Los Angeles Chargers May Actually Be Draft Cursed
By Erik Lambert
The Los Angeles Chargers must have some sort of witches’ curse on them at this point because they can’t buy a break with their top draft picks.
Barely a week after hearing that 1st rounder Mike Williams could miss the entire 2017 season due to a back injury, 2nd rounder Forrest Lamp tore his ACL. Suddenly two men expected to elevate the offense back to elite status are out of the picture. It also brings back the question of what football gods this franchise might’ve angered at some point.
It’s not a reach either. One could go back a number of years in recent history and find some sort of malady befalling each of their top draft picks. No seriously. Here’s a rundown of each pick dating back to 2010 and what they encountered either early or throughout their NFL careers. Be advised it’s a lot worse than you’d initially think.
2017: Mike Williams
- Could miss season with back injury
2016: Joey Bosa
- Ugly contract holdout
2015: Melvin Gordon
- Averaged just 3.5 yards per carry and didn’t score a TD
2014: Jason Verrett
- Has missed 24 games with injury in three years
2013: D.J. Fluker
- Forced to move to right guard after flopping at tackle
2012: Melvin Ingram
- Missed 19 games with injury and had six sacks in first three years
2011: Corey Liuget
- Missed the entire offseason thanks to the NFL lockout
2010: Ryan Mathews
- Only played a full season once in five years due to injuries
If people are looking for a reason why this team just hasn’t been able to ascend back to elite AFC status, this showcases it. All of their 1st round picks have had clear talent and even gone to Pro Bowls, but there’s always been some sort of trade off. A cap on how great they should probably be. It’s a real buzzkill considering the Chargers are long overdue for a Super Bowl run and Philip Rivers is running out of time fast.