Teams that have been active stockpiling or trading away picks have anywhere from four to 12 picks in the draft. The Chargers aren't one of those active teams, owning all of their original selections and nothing more. Their spot near the end of the first round could afford them the opportunity to land help on the offensive line, but defensive tackles and cornerbacks are also certainly in play as well.
Below, you can check out which picks the Chargers currently have, along with our projection of their top positional needs. I'll then build a war-room big board based upon players I think have some kind of chance of making it to their first pick before sharing multiple draft classes that make sense for the team from myself, Ryan Wilson and Chris Trapasso.
As for the actual draft, you'll be able to stream our live coverage right here on CBS Sports HQ (or download the CBS Sports app for free on any mobile or connected TV device) breaking down all the picks and everything you need to know during draft weekend.
Current draft picks
| Round | Overall | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | |
| 2 | 60 | |
| 3 | 91 | |
| 4 | 130 | |
| 5 | 166 | |
| 6 | 200 | |
| 7 | 242 | |
Team needs
The CBS Sports NFL writing staff recently compiled positional rankings to identify needs for each team heading into the draft. A helpful guide: any position group that had an average ranking worse than 16.0 (on a scale of 1 to 32) was considered a "need," while any that ranked worse than 23.0 (bottom-third of the league) was considered a "pressing need."
| QB | RB | WR/TE | OL | EDGE | INT DL | LB | DB |
| 4.6 | 8.6 | 4.6 | 15.0 | 1.2 | 21.6 | 13.0 | 4.3 |
Needs: INT DL
Pressing: N/A
The Chargers retained Brandon Mebane but they let Darius Philon leave, so they don't have a long-term answer in the middle of the defense between bookends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. That's really the only area of this team that could be considered close to a weakness, as the Chargers have one of the deepest rosters in football. Christian Wilkins, Dre'Mont Jones, and Jeffery Simmons are among the players being mocked to L.A.
War room big board
The Chargers are a bit tricky to figure out, as they could either take advantage of the solid group of defensive tackles that should be available at the end of Round 1, or go with one of the top corners in the draft, or even grab a plug-and-play right tackle or guard to improve the blocking in front of Philip Rivers. Here's how I'd project the Chargers' draft board for their first pick, considering only players I feel have some chance of making it in range:
- OT Andre Dillard, Washington State
- DT Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State
- OT Kaleb McGary, Washington
- CB Greedy Williams, LSU
- CB Byron Murphy, Washington
- DT Christian Wilkins, Clemson
- OL Dalton Risner, Kansas State
- DT Dexter Lawrence, Clemson
- DT Jerry Tillery, Notre Dame
- S Johnathan Abram, Mississippi State
- WR Deebo Samuel, South Carolina
- QB Daniel Jones, Duke
Seven-round mock drafts
| Round | Overall | Player | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | OT Kaleb McGary, Washington | |
| 2 | 60 | DT Dre'Mont Jones, Ohio State | |
| 3 | 91 | OLB Germaine Pratt, NC State | |
| 4 | 130 | CB Kris Boyd, Texas | |
| 5 | 166 | G Phil Haynes, Wake Forest | |
| 6 | 200 | WR DaMarkus Lodge, Ole Miss | |
| 7 | 242 | QB Easton Stick, North Dakota State | |
When you're mock drafting for the Chargers, there's no need to brainstorm any trade scenarios. In each of the last two years, they've methodically made one pick per round when it was their turn. Last year my seven-round mock predicted they would hold to form. No reason to change it up this year, as the team kicks off its draft with an ascending tackle prospect whose great combine gives him a great chance at being the first offensive lineman off the board once you get past the normal top tier of players expected to go in the top 20. McGary is an immediate starter at right tackle, or the Chargers could choose to move him inside and help solidify the interior.
While the value at defensive tackle would be solid at No. 28, getting Jones at No. 60 could be an absolute steal. He's a penetrating force on the interior who will give the team's pass rush another dimension while addressing a clear position of need. In the third round, the Chargers add another piece to a linebacker corps that needed overhauling this offseason. Pratt has the ability to develop into a starter at outside linebacker.
Boyd is a bit of a wild card at corner but one who has the speed and strength to succeed. He could also be an option as a safety down the road. Haynes has been a bit undersold in the predraft process but I think he emerges as a starter at guard eventually. Lodge has been overshadowed by his Ole Miss counterparts but he has the potential to be a contributor at the NFL level. Stick makes for a nice developmental prospect who has a chance to stick as a backup.
More seven-round mocks:
(*) indicates pick acquired via trade
Check out more first-round mocks from CBS Sports.