2020 NFL Draft: Philip Rivers departure impacts top-10 picks
By Randy Gurzi
With the Los Angeles Chargers and Philip Rivers mutually agreeing to part ways, things could get interesting in the top-10 of the 2020 NFL Draft.
It wasn’t unexpected, but word broke on Monday that the Los Angeles Chargers and quarterback Philip Rivers were mutually parting ways. That means the 16-year veteran will hit the open market and test free agency. While this impacts what teams will do in free agency, it could also have a ripple effect on the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft — especially in the top-10.
One obvious reason for this is the Chargers owning the No. 6 overall pick. It has been expected for a while that Rivers was going to be leaving which has meant players such as Justin Herbert have been mocked to L.A. repeatedly. While Rivers officially leaving is intriguing for this spot in the draft, it could have a major impact on a few other spots in the top-15 as well.
Los Angeles is far from the only quarterback-needy team with the Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and possibly the Jacksonville Jaguars all shopping. And with all of these teams owning picks in the top-15, they could have the ammunition needed to leapfrog the Chargers and land the quarterback of their choosing.
With Joe Burrow a lock at No. 1, things can get weird after that. The Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions, and New York Giants all come next and none of them are needing quarterbacks. At No. 5 is the Miami Dolphins, who are linked to Tua Tagovailoa, but they could end up needing to make a move to secure his services.
Should they do that, the Chargers might end up getting really antsy and could look to slide up a few spaces to land Herbert, who seems to be a perfect fit for them.
Even if they do move up for Herbert, or land him where they are, things aren’t going to calm down. After the top three quarterbacks are taken, the name Jordan Love is going to get real popular. While most agree he’s not a top-15 talent, it might be hard to sit back and wait for him.
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In the end, we could see a free-for-all as these teams do all they can to secure the most important position on the field. All that means is Rivers’ loss of a job is a gain for the kids coming in. Someone could become highly over-drafted as necessity forces teams to get a little crazy.