The 2024 NFL Draft is just weeks away and we have entered the part of the process where every possible scenario is being analyzed. Even with all of this analysis, the 2024 NFL Draft will still end up surprising fans and the LA Chargers are one of the pivotal teams that can throw the draft for a loop.
With the fifth overall pick in a quarterback-heavy draft, the Chargers will give the draft a true fork-in-the-road moment. The Chargers are a strong candidate to trade back in the first round but the team could also end up with the best non-quarterback prospect depending on how the first four picks go.
There have been many theorized paths that the Chargers will take and the latest from Daniel Jeremiah might be the most puzzling. Jeremiah is an NFL Draft analyst who correctly predicted the Houston Texans would trade up to the third pick last year. He also calls games for Chargers radio, which makes him more plugged in with the team than other analysts.
In his latest scenario that he laid out, Jeremiah proposed a situation in which the Las Vegas Raiders traded up to the third pick and the Chargers still didn't end up with a wide receiver.
The top of this draft could turn in so many different directions. So many scenarios to pour through. Here's a fun one:
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) April 7, 2024
1-CHI Caleb
2-WAS Maye
3-LV Daniels
4-AZ MHJ
5-LAC Alt
Chargers drafting Joe Alt with the fifth pick would be a mistake
Joe Alt is a talented tackle that has all the makings of being a special player at the NFL level. It does not change the fact that the Chargers drafting him with the fifth-overall pick would be a massive mistake and a misallocation of resources.
Tackle simply is not a big enough need to justify the pick. Sure, the offensive line did not look great at times last season, but a lot of the team's blocking struggles were on scheme and coaching. Trey Pipkins has proven he can be a valuable right tackle and he should get that chance with this coaching staff.
Plus, Alt has never played on the right side of the line and the team is not going to move Rashawn Slater. Switching sides can induce a learning curve and Alt may not be as productive in his first season as a result.
It is also worth mentioning that top-line offensive tackles do not have this incredible hit rate. Just two years ago Evan Neal was touted as this franchise tackle that would reinvent a team's offensive line and he has been wildly disappointing. That does not mean Alt will disappoint, but it is a strong reminder that tackles are not
If the Chargers are going to stay put with the fifth pick then they have to come out of the first round with a wide receiver. Los Angeles has arguably the worst wide receiver room in the entire sport. Drafting Alt won't matter much if Herbert's weapons cannot get open for him to throw the ball.
If this is how the start of the NFL Draft goes, including a surprising trade from the Las Vegas Raiders, then the Bolts have to come away with Malik Nabers. It really is that simple.