It’s Not Too Early to Talk About a Chargers Top 10 NFL Draft Pick

The Los Angeles Chargers are in a bad way.

One win can change that. But until then, an 0-2 mark after losses to Arizona and Las Vegas means narratives.

Narratives like Jim Harbaugh’s message not working in the locker room. Joe Hortiz’s approach to building the roster getting ripped. Heck, even Justin Herbert trade ideas from NFL insiders.

The topper on the whole thing right now, though?

Already wondering if the Chargers might be headed for the top of the standings…in the NFL draft order.

Chargers headed for top 10 NFL draft pick

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback Justin Herbert | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It’s a little too early to think about the NFL draft order.

Except…not for the Chargers.

The Chargers are 0-2 and next have to deal with this:

Bills
Seahawks
Broncos
Chiefs
Rams
Texans
Ravens

We’re not going to say the Chargers will hit 0-7 or something dramatic. We’ve seen these Chargers scrap with the best of the best in prior years while down big names. Herbert’s offense will find a rhythm eventually.

Even so, history doesn’t smile on teams that start 0-2. And the injury bug is starting to pile up, too.

Hence, all of the above prompted someone like ESPN’s Ben Solak to start talking about the Chargers landing a top-10 pick.

“The fumbles bring up something else,” Solak wrote. “The Chargers are barely playing professional football. "Chargering" once meant heartbreaking losses in end-of-game collapses. These Chargers start the game collapsing.”

No, seriously, it’s a complete dissection of the Chargers as a football program right now. The highlight might be this: “Through two weeks, the Chargers look as if they've never practiced together. “

Well, there’s also this: “I can't name 10 teams worse than the Chargers (0-2) through two weeks. I'm not even sure if I can name five.”

No rushing to the Chargers defense here. There’s just no arguing that the Mike McDaniel offense looks lost and the transition to Chris O’Leary as defensive coordinator has been middling at best. Jim Harbaugh himself has said they mishandled training camp and the preseason by going too light while trying to prevent injuries (that have happened anyway).

Even worse, a top-10 draft pick solves nothing. That probably means making Herbert start over with new coaches. And the front office in recent years has used a first-round pick on a running back, a first-round pick on an old prospect because they didn’t want to pay a free agent (Odafe Oweh) and a second-round pick on a center when they needed a guard.

As always in the NFL, the solution for the Chargers is simple: Win some games. Clearly, though, that’s easier said than done.

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