3 2021 NFL Draft decisions the Chargers would change with a time machine
By Jason Reed
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown over Joshua Palmer with the 77th overall pick
This one is a bit tricky and there is a reason why it is the third thing listed on this article. The LA Chargers might not go back and change this decision as Joshua Palmer showed some signs in his rookie season of being a great receiver in this league. However, there is no denying that Amon-Ra St. Brown had a much better rookie season.
To be fair to Palmer, he was heading into the season as the WR4 while St. Brown essentially turned into the WR1 in Detroit in the second half of the season. St. Brown had plenty of opportunities to put up stats and you could make the case that with the same opportunities, Palmer could have done the same.
We actually asked our followers on Twitter about this and the most common response was too soon to tell, which is a fair response to this question.
If you could go back in time would you tell the #Chargers to draft Amon-Ra St. Brown over Joshua Palmer?
— Bolt Beat (@BB_Chargers) January 25, 2022
St. Brown: 90 receptions (119 targets), 912 yards, 5 TDs
Palmer: 33 receptions (49 targets), 353 yards, 4 TDs
While St. Brown had a bigger role in his offense you still have to succeed in that role to put up those kind of numbers. How many teams have bad WR1s that don't put up those numbers? Plus, St. Brown didn't necessarily have a great quarterback throwing to him during the season.
I am a really big fan of Palmer and think he can be a crucial part of the Chargers' future. That being said, just what I saw in 2021 in terms of overall talent, it is hard to argue for Palmer over St. Brown. The Chargers are definitely happy with who they have but would they rather have St. Brown? Maybe.
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St. Brown ended up getting picked with the 112th overall pick.