After Sunday’s win over the Falcons, the Chargers are currently 4-9 and hold the No. 4 spot.
With only three games remaining, the positions that Los Angeles could address are all starting to come into fruition.
With that being said, let’s take a look at who draft experts are pairing with L.A. in the first-round along with the reasoning for it.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper & Todd McShay — WR Ja’Marr Chase, LSU
“Allen, Williams and Chase would instantly become one of the NFL’s best receiving trios, though Williams will be a free agent in 2022. This is definitely a spot to watch for a potential trade up as well.”
The Draft Network’s Drae Harris — CB Patrick Surtain, Alabama
“Patrick Surtain brings youth, length, and positional flexibility to L.A. He is big-game tested and has played under a microscope since high school. His ability to be effective in man or zone from a press or off position will be a welcome addition to a ball club that desperately needs a spark in the secondary.”
Pro Football Network’s Neal Driscoll — WR Ja’Marr Chase, LSU
“In a perfect world, there would be an upper-echelon offensive line prospect who could come in and protect Justin Herbert. The Chargers’ woeful offensive line has been the team’s Achilles heel for quite some time. Taking an offensive lineman not named Penei Sewell this high would be too rich for me, so why not provide Herbert with a game-changing wide receiver? The combination of Keenan Allen and Ja’Marr Chase would be an absolutely lethal combo for the Chargers’ dynamic rookie signal-caller.”
NBC Sport’s Glynn Morgan — EDGE Greg Rousseau
“The Chargers face several realities about their defense going forward, and most of them surround the team’s lack of a consistent pass rush. Unrestricted free-agent, edge rusher, Melvin Ingram has been ineffective in a contract year, and his backup, Uchenna Nwosu hasn’t played to his potential. The anemic pass rush has overworked a secondary that’s surrendered 24 passing touchdowns (tied for fifth worst in NFL) in a total of 12 games played. Drafting a game changing talent like Rousseau, would ease the double teams pro-bowler, Joey Bosa faces and lessen the time Charger defensive backs need to cover receivers.”
Sportsnaut’s Matt Johnson — CB Patrick Surtain, Alabama
“The Chargers seem destined fora top-five pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. They would love to jump ahead of the Bengals, sniping them for Penei Sewell. Since the Jets and Jaguars won’t be trading down, that is unlikely to happen. There is a slight drop off in talent and positional value after the top-three players, but that shouldn’t sway Los Angeles from being happy about its top-five pick. In that spot, two great options stand out.”