The Los Angeles Chargers have been the most disappointing team in the NFL this season. With new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and two healthy, All-Pro tackles, a deep playoff run and a trip to the Super Bowl were in the sights of Jim Harbaugh's team.
Instead, the Chargers are looking more likely to make the first pick in the 2027 NFL Draft than they are on the podium in their own stadium hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
That unexpected collapse has sparked a debate about the future of the franchise. Should the Chargers continue to build around quarterback Justin Herbert? Or do they pivot away from the most divisive quarterback of the decade?
Should the Chargers trade Justin Herbert?
Until this season, there have been two ways to view Justin Herbert. The pro-Herbert crows will point to his film and show off his superhuman abilities: elite arm talent, mobility, toughness in the pocket, and the magical ability to make something out of nothing.
The anti-Herbert crowd will point to results. A 52-49 regular-season record, just three playoff appearances in six seasons with no wins, and two touchdowns to four interceptions in those postseason matchups.
But now those worlds are colliding, and not in a positive way for Herbert. The 6-foot-6 signal-caller is having his worst season to date. He has a career-low touchdown percentage and a career-high interception percentage while leading the league in interceptions with eight. For whatever reason, the offense has not clicked under McDaniel, and we've graduated from Herbert "just not seeing it" to completely drowning in the offense.
Things have come to a head this week. The Chargers lost 22-6 to the Kansas City Chiefs, with Herbert completing fewer than 60 percent of his passes while throwing one interception and no touchdowns.
The Chargers' biggest 2027 NFL Draft decision
If the Chargers continue down this path, they will likely consider all options. Keep Herbert, continue to build around him, and come back for 2027. Or trade Herbert for multiple first-round picks, draft a quarterback, and hit the reset button.
If this exercise had come three months ago, and we knew the Chargers and Herbert would have a terrible season, but we still believed this quarterback class would be historic, I might consider hitting the reset button.
But with so many questions about the incoming class of quarterbacks, plus blue-chip players at other positions, the right move is to keep Herbert and go a different way.
If the Chargers opt to keep Herbert, there are a lot of favorable outcomes for them in the 2027 NFL Draft.
What if the Chargers trade down in the 2027 NFL Draft?
There are multiple interesting paths for the Chargers in the 2027 NFL Draft if they decide to keep Herbert. The first option is to trade back with a quarterback-needy team.
Under the current draft order, the New York Jets would make the most sense as a trade-back partner. The Jets currently hold picks No. 6, No. 10 and No. 13 in the first round of the 2027 draft. Los Angeles would start by asking for all three, but probably end up with No. 6, No. 10 and a first- or second-round pick in 2028.
Ironically, the Chargers could still take a quarterback, most likely, with either of those picks. But if the point is to build around Herbert, there are a few options.
This is a good range for an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Trevor Goosby, Jordan Seaton, Cam Coleman and Charlie Becker could all be available with those two picks. This would give the Chargers an infusion of talent that would actually help Herbert and the offense by giving him more time in the pocket, helping improve the run game, and giving him another pass-catching option.
While I like all of those players, they aren't exactly blue-chippers. That raises the question: Would they really change the Chargers' fate?
Three prospects the Chargers could target without trading down
If the Chargers trade back, they could miss out on the blue-chip talent this draft has to offer. Players fall every year, of course, and with a large number of quarterbacks to consider in the top 10, one or two elite prospects could conceivably still be available at the No. 6 and No. 10 spots mentioned above.
But if Los Angeles wants to be sure it secures the best players in the draft, it would likely have to keep its own pick if it stays in the top five.
Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
Of course, this is the easy one. We at NFL Mocks have been writing for weeks that Jeremiah Smith could, and should, be considered above any quarterback in this class. If the Chargers are in position to take Smith, they absolutely should.
Smith can be a game-changer for an offense. He's a complete wide receiver with no apparent holes in his game. His presence would not only give Herbert a true No. 1 receiver, but it would also allow the other receivers on the Chargers to slot into more appropriate roles.
Quentin Johnston could be an off-ball "Z" receiver feasting on the open space Smith would create. Ladd McConkey could be a speedy slot receiver winning underneath first with the occasional slot fade. Tre Harris could be the big-bodied, dirty-work guy who can work on the outside or from the slot. And most importantly, the Chargers wouldn't feel the need to overpay any of those receivers in contract talks.
As of today, the Chargers are No. 1 in the draft order, and it's not even a question whether they should sit and take Smith. But if the Ohio State star isn't available to them, what else could they do?
Leonard Moore, CB, Notre Dame
If the Chargers end up picking in the top five, Jeremiah Smith isn't available, and they are determined to walk out of the draft with the next-best player, Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore is their man.
Moore has all the traits of an elite cornerback prospect. Size, speed, coverage ability, and ball skills. The type of cornerback who can completely change a defense as he shuts down one side of the field and takes away opposing weapons.
The Chargers have gotten by at cornerback the last couple of years with 2024 Day 3 picks Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart. And they've surrounded them with veteran safeties like Elijah Molden, Tony Jefferson, and, of course, the All-Pro Derwin James.
But those players are getting older, as is cornerback Donte Jackson. And Hart and Still will already be eligible for contract extensions after this season. As the safety room ages, it would be good to infuse the cornerback room with high-level talent, and Moore would be the perfect player to do that.
Colin Simmons, EDGE, Texas
I want to give some consideration to Texas EDGE Colin Simmons. Simmons has had 9, 12, and now 10.5 sacks in his three seasons of college football and has a very strong athletic profile.
The Chargers have reportedly been open to trading veteran Khalil Mack, and rising star Tuli Tuipulotu is set to be a free agent after this season.
If Los Angeles misses out on Smith and Moore, there's a world where adding Simmons to their defense is a route they can consider.
The Los Angeles Chargers have a 2027 NFL Draft dilemma that grows with each loss. But having the No. 1 overall pick would make things easier from a decision-making standpoint.
Two months ago, the idea of trading Justin Herbert seemed like a non-starter. Now it's a scenario teams and media need to at least discuss.
Ultimately, my mom always said, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." Herbert is a franchise quarterback, and the Chargers would be smart to keep him and build around him.
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