The San Diego Chargers have a number of needs coming into the NFL draft and a trade down for more picks is an option, while names like As Jace Amaro, Teddy Bridgewater, AJ McCarron, Brandin Cooks and Carlos Hyde could be in the mix in the first three rounds for the team.
The Chargers are coming off of a playoff season in the AFC and after dealing with numerous injuries at wide receiver, players like Mike Evans, Sammy Watkins, Marqise Lee, Jordan Matthews, Odell Beckham and John Brown could be targets in the NFL draft, as the WR position in this class is as deep as any season in recent memory.
The Chargers salvaged the season after losing Danario Alexander and Malcolm Floyd to injuries and while Eddie Royal and Keenan Allen stepped up, the team may feel that adding another receiver is a top priority for Philip Rivers. The Chargers bounced back and so did Rivers after missing the playoffs the previous season and they ended up ranking fourth in passing yards per game with 270 yards per game under Rivers and head coach Mike McCoy and Allen ended up as the top receiver on the team as a rookie with over 1,000 yards receiving and eight touchdowns on 71 receptions.
According to ESPN.com writer Eric D. Williams, the Chargers could look at the wide receiver position with their first pick in the draft, as players like Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans and Marqise Lee all could be available. The team went 9-7 last season and they will have to deal with the Denver Broncos in their division and even if those players are off the board before the Chargers pick, the position is so deep they should be able to get their hands on someone in Brandin Cooks, John Brown, Jordan Matthews or Odell Beckham and while Brown went to Division-II Pittsburg State, he showed off some flash as a kick returner and he had 63 catches for nearly 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns.
The combine helped all the top name wide receivers, as Watkins ran as fast as expected, putting up an impressive 4.34 seconds and Cooks was just ahead of him at 4.33 and Mike Evans was very impressive for his size, putting up a 4.53 and that could put him in the top 10 among the overall picks. The Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all could go after a receiver in the first 10 picks and the Cleveland Browns could do the same if they can't get the quarterback they want.
Some other names that could intrigue the Chargers include Jordan Matthews and Beckham, who put up some great numbers while at LSU after playing receiver and returning kicks, as he set a school record with 2,315 yards last year and that could put him in the first round as well. Beckham put up a very good 40 score as well with a 4.43 at the combine and Matthews was solid as well with a 4.46 time and he had a very productive career at Vandy with 262 catches and over 3,750 yards.
