ESPN’s Ben Solak compiled a list of the best draft picks at each slot on Thursday, featuring 11 Chargers among the 262 players listed.
Solak acknowledged several factors that influenced his list, writing the following disclaimers:
- I took “best” to mean some combination of “most talented” and “most successful.”
- In order to be the best draft pick, you kind of have to play for the team that drafted you.
- There isn’t a bump for QB value (unless it was inescapable).
- I am 28 years old.
With those in mind, let’s jump into which Chargers Solak included on his list of the best draft picks.
Drew Brees Barely Edged out Lamar Jackson for No. 32
Solak struggled to choose between Chargers QB Drew Brees and Ravens QB Lamar Jackson at No. 32. But, he ultimately gave Brees the nod on his list of best draft picks. Jackson has the edge in terms of regular season MVPs (2-0), though Brees finished 2nd 4 times (2006, 2009, 2011, 2018).
As of now, Brees holds the advantage with a Super Bowl ring and a Super Bowl MVP. But, if all goes right for Jackson in 2025, he could match Brees’ output by the end of this season. At least for now, Brees still takes precedent.
While Brees would go on to throw for more than 68,000 yards and 491 touchdowns with the Saints, his career nearly came to an end in San Diego.
The Chargers drafted Brees at No. 32 in 2001. But, he sat behind 39-year-old Doug Flutie for his rookie year. After some growing pains in 2002 and 2003, Brees suffered a dislocated shoulder, a “360-degree tear” of his labrum and “at least a partial tear in the rotator cuff,” according to an ESPN article from Nov. 2023.
During an appearance on Mike Greenberg’s ESPN Radio show in 2023, he revealed that his right arm “does not work.”
“I can play pickleball because it’s below the waist, but anything above my shoulder I have a hard time with,” Brees told Greenberg. But, he told ESPN that the shoulder injury that nearly ended his career put him “on the fast track to a degenerative shoulder and all kind of arthritic changes.”
Unfortunately for Chargers fans, San Diego ultimately let Brees walk, turning over the starting job to Philip Rivers. That’s not meant as disrespect to Rivers, as the 17-year QB should be inducted into the Hall of Fame next summer. But, Drew Brees held just about every record among quarterbacks at the time of his retirement.
There have only been 15 5,000-yard passing seasons in NFL history. Drew Brees accounted for 5 of them. He led the league in touchdown passes 5 times, completion percentage 6 times, and passing yards 7 times. He has 4 of the top 10 passing seasons of all-time and retired as the all-time leader in both passing yards and passing touchdowns. Tom Brady is the only player to eclipse his totals in both category.
What else can you say about Drew Brees? He’s not only one of the best draft picks of all-time, but one of the greatest players in league history. Despite just 1 All-Pro selection, there’s no doubt that he will be inducted as a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer in 2026.
Hall-of-Fame QB-WR Duo Land at No. 64 and No. 93
Throughout the rest of the best draft picks in the top 100, the Chargers landed 4 spots. Among those were a QB-WR duo that would go on to make the Hall-of-Fame within 4 years of each other. How good was the QB in that duo, Dan Fouts? The Chargers retired Fouts’ No. 18 in 1988, just 1 year after his retirement.
Fouts (No. 64) and WR Charlie Joiner (No. 93) helped revolutionize the way the game was played. That had a lot to do with playing under the “Air Coryell” offense.
After 13 straight seasons without reaching the postseason, Coryell helped unlock the Chargers offense, leading to 4 straight playoff appearances (1979-1982). During Don Coryell’s 9 seasons as the Chargers head coach, San Diego had the No. 1 passing offense 7 times, including 6 straight seasons to start his tenure (1978-1983).
They had a top-10 scoring offense 7 out of 9 times, including 3 appearances at No. 1. Fouts became the first player in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards in a single-season in 1979. Though, Joe Namath was the first professional quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in the AFL in 1967.
Fouts led the league in 4 consecutive seasons (1979-1982), throwing for 4,000 yards in 3 of them (1979-1981). From 1979-1981, he connected with Joiner 213 times for 3,328 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Bleacher Report’s Vincent Frank ranked the duo at No. 13 among his top 50 QB-WR duos in 2018.
“From 1979 to 1981, Fouts broke NFL records,” Frank wrote. “He threw for more than 13,600 yards and 87 touchdowns in those three seasons. We now call it the ‘Air Coryell’ offense. It was one of the greatest passing offenses in the history of the league.”
During the strike-shortened 1982 season, Fouts threw for almost 2,900 yards and 17 touchdowns in just 9 games. He led the league in both categories.
He was named MVP by the Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA) and the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), but finished second to Washington‘s kicker Mark Moseley. Moseley, who is the first-and-only player to win MVP exclusively as a kicker, set a then-record with a field goal percentage of 95.2% on the way to a Super Bowl.
Even though Charlie Joiner was not drafted by the Chargers, he earned his spot on this list. He was drafted by the AFL’s Houston Oilers, and was the last active player from the AFL. Joiner retired as the Chargers’ all-time leader in receptions (586) and yards (9,203) and third in touchdowns (47).
Joiner never led the league in receiving, but he led the Chargers 4 times during 11 seasons in San Diego. He retired as the league’s all-time leader in receptions (750), receiving yards (12,146) and games played by a receiver (239).
The Chargers retired his No. 18 in 2023. While he wasn’t drafted by the Chargers, there’s no question he’s still among the best draft picks in league history.
All 6 Chargers Among Best Draft Picks in the 4th Round or Later Played 10+ Seasons
The 6 Chargers among the best draft picks in the 4th round or later include the following players:
- No. 130 (2005): RB/KR/PR Darren Sproles
- Despite standing just 5 feet, 6 inches tall, Darren Sproles was one of the most electric players in the league during his 14-year career. During his best 3-year stretch with the Chargers, he racked up over 6,800 all-purpose yards and 17 touchdowns. He scored touchdowns in four different ways, including 11 receiving, 4 rushing, 1 kick return and 1 punt return. Sproles earned all 3 of his Pro Bowl berths with the Philadelphia Eagles during the second-half of his career. He also landed 2 spots on the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade Team for the 2010s. Sproles landed a spot on the Chargers’ 50th Anniversary Team in 2009 as an active member of the team. That’s not bad for a 4th round pick.
- No. 131 (1976): LB Woodrow Lowe
- Lowe played 11 solid seasons with the Chargers, missing just 1 game. He earned spots on the Chargers’ 40th Anniversary and 50th Anniversary teams, thanks to his consistency and pass coverage skills. He ranks in the top 20 in Chargers history in each of the following categories: sacks (26.0 – 19th), fumbles recovered (8 – 17th), interceptions (21 – 7th) and interceptions returned for touchdowns (4 – 3rd).
- No. 136 (1975): LT Billy Shields
- Billy Shields did an excellent job of protecting Dan Fouts’ blind side as the Chargers’ left tackle from 1975-1983. He missed 4 total games as a Charger, with none coming during his final 6 seasons. Unfortunately, a contract dispute ended his time in San Diego, but not before a strange twist. Shields held out of training camp in 1984, ultimately resulting in him being traded to Minnesota in August. Minnesota and Shields couldn’t agree to terms, so they opted to receive draft picks instead, returning him to San Diego. He played 15 total games for 3 teams over his final 2 seasons. But, he did win a Super Bowl with the 49ers in 1984.
- No. 145 (1994): S Rodney Harrison
- Rodney “The Hitman” Harrison played the safety position with about as much physicality, range, and skill in pass coverage as any safety in league history. During his time with the Chargers, Harrison finished with the 3rd-most interceptions (26) and 5th-most tackles (603) in team history. Harrison will become the 36th player to be inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame this October. In their announcement on Monday, the Chargers noted that Harrison’s 30.5 sacks and 34 interceptions in his career made him “the first and still one of only two players, along with Hall of Famer Ray Lewis, with at least 30 sacks and 30 interceptions since sacks became an official stat in 1982.”
- No. 222 (1993): QB Trent Green
- Trent Green spent a year as a backup in San Diego, but never saw any action with the Chargers. He didn’t see any NFL action until 1997, but his career was revived in St. Louis (now Los Angeles). After a preseason injury – when a hit by Chargers DB Rodney Harrison tore his ACL – future Hall-of-Famer Kurt Warner took over and led the “Greatest Show on Turf” to the 2000 Super Bowl. Warner led the Rams to a 6-0 start in 2000. He had thrown for over 375 yards per game with a 17:8 TD:INT ratio. But, Warner broke his finger during a Week 8 loss to the Chiefs. Green came on in relief, throwing for over 312 yards per game and a 15:5 TD:INT ratio, but the Rams went just 2-3. Warner returned in Week 14 and the rest is history. Green went on to have a very solid 11-year career, earning 2 Pro Bowl nods as a Chief. He still ranks in the top 3 in most categories among all Chiefs quarterbacks. When your competition is two of the greatest QBs of all-time in Patrick Mahomes and Hall-of-Famer Len Dawson, that’s not bad.
- No. 235 (1986): S Michael Zordich
- The Chargers selected Zordich at No. 235 in the 9th Round of the 1986 NFL Draft, but he never appeared in a game for San Diego. San Diego released him at the end of the 1986 preseason. He then played 2 mediocre seasons with the New York Jets. Zordich revived his career with the Phoenix (now Arizona) Cardinals, playing 5 solid seasons before signing with the Eagles to finish his career. All in all, Zordich played 12 seasons, missing just 1 game throughout his career.
OG Ed White (No. 39 – 1969) and WR Keenan Allen (No. 76 – 2013) Also Featured on Best Draft Picks List
OG Ed White may not be in the Hall of Fame, but he is one of the most underrated players in league history. In fact, the Pro Football Researchers Association inducted him in the 2019 class of their Hall of Very Good.
White started his career with the Minnesota Vikings, making 8 playoff appearances in his 9 seasons, including 4 Super Bowl runs. Unfortunately, the Vikings – along with the Chargers – are among the 12 teams to have never won a Super Bowl. The Bills are more (in)famous for their 4 consecutive Super Bowl losses from 1991-1994. But, the Vikings are tied for the most appearances without a win (4).
The Chargers made a shrewd move to trade RB Rickey Young for White in 1978. While he only made 1 Pro Bowl and 1 All-Pro (Second-Team) during his time in San Diego, White was one of their most consistent performers. He missed 6 total games during his career, playing 241 games over 17 years. At the time of his retirement, White held the all-time record for the most games played by an offensive lineman.
While he is not in the Vikings Ring of Honor, White earned a spot on Minnesota’s 25th Anniversary Team in 1985 and 40th Anniversary Team in 2000, as well as a spot on the 50 Greatest Vikings list in 2010.
The Chargers inducted White into their Hall of Fame in 2004 and he earned a spot on their 40th Anniversary Team in 2000 and 50th Anniversary Team in 2009.
While he’s no longer on the team, WR Keenan Allen is the only active player on the list who was drafted by the Chargers. Allen ranks 2nd in team history in both receptions (904) and yards (10,530) and 3rd in touchdowns (59).
The 12-year veteran beat out 4-time Pro Bowler Ahman Green for the best draft pick at No. 76. Solak gave Allen the edge “for doing most of his damage with the team that drafted him, whereas Green was a Seahawk for two seasons before landing with the Packers.”
Allen burst onto the scene in 2013, setting Chargers rookie records for receptions (71) and yards (1,046) and finishing 2nd in team history among rookies with 8 receiving touchdowns. While Ladd McConkey broke Allen’s records last season, he’ll have a long way to go to surpass Pittsburgh Steelers Hall-of-Fame LB Jack Ham as the best draft pick at No. 34.
11 Chargers Featured on ESPN’s List of Best Draft Picks at Each Slot