5 replacements if Mike Williams leaves the LA Chargers
By Jason Reed
5. Garrett Wilson
If the LA Chargers are going to draft a wide receiver in the first round and they are looking at a YAC machine that can make plays happen with the ball in his hands then the ideal target is Garrett Wilson. Wilson ranks fifth on this list because it is the least likely to happen as it would be surprising if he fell to the Chargers at 17. However, Rashawn Slater was never supposed to fall to the Chargers at 13 and look what happened.
Wilson is mocked as the top receiver in some big boards while other big boards have his teammate, Chris Olave, ranked ahead of him. Before Williams' injury, some even had Williams over Wilson. Although after the ACL injury it is hard to see Williams going before Wilson.
That ultimately could be what keeps Wilson from falling to the LA Chargers.
If Wilson is available with the 17th overall pick it is really hard to not get excited about what he would bring to the Chargers. Wilson is lightning quick and is the definition of someone that you put in the slot and let do damage as a ball-carrier. With the Chargers' quick-strike offense that includes a lot of RPOs, the sky is the limit for Wilson.
The team would play Wilson in the slot with Keenan Allena and Joshua Palmer on the outside. It is not a direct replacement for Williams, but Palmer is best as an X receiver and this is a good example of maximizing the talent on offense.
There is a risk of banking on Garrett to fall to the team at 17. If both Wilson and Olave are picked before 17 then the Chargers would be stuck with taking Williams (assuming he too is on the board). That is obviously an issue with the draft coming after free agency. It would become very obvious what the Chargers are targeting in the first round and they could suffer as a result.
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But man, if the draft was before free agency and Wilson fell to the Bolts I would have no problem letting Williams walk and the Chargers getting a comp pick in next year's draft.