Ranking each prospect the Chargers could draft with the 5th pick
By Jason Reed
The LA Chargers have the fifth pick in what is a crucial 2024 NFL Draft for the organization. If the Chargers are going to contend for a Super Bowl under Jim Harbaugh then the team has to lay a strong foundation that starts with this year's draft.
Having the fifth pick is a luxury but the stakes of the selection can make it a difficult decision. The Chargers need to hit a home run with this pick and with there being several candidates, the Chargers can make the wrong choice.
Granted, the odds of the Chargers landing a complete bust this high in the draft are lower. That does not change the fact that some selections would simply be better than others for the Bolts. Here is how those most likely paths rank in the grand scheme.
4. Chargers draft Joe Alt
The worst thing the Chargers can do is draft left tackle Joe Alt with the fifth pick. Alt is a talented tackle and has all the tools to be a successful player at the NFL level but the Chargers simply have too many other needs to justify taking him.
Switching Alt over to the right side may hinder his production (and thus his impact) off the jump. Not to mention that the team would also be paying Trey Pipkins $9 million to be a swing tackle when he has proven that he can be a competent starting tackle with the right coaching.
Harbaugh is all about dominating the trenches, which is why Alt seems like a possibility in the first place. But at the end of the day, Harbaugh never took an offensive lineman early in the draft in his days with the 49ers, so there is some hope that the Chargers won't go this route.
If the Chargers do go this route they will be missing out on so much more value. If Alt turns out like Evan Neal from the 2022 NFL Draft then it will look even worse.