Los Angeles Chargers: First-round grades in the 2020 NFL Draft

Day 1 of the 2020 NFL Draft is done and the Los Angeles Chargers ended up with their quarterback and a little something on the side.

Coming into the 2020 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Chargers had needs at quarterback and left tackle. They addressed quarterback with the selection of Oregon’s Justin Herbert, who they took with the No. 6 overall pick.

However, what many were not expecting was for the Chargers to trade back into the first round and address the defense. Moving their second and third-round picks to move up to No. 23, Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray became the second newest member of the Chargers on Thursday night.

With a night’s sleep to mull over the picks, let’s grade the Chargers’ selections.

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6. Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon

The reason Herbert isn’t an A or A+ is that there are a lot of fans that wanted Alabama signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa. Honestly, whichever quarterback the Chargers drafted would have gotten this grade because they both have question marks. Tagovailoa’s is health; Herbert’s is performance.

Herbert floored at the NFL Combine by running a 4.68-second 40-yard dash, showing that he is a more impressive athlete than initially thought. While games are won and lost on the field and not the NFL Combine, it’s important to note that Herbert’s questions lie on the field. For the Chargers, however, that’s completely fine.

As of right now, the Chargers still have Tyrod Taylor, who is a very solid quarterback, especially as a stop-gap. Due to Herbert’s questions, he can sit and wait behind the veteran and learn. Taylor took the Buffalo Bills to the playoffs in 2017 when they had far less talent than the current Chargers roster.

Herbert can learn and bide his time holding the clipboard while the team doesn’t miss much of a beat on the field. There’s no rush to throw a quarterback right into the fire and recent history suggests that sitting a bit can be beneficial. A- seems fair for now, depending on how Anthony Lynn and the coaching staff approach the position battle. Grade: A-

23. Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma

The Chargers surprised many by trading their second and third-round selections to the New England Patriots to move back into the first round. They used this pick to select linebacker Kenneth Murray.

While an offensive tackle is still a need, it was very wise to address the defense. When you’re a team that plays Patrick Mahomes twice per year, you can’t have too many players on defense. The pass rush has always been a strength but, thanks to free agency, the entirety of the defense should be even better. Adding Murray as a linebacker can only enhance the defense further.

Murray was always seen as a very smart and talented player but he wowed teams with his strong interviews. Murray should be able to be plugged and played on a defense where he can thrive.

Giving up two top-100 picks is a steep price while tackle is still a need. At the end of the day, though, the Chargers are a team without that many holes to fill. Besides, there are veterans still available, such as Jason Peters, who can always mentor an already improved unit. As far as the player goes, this was a slam-dunk on a player that was not expected to fall that far.

While the next two rounds may be uneventful, the Chargers are off to a good start. Grade: A+