Los Angeles Chargers: Early first-round options in the 2019 NFL Draft
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Chargers had an impressive 2018 season that must be followed up on with a strong showing in the 2019 NFL Draft.
The 2018 season was finally the year that Los Angeles Chargers fans had been waiting for. After pretty awful years in 2015 and 2016, the Chargers looked primed to make a run for the playoffs in 2017 in their first season in Los Angeles.
However, that was not the case as the Chargers started the year 0-4 and narrowly missed the postseason despite finishing with a 9-7 final record.
That strong showing at the end of the season led to high expectations in 2018, to which those expectations were answered. The Chargers had the joint-highest wins in the AFC with 12 and looked like the deepest team in the entire conference.
The experience gap between this young Chargers core and the New England Patriots made a huge difference in the playoffs, though, and the Chargers were thoroughly beat in Foxborough due to terrible defensive game planning.
That is not to say that 2018 was a lost one for the Chargers. That loss will certainly fuel this team to come out of the gate fast in 2019 and gave the guys the experience that they needed.
The future is bright for the Chargers in large part due to the team’s excellent drafting the last four years. Melvin Gordon, Joey Bosa, Mike Williams and Derwin James are the last four first-round picks made by the Chargers; Gordon Bosa and James are already elite with Williams showing that he will be very soon.
Even in the later rounds, the team has snagged standouts in Keenan Allen, Desmond King and Hunter Henry. Adrian Phillips and Trevor Williams were undrafted additions and were huge components to the defense in 2018.
The Chargers have had a knack for finding great talent in recent years and must continue to build on that in the 2019 NFL Draft. Here are three early favorites for the Chargers to consider drafting with the 28th overall pick.