Chargers slammed with brutal NFL Draft take that will worry fans

The Los Angeles Chargers could go in a variety of different directions with their first-round NFL Draft pick, as they have numerous needs that must be addressed.

While the most popular suggested pick for the Chargers seems to be tight end Colston Loveland, there is also a chance they roll with defense on Day 1, which could be a worrisome ordeal given how Los Angeles has fared in that department in recent years.

As a matter of fact, Pro Football Focus has revealed that only the Tennessee Titans have been worse at selecting defensive players in the first round since 2020.

"Tennessee picked a first-round defensive player just once in the past five drafts, and the team got just 164 snaps out of him," wrote PFF's Dalton Wasserman. "The Chargers are only a year removed from losing 12 games as a result of their poor defensive efforts."

Here's the caveat, though: Los Angeles has only drafted one defensive player in the last five years, and that was linebacker Kenneth Murray back in 2020. Since then, it's been all offense, with the Chargers mostly focusing on their offensive line.

It's also important to note that Los Angeles had a regime change last year, with Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh taking over as general manager and head coach, respectively. The new regime's inaugural first-round selection, tackle Joe Alt, has seemed to work out pretty well thus far.

The Chargers do need another edge rusher and they could also stand to beef up the interior of their defensive line, so perhaps they could select a defensive player at No. 22 in a few weeks. Let's just hope that if they do, it ends up being a better player than Murray.