Los Angeles Chargers NFL Draft 2024 guide: Picks, predictions and key needs

“The Beast”, Dane Brugler’s expansive guide to the NFL Draft, is here. 

The Los Angeles Chargers have the fifth pick in the NFL Draft when Round 1 begins April 25 in Detroit. The Chargers own nine picks in the seven-round draft. They own all seven of their original picks, plus have an extra fourth-round pick following their trade of Keenan Allen to the Chicago Bears and have a compensatory pick toward the end of the seventh round.

Chargers’ draft picks

Full draft order

Every pick in the seven-round NFL Draft.

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NFL Draft details

• Round 1: April 25, 8 p.m. ET
• Rounds 2-3: April 26, 7 p.m. ET
• Rounds 4-7: April 27, noon ET

All rounds will be televised on ESPN/ABC and NFL Network and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes.

About the Chargers

• Head coach: Jim Harbaugh (first season with team)
• Last year’s record: 5-12

Last season was a disaster for the Chargers. They entered with Super Bowl aspirations. By Dec. 15, coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco had been fired following an embarrassing 63-21 loss to their biggest rival, the Las Vegas Raiders. Owner Dean Spanos vowed to reimagine his organization, and that led the Chargers to Harbaugh and former Baltimore Ravens director of player personnel Joe Hortiz as their new leadership. Harbaugh and Hortiz have already begun the roster makeover. Most notably, they moved on from receivers Allen (trade) and Mike Williams (release). They used the added cap space to build out the depth of their roster in free agency. And now they head into the draft with nine picks to continue driving their vision forward.

Chargers’ key position needs 

Wide receiver: With Williams and Allen gone, the Chargers are thin at receiver. Their top three receivers as it stands: Joshua Palmer, Quentin Johnston and Derius Davis. Even if the Chargers add a receiver in free agency, they should still be looking to draft a receiver early — perhaps as early as the No. 5 pick.

Cornerback: The Chargers signed Kristian Fulton in free agency and also have Asante Samuel Jr., Deane Leonard and Ja’Sir Taylor returning. They need help on the outside and in the slot. Leonard and Taylor remain unproven. Samuel’s ball production is undeniable, but he has weaknesses in his game. Fulton, a 2020 second-round pick, is more of a flier signing. This is a position the Chargers should be targeting on Day 1 or 2.

Offensive line: Harbaugh, Hortiz and offensive coordinator Greg Roman have stated their goal of building a reliable running game. Better and more focused coaching should help the offensive line. But the Chargers also need to add talent at multiple spots up front. Center Corey Linsley is expected to retire this offseason. They need a long-term solution at that position to compete with free-agent signing Bradley Bozeman. They also needed competition at right guard and right tackle.

Interior defensive line: Sebastian Joseph-Day was cut late last season. Austin Johnson left in free agency. Those two played the highest percentage of defensive snaps among Chargers defensive linemen last season. The Chargers signed Poona Ford. They have Morgan Fox, Otito Ogbonnia and Scott Matlock returning, among others. Still, this group is lacking talent and depth.

Running back: Gus Edwards is in line to be the featured back in the revamped running game. Behind him, the Chargers have Isaiah Spiller and Elijah Dotson. They will likely need two more pieces for this room. An early Day 3 pick at running back makes sense.

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The Athletic’s most recent mock drafts

April 24: Beat writer mock draft 2.0
A trade down nets a top lineman and a cornerback.

April 22: Chargers mock draft 4.0
Daniel Popper’s best guess of what the Chargers will do.

April 17:  Dane Brugler’s full seven-round mock | Popper’s reaction
Our draft expert projects all 257 picks, including 10 to the Chargers.

April 11: Chargers mock draft 3.0
Leaning on “The Beast” to identify a strong seven-round haul.

April 8: Nick Baumgardner’s mock draft
The Chargers trade down with the Atlanta Falcons and still net perhaps the draft’s top offensive lineman.

April 4: Bruce Feldman’s mock draft
Feldman’s coach intel has him taking one of the stud WRs for the Chargers at No. 5.

March 28: Chargers mock draft 2.0
The Chargers net an extra first-round pick (and a 2025 third-rounder) with this trade with the Minnesota Vikings.

March 25: Ben Standig’s mock draft
With QBs going 1 through 4, the Chargers land Ohio State star WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

March 21: Beat writer mock draft 2.0
Popper restocks at receiver with LSU’s Malik Nabers.

March 6: NFL GMs, execs mock draft’s top 10
Chargers go offensive tackle despite Harrison still being on the board.

March 5: Dane Brugler’s post-combine mock draft
Brugler delivers a more modest trade down as Chargers boost O-line.

Chargers’ last five top picks

2023: WR Quentin Johnston, pick No. 21 — The Chargers drafted Johnston in the first round as a developmental player. He was thrust into a bigger role than expected amid injuries to Williams and Palmer. And he objectively struggled. He had some big drops. His route running lacked deception and refinement. These weaknesses should not have been a surprise. They were on his film at TCU. The new coaching staff is excited about Johnston’s skill set. Can they utilize him in a way that maximizes his elite athletic traits?

2022: OL Zion Johnson, pick No. 17 — Johnson has not yet lived up to his draft slot. As with his rookie year, there were moments in 2023 when his combination of size, strength and intelligence showed up. He just has not yet found the requisite consistency as a run blocker or pass protector. He is poised for a big jump within Roman’s scheme and with the coaching of new offensive line coach Mike Devlin and assistant offensive line coach and Chargers legend Nick Hardwick.

2021: OL Rashawn Slater, pick No. 13 — Slater was an All-Pro as a rookie and emerged as one of the best left tackles in the league. He missed most of his second season with a torn biceps he suffered in Week 3. Slater was back in 2023 and started all 17 games for the first time in his career. He battled through an ankle injury early in the season, and that affected his play. But he got healthier in the second half and returned to his All-Pro form. He is a franchise left tackle and is now eligible for an extension.

2020: QB Justin Herbert, pick No. 6 — Herbert has battled injuries the past two seasons — fractured rib cartilage in 2022 and two broken fingers in 2023. He is still unquestionably a franchise quarterback. Now, after signing a market-setting contract extension in 2023, Herbert has to win. That will be the ultimate goal for Harbaugh and Hortiz. And their intention is to give Herbert more help — with a run game and a consistent defense — than he has received at any point in his career.

2019: DL Jerry Tillery, pick No. 28 — Tillery was one of the worst draft picks of Telesco’s tenure. The Chargers waived him in November 2022 after he had a falling out with the coaching staff. He later joined the Raiders, and Telesco — now the GM in Las Vegas — cut him in March for the second time in 17 months. He signed a one-year deal with the Vikings after his release from the Raiders.

(Photo of Marvin Harrison Jr.: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)