The dust has settled since the 2020 NFL Draft last month, and we have finally had a chance to really dive into the changes made by our AFC West rivals. Let’s take a look at each team’s draft class, judge them, rank them, and maybe make fun of them as we look ahead with hope to the regular season.
Last Place: Los Angeles Chargers
The biggest and possibly least surprising pick was the Chargers selection of quarterback Justin Herbert. With the departure of Philip Rivers, the Chargers were left with Tyrod Taylor as their presumptive starter. Given that, most experts expected the Chargers to spend their sixth overall pick on a quarterback. Herbert, out of Oregon, has a big arm and potential. However, it remains to be seen if he will need development (he will) before he becomes a solid NFL starter.
The Chargers also traded back into the first round to select Kenneth Murray, a linebacker out of Oklahoma. This was a great pick that added quickness to an already stout defense. The Chargers were then left with no picks in the second or third rounds. To complement the selection of their quarterback for the future, the Chargers used their fourth round pick on running back Joshua Kelley out of UCLA and followed that up with a wide receiver, Joe Reed out of Virginia in round five. In the sixth, the Chargers selected safety Alohi Gilman from Notre Dame and rounded out their 2020 draft class with wide receiver K.J. Hill out of Ohio State.
The Chargers draft was fine. It wasn’t my favorite out of the AFC West because they didn’t solve their biggest problem: the injury curse from having crossed paths with too many black cats. They also did not gain any offensive line depth in the draft which was a big area of weakness for them last year (and possibly part of the reason Phyllis threw so many interceptions). There is certainly potential, but my thought is that the strength of this draft class won’t be this year. If Herbert succeeds, it likely won’t be until year 2 or 3 and that is when we will see the true impact.
Judging solely on the impact the draft class will have this year, I think the Chargers were the weakest in the AFC West.