The Los Angeles Chargers possess the No. 6 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. It’s a good spot to land one of the premiere prospects, but it might not be good enough for general manager Tom Telesco.
Picking in the top-10 for the third time since 2004, this marks the first time that L.A. will likely be heavily considering a quarterback with their first-round pick since then.
But they might have to pay up a price to get one.
Teams are increasingly reaching the conclusion that quarterbacks that have potential don’t grow on trees and one of the most valuable assets is a starting quarterback on his rookie contract.
With that, teams are more eager than ever before to trade up and get the one they want. In fact, 10 of the last 13 first-round quarterbacks have been drafted by a team that traded up to get him.
There’s a high possibility that top-rated quarterback Joe Burrow will be off the board with the No. 1 overall selection to the Cincinnati Bengals, which leaves Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Oregon’s Justin Herbert and Utah State’s Jordan Love as the next tier of signal-callers available.
There is one team ahead of the Chargers that is in need of a quarterback – the Miami Dolphins (No. 5). Behind them that could be in the market for one are the Carolina Panthers (No. 7), Indianapolis Colts (No. 13), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 14) and Las Vegas Raiders (No. 19).
All teams mentioned above could very well be working the phones with the Washington Redskins (No. 2), Detroit Lions (No. 3) and New York Giants (No. 4) to move up for Tua, Herbert or Love.
Even if those teams aren’t calling to trade up after all, the Chargers have no idea what’s going on while they’re in the war room. If a player is that vital to them, the only thing they can control is doing whatever it takes to get their guy.
How much would it cost the Chargers, should they choose to go down this route? History suggests a pretty hefty price might be required.
In 2018, the New York Jets, who had the No. 6 overall selection, traded with the Indianapolis Colts for the No. 3 overall selection. The Jets gave up their 2018 first (No. 6 overall), two 2018 seconds (37th and 49th overall) and a 2019 second-round pick.
Seems like quite a bit, doesn’t it? It does, and even if they’re able to work out a better deal with a team, you’re looking at a player at a position that’s the most important on the field, who you are banking on being your signal-caller for the next decade, which means sacrifices will have to be made.
The bottom line is that it shouldn’t be surprising if Telesco were to jump up a couple spots on draft day when factoring how much of a need a quarterback is for Los Angeles, as well as the other teams that could be looking to pull the trigger to trade up.
It sounds risky to give up ammo for one player, but sometimes that risk could pay huge dividends in the long-run.