There's speculation among some media members and draft analysts that the Los Angeles Chargers will select Philip Rivers' eventual successor on day one of the draft
Not all are convinced.
NFL Films' Greg Cosell, who joined Chargers Weekly from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, said he doesn't believe Los Angeles will select a quarterback in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
"There's no sense that Philip's on his way down," he said.
Rivers, 36, is coming off a season in which he threw for 4,515 yards, 28 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions — his lowest total since 2009. The future Hall of Famer was also selected to his seventh Pro Bowl. Cosell's admiration of Rivers starts with an aggressiveness that's been part of his makeup for 14 NFL seasons.
"He's a confident thrower," Cosell said. "He's willing to turn it loose, and he's made a lot of good throws in difficult situations because of that."
Cosell did acknowledge that it probably makes sense to bring in a young arm behind Rivers sooner than later. He also pointed to recent history, though, which shows how difficult it is for NFL teams to hit on the position.
"I understand the sort of philosophical underpinnings with, 'Oh, you need a quarterback,'" Cosell said. "We all get that, but it's gotten to the extreme where people are just reaching for quarterbacks. And if you look at the list of quarterbacks over the last three, four, five years — way more don't make it than make it."
Listen to the entire interview with Cosell. Subscribe to and review Chargers Weekly on Apple Podcasts here.
