The Chargers desperately need a playmaker to team with standout quarterback Justin Herbert. That should be their offensive priority when they make the 22nd overall selection in the NFL draft Thursday, and it really should be a wide receiver with a sparkling collegiate resume.
What matters most if the Chargers hope to improve on their 11-6 record, second-place finish in the AFC West and wild-card ouster at the hands of the Houston Texans last season is that they pick a player with the skills that can turn a modest gain into something spectacular.
The Chargers need someone who can emerge as a game-breaker in his rookie season, someone to make a big play in a key moment when called upon. They need someone who can take at least some of the burden off the sturdy shoulders of Herbert to make things happen.
The Southern California News Group recommends they use their first-round pick on Emeka Egbuka, a wide receiver from Ohio State listed at 6-foot-1 and 202 pounds. Egbuka had 81 catches for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns during his senior season with the Buckeyes, and he would fit the playmaker role nicely.
Egbuka also set an Ohio State record with 205 career receptions.
By almost any measure, Herbert had a superb season in 2024, but there is an argument to be made that he could be better if he had more to work with in the seasons to come. He passed for 3,870 yards and 23 touchdowns, well off his career bests of 5,014 and 38 touchdowns set in the 2022 season.
On the plus side, he threw a career-low three interceptions in 17 games.
The Chargers traded up last year to take Ladd McConkey, a wide receiver from the University of Georgia, in the second round (34th overall). McConkey paid huge dividends by breaking Keenan Allen’s Chargers rookie records for receptions and receiving yardage in a season.
No question, Herbert and McConkey formed a strong connection in their first season together. But with Allen traded to the Chicago Bears and Mike Williams, another veteran, released in a pair of cost-cutting moves, Herbert didn’t have the reliable and experienced targets he had in the past.
Williams re-signed with the Chargers as a free agent after splitting a rocky season with the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. He’ll add to the Chargers’ depth and experience, but he has a history of injuries and is coming off a season in which he totaled only 21 catches and one touchdown.
Joe Hortiz, the Chargers’ general manager, acknowledged speaking to key players on the roster to gain insight into the team’s draft needs. Surely, Herbert qualifies as a key player, a “very valuable resource,” as Hortiz phrased it last week during a session with beat reporters.
It wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination for Herbert to suggest to Hortiz that he pick a speedy wide receiver with sticky fingers and a penchant for running precise pass routes with the Chargers’ first-round selection. In fact, it would be a surprise if Herbert didn’t suggest Hortiz take a receiver 22nd overall.
Someone like Egbuka.
To be sure, Hortiz and Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh seem content to build a team that’s difficult to play against. Their selection of mammoth right tackle Joe Alt in the first round (fifth overall from Notre Dame) was an indication of how they’d like to play it, working to strengthen the team in the trenches.
The additions of Alt and right guard Mekhi Becton, who signed as a free agent last month after helping the Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl, in consecutive years bodes well for the Chargers. But there is a sense their offensive line could be improved again in the draft.
The Chargers also could select a standout tight end in the first round of the draft, someone who can block for Herbert and help establish an effective ground game as well as catch passes. A tight end would continue the Hortiz-Harbaugh method of operation with another solid building block.
Or the Chargers could draft a running back, someone to team with Najee Harris. The Chargers signed Harris, a 1,000-yard rusher in each of his four seasons with the Steelers, after releasing Gus Edwards and also electing not to re-sign J.K. Dobbins, their top rusher in 2024.
But by selecting Egbuka, the Chargers would solve their playmaking issues.
