The Los Angeles Chargers have a lot of work to do. They finished the 2023 season 5-12 and fired head coach Brandon Staley after getting routed 63-21 on national television at the hands of Las Vegas.

However, the Chargers have what they need to make a quick turnaround. Justin Herbert is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, they just hired Jim Harbaugh as their head coach, and they have the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. With them already having their quarterback of the future, they are in a prime position to either draft a difference-maker (Malik Nabers?) or trade that pick for a bounty of picks. If they opt for the latter, they could position themselves well to land some gems later in the draft like Blake Corum and Cooper Beebe.

Blake Corum, Running Back

Michigan running back Blake Corum speaks during the national championship celebration at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Chargers are the betting favorites to draft Michigan running back Blake Corum. Why? Well, it's pretty easy to connect the dots. They just hired Jim Harbaugh, who just coached Corum for the past four seasons. And those seasons saw plenty of success for the Wolverines and Corum individually. He first got a chance at significant playing time in 2021, where he ran for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns on 144 carries. He also added 24 receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown through the air.

But in 2022 and 2023, Jim Harbaugh opted to make Corum his workhorse, and he delivered. In those two seasons, Corum handled 505 carries and turned those carries into 2,708 yards and 45 touchdowns on the ground. Michigan rode him all the way to two College Football Playoff. Corum couldn't play in the 2022 Playoff when they lost to TCU, but he went for over 100 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in both of Michigan's games en route to their National Championship. He was a true difference-maker.

The Chargers are in a position where they may need a running back. Austin Ekeler has been tremendous for them, but he is poised to be a free agent in 2024. He also just had his worst season as a pro. Ekeler averaged just 3.5 yards per carry in 2023; he never had a season below 4.5 yards per carry prior to this previous season.

It wasn't all doom and gloom for Ekeler in 2023, however. According to playerprofiler.com, he created 4.02 yards per touch, which ranked eighth among running backs. Jim Harbaugh has said he wants Ekeler back, but that is not a guarantee. Even if he is back though, the Chargers could use another back to help keep him fresh. Corum can be that guy and he already knows Harbaugh's system and how he wants to play. He can step in and contribute right away.

Cooper Beebe, Offensive Guard

A big reason why Ekeler's play declined in 2023 was the state of the Chargers' offensive line. They ranked 18th in pass block win rate and 24th in run block win rate according to ESPN's offensive line metrics. Someone who can help on both fronts with the Chargers' offensive line is Kansas State's Cooper Beebe. Not only does Beebe pave the way in the ground game, but he also is very stout protecting the quarterback.

Not only is Beebe an outstanding player, but he is also versatile. He's played at both left guard and right tackle for Kansas State over his career. Right tackle has been a big area of improvement for the Chargers on their offensive line for years that they haven't been able to address properly. They can do that with Beebe and he can help elsewhere. He'd be a sneaky great addition for the team in the draft.