense. Cross is the next most likely, with Hamilton and Wilson being the least likely. While it seems like nothing but wishful thinking a week out, every single year there are prospects that fall in the draft and all it takes is a hot run on quarterbacks for one of these four to slip.