The perfect draft is an elusive thing. You have to be on the clock when the guy you want is still available, so much of nailing the draft depends on being lucky enough for the right players to fall into your lap.
But having a perfect strategy for attacking the draft is not nearly as luck-dependent. Identifying not just immediate needs, but the things that will likely become needs one or two years down the line is something every single team in the league can do before the draft even starts. Identifying not just specific players who can fill those needs, but ways they can be addressed in each round -- including trade-ups, trade-downs, and trade-outs -- is something every single team in the league should be doing.
All of this, naturally, brings us to the Perfect Draft series we're running here at CBSSports.com throughout this week. For each of the NFL's 32 teams, we'll be identifying the proper plan of attack for the 2020 NFL Draft, walking you through each of the steps they need to take to come away with an all-too-rare A-plus grade at the end of the weekend.
In the space below, we'll detail two different ways the Los Angeles Chargers can get there.
1. Trade up for Tua or stay put and draft a tackle
The Chargers can go about this draft in two different ways: As if they actually are comfortable with Tyrod Taylor as their starting quarterback, or as if they are not.
In the latter scenario, trading up ahead of the Miami Dolphins in order to land Tua Tagovailoa is an idea with some merit. So long as the medicals check out, Tagovailoa is the type of player who would go No. 1 overall in just about any other draft, but could potentially be had as late as No. 3 or even No. 6, if the Chargers get lucky. (Justin Herbert is ... not the same caliber of prospect.) They can't count on him making it past the Dolphins, though, so if they really want him, they're going to have to go up and get him. Washington is apparently locked in on Chase Young at No. 2 and Giants general manager Dave Gettleman has never traded down in his entire career, so the Lions at No. 3 would have to be the target.
If, however, the Chargers are as comfortable with Taylor under center as they say they are, more paths to success open up for them. With two quarterbacks (and Young) likely to come off the board before they make their selection, it's extraordinarily likely that at least one of the top tackles in the draft will be available at No. 6, allowing the Chargers to fill the most obvious need on their roster at the moment. Bryan Bulaga filled their hole at right tackle, but after swapping Russell Okung for Trai Turner, the Chargers need someone to slide in and protect Taylor's blind side. Andrew Thomas, Tristan Wirfs, Jedrick Wills, Mekhi Becton, Josh Jones ... take your pick of these guys and they'd be a strong selection for LA.
2. Add another outside receiver
This is arguably the best and deepest wide receiver class in years. The Chargers have two quality wideouts in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, but zero reliable receivers beyond those two players. Considering they have each dealt with various injury issues in recent seasons and that Taylor needs more than just two reliable perimeter targets, the Chargers should look to add another receiver sometime in the middle rounds of the draft, preferably early on Day 3.
Allen is at his most effective when working out of the slot, so adding a receiver who can play on the outside is the best path to filling this hole. If someone like Michael Pittman, Chase Claypool, or K.J. Hamler is sitting there for them in the third round, or if Antonio Gandy-Golden, Tyler Johnson, or Bryan Edwards is there in the fourth, the Chargers should jump at the opportunity to take him.
3. Accumulate depth at linebacker
The one scenario where it might make sense for the Chargers to pass on both a quarterback and a tackle with the No. 6 overall pick is if Isaiah Simmons makes it to that spot. He is exactly the kind of defender the Chargers would know what to do with, a versatile hybrid defender who is basically Derwin James, but bigger and somehow also capable of being an elite edge rusher. Simmons could fill out a linebacker unit that is strong but not particularly deep, could fill in rushing behind Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram (more on him in a second), and allow the Chargers to get even more creative with the way they deploy their defensive backs.
If Simmons is not there, then adding a player like Jordyn Brooks, Malik Harrison, Jacob Phillips, Markus Bailey, or Akeem Davis-Gaither in the middle rounds, or one of the two available Miami linebackers (they've drafted several Miami 'backers before, and Shaquille Quarterback and Michael Pinckney each fit the mold of what LA likes at that spot) later on Day 3 is an idea that makes some sense for them as well.
4. Find Melvin Ingram's successor
With Bosa becoming extension-eligible after this season and Ingram getting set to hit free agency as well, the Chargers likely have to find a replacement for Ingram sooner rather than later. They have a bunch of players they're going to have to pay pretty soon, and a secondary EDGE rusher who is on the wrong side of 30 seems like the proper place to decide not to spend when you have to shower Bosa, James, and more with larger contracts. Luckily for the Chargers, this is another area where the depth of the class aligns with their needs. There are plenty of EDGE players likely to be available on Day 2 and 3 who would make a lot of sense for them.
