The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is set to take place on Thursday night, and ahead of the event, Bill Simmons sat down to discuss some trade scenarios, which is when he had some fun imagining Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh having his team trade away Justin Herbert so he could bring in his former Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy.

“The funniest thing that could happen from a holy s**t standpoint with this NFL Draft, is if the Chargers traded Herbert over the next 48 hours,” Bill Simmons said on his podcast. “Like let's say the Chargers just traded Herbert to Washington for the No. 2 pick and got, you know Washington has so many picks, just holy s**t they did it, and then his end game would be to end up with JJ McCarthy and a bunch of picks and to sell on Herbert. I know you're laughing.”

Simmons' cohost, Ben Solak, came up with a hypothetical for what he would have done if he was running the Chicago Bears in this situation.

“No, I'm laughing because I agree, the minute that Harbaugh went to owners meetings and said JJ McCarthy's the best quarterback in this draft, if I were Ryan Poles I would've called Joe Hortiz that second, I would've been like, ‘one for Herbert.',” Ben Solak said on Bill Simmons' podcast. “It's JJ McCarthy straight up because I'm giving you one and you go pick the guy.”

Based on all indications, this is a fantasy, although Harbaugh could play a part in where McCarthy ends up going if he is still available with the No. 5 pick and the Chargers trade out. The Chargers have the quarterback situation settled with Herbert, and they will likely build around him, whether that is picking at No. 5 or trading back.

What are realistic NFL Draft scenarios for the Chargers?

There are various options for the Chargers at the No. 5 pick, and if the Arizona Cardinals trade out of the No. 4 pick ahead of then, the choice of trading back might not be available. Let's go through some of the players Harbaugh could add to his roster in the first round.

It would be interesting to see Marvin Harrison Jr. play for Harbaugh, given that the two went against each other in one of college football's biggest rivalries, but if the Cardinals trade out of the No. 4 spot, this would be a very tempting option. Los Angeles is in need of a No. 1 wide receiver, and Harrison is the best in this class. If the Cardinals stick at No. 4 and take Harrison, Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze are great options too who would be the top receivers in many other draft classes.

There is also buzz that the Chargers could focus on offensive line and go with someone like Joe Alt, Olu Fashanu or Taliese Fuaga. These players could also be available in a trade down, which could be an option for a team like the New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings or Denver Broncos, who are interested in quarterbacks.

It would be a huge surprise if the Chargers sent Herbert packing to take McCarthy, but they could still realistically go in a number of different directions.