2016 NFL Draft Drama Will Start With Chargers At No. 3

The San Diego Chargers currently hold all the cards in the 2016 NFL Draft. We all know the first two picks will be quarterbacks Jared Goff and Carson Wentz going in some order to the St. Louis Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles. That leaves the Chargers with a wide open board at No. 3. So what will the Chargers do? The answer is complicated.

Don’t read much into general manager Tom Telesco saying the team has been “locked in” on a selection for a while, there is still a lot of debate going on. Two Chargers front office sources have told us that the team is still fielding trade calls on the selection. Given the holes on San Diego’s roster, a move down that added several picks to the team’s stockpile would be attractive. That said, it would take a significant package to entice Telesco and that may not be in the cards.

If the Chargers stay put and make a selection, we’ve been told the front office is split on what to do. Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey has the backing of a faction in the front office, but Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, Notre Dame’s Ronnie Stanley, Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner, Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa and even UCLA linebacker Myles Jack all have their champions as well. That kind of dissent in a war room is not unusual, even this close to the draft, but the Chargers have essentially been on the clock since the Eagles traded up to No. 2 a week ago and that’s a pretty wide spread of support for different guys.

The most obvious pick here would be Ramsey. He is universally considered one of the top players in the draft and the Chargers have an Eric Weddle-sized hole in their secondary after the Pro Bowler departed the team this offseason. By inserting Ramsey in the secondary and the Bolts would have a dynamic playmaker at the back end of their defense for the next decade. Done and done.

But the Chargers also didn’t think a monster talent like Tunsil would be available to them a few months ago. Everyone had Tunsil penciled as the top pick to the Tennessee Titans until they shipped their selection to the Rams. San Diego has made a huge investment in ensuring Philip Rivers finishes his career with the franchise and it’d be nice if he remained upright while doing so. The team has spent a nice chunk of change on left tackle King Dunlap and right tackle Joe Barksdale, but neither has Tunsil’s upside. Sure, they could move one of those guys (or Tunsil) to guard, but the Bolts have already spent money there as well, as Orlando Franklin and former first rounder D.J. Fluker occupy those spots.

For the same reasons the team might want to grab Tunsil, they could also look at Stanley. Telesco has a thing for Notre Dame players, having moved up to grab Manti Te’o during the second round of the 2013 draft, and taking center Chris Watt in the third round the next year. Some actually believe Stanley is a better prospect than Tunsil and given the Ole Miss star’s legal trouble, he would come with far less baggage.

Then there is the defensive front. The Chargers allowed more than 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground in 2015. They were an embarrassment against the run and must get better in that area. They didn’t address that need in free agency and a physical freak like Buckner would give them a run-stuffing defensive end with upside as a pass rusher. Bosa would fill a similar role to Bucker, but as a high-floor, low-ceiling option.

As far as Jack goes, I believe the team’s interest in him is solely a “best available” situation and not a need. The Chargers have invested a lot of draft picks in their young linebacking corps over the past few years, and Jack would seem to be an odd fit.

The sense I got from our sources is that Ramsey makes the most sense for the team, but a guy like Buckner or Bosa would fill the most pressing need. Tunsil and Stanley would land at positions that are already filled, but they are clearly better options than what the team currently has on its roster. In short: this could go a number of ways and the next 24 hours will be fascinating.

After the Eagles moved up to the No. 2 spot a week ago I was told to “Sharpie” Ramsey to the Chargers at No. 3. While I still think he’ll be the pick, my confidence has dropped significantly. Expect the Chargers to take their time when they get on the clock, and then sit back and watch the drama unfold.