NFL mock draft: 4 biggest 2024 draft needs for the Chargers

1. Cornerback

The Chargers just traded J.C. Jackson for a bag of pennies and a lot of dead cap money. Both Jackson and the Chargers needed a fresh start and it is hard to blame the team for moving on from such a toxic relationship. That being said, the Jackson trade only highlights the scary future for the cornerback position in LA.

Michael Davis is in the last year of his contract and he has quietly been worse than Jackson was for the team this season. Davis has proven that he can play at a high level so there is a chance he can turn it around but he cannot be a commitment after 2023. He is too inconsistent and will be 29 in 2024.

That leaves the team with a cornerback room of Asante Samuel Jr. Ja'Sir Taylor and Deane Leonard. That is it. Samuel is talented but he probably should not be the marquee corner in a defense. Taylor has played well in the slot thus far but is limited there. Leonard puts together great film in camp but hasn't proven a single thing thus far.

The future is bleak and the Chargers are going to have to use a first-round pick on a cornerback. It is hard to see a situation in which the Bolts take a position other than corner. This team needs someone who can blossom into a true CB1 and they just have to hope they hit the lottery like previous teams did with Patrick Surtain or Sauce Gardner.