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As the Los Angeles Chargers begin the post-Philip Rivers era, will the team look to add a new franchise quarterback early in the 2020 NFL Draft?
The Los Angeles Chargers will begin the 2020 NFL season in an era of transition. As they move into a shiny new stadium, the Chargers will hit the field without Philip Rivers and Melvin Gordon in the backfield for the first time since 2015.
Head coach Anthony Lynn and general manager Tom Telesco have both voiced their support for veteran Tyrod Taylor to take the helm in the post-Rivers era, but there’s no doubt they will consider a quarterback of the future with the sixth overall pick in the upcoming draft.
The direction the Chargers take with that first pick will have a huge domino effect on the rest of the draft, particularly if it’s Tua Tagavailoa, Justin Herbert or Jordan Love. So who will it be virtually walking across the stage wearing a virtual LA Chargers hat? Let’s find out with my depressingly-accurate seven-round mock draft.
1st round
Jordan Love
QB, Aggies
I don’t doubt that the Chargers are all in with Tyrod Taylor as the team’s starter next season, but they will be at the very least exploring his eventual replacement.
I went back and forth whether to put Alabama’s Tua Tagavailoa at this spot but ultimately decided on Bakersfield native Jordan Love. Like many of the teams interested in Love during the draft process, the ability to essentially redshirt Love for a year before handing him the starting reins makes the Chargers high on the list of potential destinations for the former Aggie.
You can’t argue with Love’s arm talent and it’s why plenty of people have thrown around Patrick Mahomes’ name as a comp. There’s a lot to clean up in terms of his decision-making and mechanical consistency, but his overall ceiling makes it pretty unlikely that he falls out of the first round.
Many of the teams connected with Love at the moment are also in the AFC but would all have to jump ahead of LA in a trade to land him. Ultimately, the Chargers decide it’s not worth watching another potential Patrick Mahomes land in their conference and scoop up the Cali kid to lead the franchise into the future in the 2021 season.