Chargers GM indicates they were happy with Justin Herbert or Tua Tagovailoa at No. 6
You’ll never hear a general manager publicly admit they coveted another player over the one they drafted. It just won’t happen.
But what Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said about the No. 6 pick was noteworthy in its own way.
Telesco, on former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee’s show, indicated that the Chargers would have been happy with Justin Herbert or Tua Tagovailoa with the sixth pick. The Miami Dolphins took Tagovailoa fifth, and the Chargers selected Herbert.
The team would have been happy had that flipped.
Chargers had options at No. 6
While Telesco’s answer to what the Chargers would have done at No. 6 wasn’t quite a definitive statement, he seemed to say that his team would have drafted either quarterback.
Telesco was asked by McAfee if Tua would have been the pick at No. 6 had Herbert gone to the Dolphins.
“Yeah, we felt great about both guys. Well actually, we felt great about all three quarterbacks that went in the top six,” Telesco said. “All three are going to be really good quarterbacks in this league.”
BREAKING: Tua would have been a member of the @Chargers if the #Dolphins took Herbert at 5
GM Tom Telesco confirms #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/ZEqeqFUmva— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 28, 2020
We heard rumors before the draft about teams taking Tagovailoa off their boards because of his hip injury suffered last season. It probably speaks well to Tagovailoa’s medical reports that, after the Cincinnati Bengals took Joe Burrow first overall, the two teams with the clearest quarterback needs at the top of the first round were both comfortable picking Tagovailoa in the top six.
It’s also interesting to note that the Chargers never were aggressive in pursuing a veteran quarterback, letting it be known they were comfortable with Tyrod Taylor. There had to be some nervous moments leading up to the draft. What if a team jumped ahead of Miami and took a quarterback at No. 3, and then the Dolphins took the other at No. 5?
The Chargers didn’t panic and got a new quarterback of the future.
Chargers were prepared for multiple scenarios
Telesco talked about hearing various rumors, including a ridiculous one that the Dolphins could move up to the third pick for an offensive tackle.
No, Telesco didn’t believe that one either.
“The whole Miami taking a tackle at [No.] 3, maybe they really were, I just didn’t believe that one,” Telesco told McAfee. “But I don’t really know.”
But teams can’t know for sure what will happen. The Chargers were prepared for all scenarios. And they seemed to be fine with any of them, as long as they got their quarterback.
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