2024 NFL Mock Draft: Los Angeles Chargers full 7-round projection in early-February

The Los Angeles Chargers may have won the Jim Harbaugh sweepstakes, but the new head coach inherits a team that missed the playoffs last year, going 5-12, and goes into 2024 $46 million over the cap. There is little chance the team can add any contributors in free agency, even if they creatively restructure Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, Keenan Allen, and Mike Williams before the season.

The team will likely lose two centers to free agency but still have Corey Linsley, who is under contract through 2025. They will also lose their top offensive weapon in the backfield, as Austin Ekeler is an unrestricted free agent. Lastly, they will lose their tight end Gerald Everett as well. These holes will have to be addressed in the 2024 NFL Draft.

This mock draft was done without any trades, so the Chargers will draft where scheduled by Pro Football Focus (5, 37, 69, 105, 142, 183, 226). They are one of a few teams who have no extra picks.

Round 1, Pick 5: Brock Bowers, Tight End Georgia

Jim Harbaugh is an offensive guy, more to the point, he's a quarterback guy, and he will look to get his young star Justin Herbert more weapons. With their first-round pick, they choose to pass on offensive linemen, or a successor to Khalil Mack, by choosing Georgia Tight End Brock Bowers. He promises to be a threat as a receiving tight end, similar to Kyle Pitts or Jimmy Graham.

Bowers is 6-foot-4 and 240-pounds. He is a freak athlete, who will run a 4.45 second forty. In 2023, as a junior, he caught 56 passes for 714 yards and 6 touchdowns. When he was targeted in the passing game, his quarterback had a passer rating of 136.5. He is renowned not just for his great pass-catching skills, but his ability to create with the ball in his hands.

He possesses elite ball skills and can make catches no matter how covered he is. He is too strong to be covered by defensive backs and too fast for linebackers to cover him. He has an infectious passion for the game that inspires his teammates. His one knock is he is a weak pass blocker, but that won't matter, as he could be Herbert's favorite target in his rookie season.