Chargers News: Why The 2024 Draft "Starts" With LA's Pick

The first four picks are obvious, but who will the Chargers pick at number five in the draft?

We're less than three months away from the 2024 NFL draft. Your Los Angeles Chargers hold the number five pick, and there are plenty of options to choose from. Will they go with a pass catcher, offensive tackle, edge rusher, or defensive lineman. 

The possibilities are endless, as the front office has a ton to think about as we slowly approach the 2024 draft in Detroit, Michigan. 

Although the draft will start with the Chicago Bears on the clock, it's crystal clear who they'll pick. You could say the same for the Washington Commanders, New England Patriots, and the Arizona Cardinals. However, that all changes when the Los Angeles Chargers are on the clock for the number five pick. There are a multitude of ways to go for the Bolts, and it's not as easy as it looks, according to ESPN's sportswriter and analyst Field Yates, as he relayed on a new episode of the Guilty as Charged podcast. 

Yates believes the draft starts with the Bolts, and an offensive tackle and wide receiver should be at the top of the list. 

“The draft feel like it stars at pick five with the Chargers, which it does. Three quarterbacks and a wide receiver, Marvin Harrison Jr. are probably gone in the first four picks... there are players that are worthwhile selections at that spot at pick five when you view them through a few different prisms. Do they fit a need, do they fit the value, do they fit both?... I would argue if we’re making the pick right no wit would be a Joe Alt vs. Malik Nabers conversation.” 

^{(per Field Yates via Guilty as Charged)}

This year's draft is filled with talented quarterbacks, wide receivers, edge rushers, offensive linemen, and defensive linemen. The Chargers only need two of these: a wide receiver and a defensive lineman. 

Yates listed Joe Alt because controlling the line of scrimmage and protecting Justin Herbert is essential. The Chargers already have an elite left tackle, Rashawn Slater, so the chances of going with Alt may be slim. 

Choosing a wide receiver, whether that's Nabers or Rome Odunze, would be the best option to go with. L.A. needs an elite pass catcher on their side. That would be the best way for the Bolts to go. 

The Chargers could keep their pick, or they could not; nonetheless, the draft will be anticipated by all Bolt fans.