Will it be Jalen Ramsey, the uber-athletic Florida State defensive back? Will it be DeForest Buckner, the mammoth Oregon defensive end? Or how about Mississippi edge protector Laremy Tunsil, Ohio State edge rusher Joey Bosa or UCLA safety-linebacker Myles Jack?

This is the scenario for the Chargers, the pick of the litter.

They’re all but officially on the clock.

San Diego will have its choice April 28 between the draft’s non-quarterbacks. That became clear Wednesday morning when the Browns and Eagles finalized a trade for the No. 2 pick, the latter sparing no expense to select either North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz or California quarterback Jared Goff — whoever is left after the Rams go quarterback at No. 1. This leaves an open table for the Chargers at three.


Never convinced the Browns would select a quarterback ahead of them, the Chargers prepared for the possibility the top player on their draft board might not fall to No. 3. In that scenario, either Goff or Wentz would, and suddenly, they’d be the team in position to trade down, compiling picks from a team like the Eagles.

Imagine that.

Philadelphia dealt a 2016 third- and fourth-round pick, a 2017 first-round choice and a 2018 second-round pick to swap out its No. 8 overall selection. Along with the No. 2 pick, the Browns spared a 2017 fourth-round choice to complete the deal.

A similar offer could have been the Chargers’.


Is that a stretch? Before you say yes, here is how close to the No. 2 overall pick they came.

They played the Browns in Week 4 last year, entering without three starting offensive linemen in left tackle King Dunlap, left guard Orlando Franklin and center Chris Watt. Then, they lost Malcom Floyd (concussion) and Stevie Johnson (hamstring); only two wide receivers remained available two minutes into the third quarter. The offense leaned on its tight end group, which didn’t include a suspended Antonio Gates or any player, for that matter, on the roster today. Later in the third quarter, they were left with two cornerbacks; Brandon Flowers suffered a concussion after Jason Verrett (foot) had been ruled out during pre-game warmups.

No one knew at the time, but this game would be the difference in who’d have the No. 2 pick, which carried a superior negotiating position for trading down.

As regulation expired, with the game tied at 27, Chargers kicker Josh Lambo missed a 39-yard field goal. An offside call whose legitimacy the Browns later would protest — they felt cornerback Tramon Williams correctly timed the snap — gave Lambo another chance from 34. He made it, and the Chargers won. It’s clear now they also became less likely to acquire the type of draft-pick compensation Cleveland collected Wednesday from Philadelphia, the type Tennessee collected last week from Los Angeles.


So it goes.

None of this detracts from the trades’ upside for the Chargers, who are now assured to find the top-ranked prospect on their draft board available at No. 3.

Unless they trade down, he’ll become a Charger. The only remaining question is that player’s identity: Ramsey? Buckner? Tunsil, Bosa or Jack?

Essentially, San Diego is now on the clock.