If you look at most Chargers mock drafts at this point in April, chances are they project the Chargers to grab an offensive playmaker in the first round.
But two in the first two rounds? ESPN's Field Yates certainly believes so.
The NFL draft analyst had the Bolts picking two offensive weapons in each of the first two rounds in his most recent mock draft he released earlier this week.
While Yates knows the philosophy the Chargers now have under General Manager Joe Hortiz and Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, he said boosting the weapons around Justin Herbert was the way this mock draft shook out.
"I know there's probably a part of Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh's DNA that wants to address the trenches early in every draft," Yates said in a conference call on Thursday. "But the board fell in a way where helping out Justin Herbert through a different manner was too good to ignore."
He later added: "I do think they're probably not there yet in terms of offensive difference makers that you trust."
It's why he went with Michigan tight end Colston Loveland — a popular pick in mock drafts — at No. 22 overall.
The 6-foot-6, 248-pound Loveland is a consensus top two player at his position and projects to be a dynamic pass catching weapon over the middle of the field.
Yates said the connection with Harbaugh and the tight end's big play ability is what makes him a fit for the Bolts offense.
"Colston obviously was a player that Jim knows well as he recruited him and coached him at Michigan," Yates said. "He's an outstanding tight end prospect, he's not that far behind Tyler Warren in my overall Big Board rankings.
"If you look at the incumbent tight ends on the roster right now, they didn't have a guy who averaged 10 yards per catch from the tight ends that are still around in 2025," Yates added. "You need a difference maker in the middle of the field that kind of opens up some of the stuff you can do in the middle of the field passing game."
Loveland averaged 12.5 yards per catch throughout his three seasons with the Wolverines, including over 14 in his first two years. He caught total 117 passes in his college career.
With a difference maker in the middle of the field in the first round, Yates' second-round pick was a player who affects the game on the outside in Stanford wide receiver Elic Ayomanor.
Ayomanor led the Cardinal in receiving in his two seasons as a starter, including 62 receptions for 1,013 yards and six touchdowns in 2023. He followed that up with Second-Team All-ACC honors last season after notching 63 receptions for 831 yards.
Yates explained why he opted for the 21-year-old receiver and what makes him stand out.
"This is speed," Yates said. "While they absolutely crushed it with Ladd McConkey last year and Mike Williams being back is really great for him that gives them something there, Ayomanor is a fascinating player who ran really, really well at the Combine.
"He runs really well on tape, I think he was 4.44 at the Combine at 6-foot-2, close to 220 pounds," Yates added. "I think he's the best downfield separator in the class."
He ranked fourth in the ACC last season in average depth of target (14.2) among receivers with at least 50 targets according to Pro Football Focus. He also made 14 contested catches last season, tied for fifth-most in his conference.
Ayomanor's size and explosiveness is why Yates believes he can be a perfect compliment to Ladd McConkey on the outside and a fit in the second round for the Bolts.
"This guy that when you're 30 yards down the field, these defensive backs have a hard time keeping up with him," Yates said. "With a strong-armed quarterback and the ability to grind out so many plays on the ground, it's going to invariably leave defenses a touch more vulnerable to the eventual deep shot down the field."
