To say things didn't go the way of the Los Angeles Chargers this season would be a massive understatement. The Chargers were 10-7 a year ago and had a comfortable 27-0 lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card round. But that didn't last, and the Los Angeles' luck took a turn for the worse since that moment in time.
The Chargers followed that playoff debacle with a 5-11 season with one game left to play that saw injuries to plenty of key contributors, including Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Joey Bosa. They suffered a 63-21 loss at the hands of the Las Vegas Raiders that resulted in the firings of both head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco.
But, hope springs eternal, and help will be on the way in the offseason through the NFL Draft. The Chargers can use the draft to address some needs on their roster and replenish their roster with plenty of youth and athleticism. Los Angeles has all of their picks to their disposal in the 2024 NFL Draft. A pair of players stand out as potential draft targets.
Brock Bowers, Tight End
Not only do the Chargers need another pass catching weapon in the middle field, especially as Keenan Allen continues to get older, but the they need help blocking, especially in the run game. Los Angeles ranked 26th in the NFL in run block win rate according to ESPN. So why not draft someone who can do both?
Enter Brock Bowers. While tight ends are not exactly the position teams should want to spend their draft capital on in the early stages of the first round, Bowers could be an exception to the rule.
The tight end was nothing short of sensational during his career at Georgia. In three seasons with the Bulldogs, Bowers averaged about 14.5 yards per reception as a tight end. That's ridiculous. He hauled in 175 balls for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns in that span, meaning he scored a touchdown on every seventh ball he caught. He was winning downfield and getting a ton of yards after the catch as well.
Bowers is also already an exceptional blocker in the run game. After the 2022 season, PFF graded Bowers out as one of the best blocking tight ends in all of college football.
If the Chargers really want to improve their performance in the trenches, they should prioritize drafting offensive linemen early and often during the 2024 NFL Draft. But it can't hurt to have a tight end who can not only block like Bowers can, but can also be featured as prominently in the receiving game the way Bowers can.
With Gerald Everett projected to be a free agent after this season, the Chargers are going to need a tight end at some point. If that's the case, they might as well get the best one that is on the market.
Braelon Allen, Running Back
Again, the Chargers should absolutely address their offensive line before the running back position if they want to bolster their run game and their performance in the trenches. But they can do that in free agency. If they don't want to spend money on a running back in free agency, the best one they could draft could possibly be Braelon Allen from the University of Wisconsin.
Allen immediately broke out as a freshman at Wisconsin, when he ran for 1,268 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 186 carries. He wasn't going to average 6.8 yards per carry every year after that, but the 5.4 yards per carry he averaged in his last two seasons isn't too shabby either.
Allen is a big dude at 6-2 245 pounds who can break big runs and can also catch out of the backfield. In three collegiate seasons, Allen had 49 receptions. That's really solid. Whether or not Austin Ekeler is back with the Chargers next season, LA needs a boost from their run game. Allen can bring that and then some.