SAN DIEGO -- With the Los Angeles Rams trading away a handful of picks to the Tennessee Titans for the No. 1 overall pick and the Philadelphia Eagles doing the same with the Cleveland Browns for the No. 2 pick, the San Diego Chargers are now on the clock.
Although the Chargers could trade out of the No. 3 pick, San Diego likely will have to figure out which position player it likes, with Cal quarterback Jared Goff and North Dakota State signal-caller Carson Wentz likely to go 1-2.
This is the fourth time in the Common Draft Era (since 1967) in which the first two picks were dealt.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, the last time the top three teams traded down was in 1997, when the New York Jets traded the top pick to the Rams, while the New Orleans Saints traded the No. 2 pick to the Oakland Raiders and the Atlanta Falcons traded the No. 3 overall selection to the Seattle Seahawks.
The top three selections that year were offensive tackle Orlando Pace (Rams), defensive tackle Darrell Russell (Raiders) and cornerback Shawn Springs (Seahawks). All three made the Pro Bowl at one point during their NFL careers.
These five players make sense for the Chargers if they stay at No. 3:
Myles Jack: If not for the knee injury, the UCLA product would likely be the top-rated overall player in this year’s draft. The Chargers are set at linebacker with Melvin Ingram, Jeremiah Attaochu on the outside, and Manti Te’o and Denzel Perryman at inside linebacker. However, the Chargers worked Jack out at safety during his pro day, and with San Diego playing with five defensive backs at least 65 percent of the time last season, Jack could be a box defender capable of covering a tight end like Brandon Marshall of the Denver Broncos or Shaq Thompson of the Carolina Panthers.
Jalen Ramsey: Considered the best defensive back prospect in this year’s draft, the Florida State product says he wants to play safety at the next level. However, the Chargers could use Ramsey to replace Eric Weddle, with the physical way he tackles and his ability to close as a rangy free safety in the back end.
Laremy Tunsil: The Chargers need offensive line help, and Tunsil could solve San Diego’s issues at left tackle for the next decade. However, the Chargers have a lot of money committed to left tackle King Dunlap, left guard Orlando Franklin and right tackle Joe Barksdale for the 2016 season.
Joey Bosa: The Chargers finished with just 32 sacks last year, No. 24 in the NFL. Bosa would add more juice to San Diego’s ailing pass rush, and he also plays solid against the run. But Bosa is not a true fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker, and the Chargers have decent depth at that position in Ingram, Attaochu, Kyle Emmanuel, Tourek Williams and Cordarro Law.
DeForest Buckner: The University of Oregon product makes a lot of sense, filling an obvious need at defensive end with Kendell Reyes leaving the Chargers in free agency. The Chargers allowed 4.8 yards per rush last year. A physical specimen like the 6-7, 290-pound Buckner could help solve San Diego’s issues stopping the run.
Trade down: If teams further down the draft board have fallen in love with either Ramsey or Jack, the Chargers could move down and still have a chance at getting a player like Buckner or another defensive lineman in a draft with a deep pool of talent at defensive tackle.
