Chargers News: Fresh Mock Has LA Landing Speedy WR in Late First After Trading Back

With where the Los Angeles Chargers sit in the first round, they have plenty of options to work with. Los Angeles has the fifth overall selection in the draft, giving them a chance to land a truly special player.

However, there has been much talk about the team possibly trading back in the first round to give them more draft capital. With all the holes across the roster, moving back wouldn’t be the worst idea for the Bolts.

In one of the latest mock drafts from NFL.com, Maurice Jones-Drew has the Chargers trading back to land an extra first-round pick. With their first selection, the Bolts take an offensive lineman but with the second one at No 23, the Bolts select speedy wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. out of LSU.

“After using their first pick to protect their franchise QB, the Chargers select an explosive wide receiver to help fill the voids left by Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Justin Herbert will welcome another tall wideout with a huge catch radius (not to mention, 4.3 speed).”

Many have speculated that the Bolts would use their first round pick on either a wide receiver or an offensive tackle, so in this scenario, they land both. Thomas Jr. would give them a nice offensive weapon to work around, pairing him with last year’s first-rounder, Quentin Johnston.

Thomas Jr. paired alongside Malik Nabers at LSU but was still able to put up some nice numbers along the way. Last season with the Tigers, Thomas Jr. posted 68 catches for 1,177 yards and 17 touchdowns.

The speedster would allow quarterback Justin Herbert to have another downfield weapon to throw too and the Bolts would love his ability to get into the endzone. While taking a top receiver in the draft could be enticing, the ability to hit both major needs could appeal to the Chargers.