We are a little over a week until all of the projections will be put to bed and we finally know what the future of the Chargers and the other 31 teams will look like.
After free agency, positional groups that still need to be solidified in the upcoming draft consist of quarterback, left tackle, wide receiver, linebacker and cornerback.
Fortunately, sitting near the top in each round, they will have their choosing from some of the top prospects at those perspective positions.
NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein and Chad Reuter recently completed a fun exercise where they identified the ideal top two picks for every team in the league.
For Los Angeles, they slotted former Oregon QB Justin Herbert and Boise State OT Ezra Cleveland.
Herbert and Cleveland have been commonly linked to the Bolts by us throughout the pre-draft process.
Coach Anthony Lynn is bullish on Taylor, but I believe he will serve as the bridge for a few seasons: Taylor has one more year remaining on his contract, they’re in a prime position to grab one of the top quarterbacks and they need to give fans a glimpse of the future as they move into the new stadium.
If Herbert gets by the Dolphins or the Chargers simply choose to move up to secure him, I believe it would be worth the selection.
Even though he has flaws to his game, Herbert has elite athletic tools and above-average accuracy to be a capable NFL starter. Giving the former Oregon product a system that matches well to his strengths and a plethora of play-makers like L.A. possesses will allow him to maximize his potential.
I’ve went into detail why I believe Herbert and the Chargers are the perfect fit before, and just recently, ESPN’s Matt Bowen stated why, too.
With the arm talent to attack all three levels of the field and the ability to get on the move, the Chargers can use Herbert in a heavily schemed passing attack that allows him to play stylistically much like Josh Allen in Buffalo. With Herbert, expect Los Angeles to use more spread-based concepts and RPOs, while giving him open-window targets off misdirection and play-action to drive the ball with velocity on intermediate and vertical throws. Get ready, Mike Williams — you’re going to get some bombs; Herbert had 15 touchdowns and zero interceptions on go routes in 2019, the second-best ratio in the FBS.
With veteran Tyrod Taylor already on the team, Herbert would be afforded time to develop as an anticipatory thrower, tying his upper- and lower-body mechanics together to improve his accuracy as a pro. When he is game-ready, the Chargers have wide receiver talent with Williams and Keenan Allen and a solid tight end in Hunter Henry and emerging running back in Austin Ekeler. Los Angeles would be able to scheme specifically for Herbert and his high-ceiling abilities to facilitate more production early in his career.
If you draft a quarterback who you’re banking on being the long-term answer, you’re either going to either give him more protection or more weapons to distribute the wealth to.
In this case, Zierlein and Reuter believe that Cleveland, the former Boise State left tackle, would be the ideal candidate to protect Herbert’s blindside for years to come.
It’s worth mentioning that we don’t know if the team views former third-round pick Trey Pipkins as the starter heading into the season, but I believe they should draft an additional tackle to compete for the job in training camp for the sake of having enough ammo at the position.
Cleveland isn’t going to overwhelm defenders with sheer power, but his above average athleticism and movement skills is a perfect schematic fit for the zone blocking scheme the Chargers are shifting to next season.