There’s nothing quite as invigorating for an NFL franchise as a homegrown quarterback with early success.

The Chargers and their fan base are in need of a jolt. They’re tired of hearing the redundant jokes about not being wanted in Los Angeles or not having any Super Bowl trophies.

A fresh start with new uniforms, logos, a 70,000-seat stadium, and of course, a different quarterback can solve their issues. But just because the Chargers’ to-be-determined starting quarterback won’t be named Philip Rivers doesn’t make it new. It has to be a fresh face for the entire league.

The Chargers made it obvious they were looking for an alluring quarterback during their failed quest for Tom Brady in free agency. But that received mixed reviews from Chargers fans on social media.

It would have been a strange pairing because for many years Brady was the enemy. The former Patriot crushed Chargers fans’ hearts multiple times in the postseason by defeating Rivers and his talented squads. Many Chargers fans cheered when Brady spurned their team for Tampa Bay, and became excited about the possibility of finding Rivers’ replacement in the draft. Rivers now plays for the Indianapolis Colts after 16 seasons with the Chargers.

Some fans are still holding hope for the Chargers to sign free-agent quarterback Cam Newton. But remember the jolt Newton provided for the Carolina Panthers in 2011? More recently, that’s what Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson have provided for the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, respectively.

Mahomes won the Super Bowl at age 24. Now Chiefs fans are counting how many titles they could win with him for the next decade plus.

Jackson is coming off an electrifying MVP season that attracted a national audience. He and the Ravens came up short this past postseason, but with Jackson being 23, they’ll likely get more cracks at winning it all.

The Chargers can get that same tantalizing experience with their No. 6 overall pick in next week’s NFL draft.

Of course, it’s all a guessing game at this point, but the trail tracks are there, and the Chargers are heading in the direction of a specific quarterback.

If NFL commissioner Roger Goodell takes a deep breath before reading the Chargers’ pick from his basement in New York during the stay-at-home draft, it probably means he’s going to attempt to say Tuanigamanuolepola Tagovailoa.

Perhaps Goodell takes the safe approach and goes with Tua, the Alabama quarterback’s common name. But if the Chargers are able to land Tagovailoa, they went opposite of the safe approach.

There’s risk involved in selecting Tagovailoa for multiple reasons, but it seems the Chargers are willing to roll the dice on him.

If star power is a priority for the Chargers, Tagovailoa might have the most of it from the draft prospects, even more than LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. Tagovailoa played in back-to-back national championship games at Alabama and #TankforTua was trending on social media before the 2019 season, but then Tagovailoa dislocated his hip in November.

Burrow went on to capture the Heisman Trophy and a national title to end the 2019 season, and he’ll likely be the Cincinnati Bengals’ selection when they’re on the clock to open the draft.

Burrow, an Ohio native, would get to stay home, and Tagovailoa would get to return to the Pacific coast if the Chargers selected him. The Hawaii native prioritizes being close to family and had USC as his top college choice before his father pushed for Alabama.

From box office and geographical perspectives, a Tua-Chargers pairing makes plenty of sense. But, of course, there are the medical hurdles.

Tagovailoa has said he no longer has football restrictions five months removed from hip surgery and would be ready to compete for a starting job in 2020. He supported that by having his own Pro Day last week and sending the film to teams.

Tagovailoa has said all the right things, but no team is going to feel certain without having their own doctors conduct physicals and that’s not an option this year because of the coronavirus restrictions.

But Chargers coach Anthony Lynn didn’t see this as a concern when asked about Tagovailoa and his injury history.

“They have the school physicals,” Lynn said last month. “They have other physicals at the combine. We have enough doctors and enough paperwork to know how healthy a guy is, I believe. You always feel better when you have your personnel. You bring them in for your own physical and all that, but you’re just going to have to rely on some other people this time.”

Lynn said he got a chance to speak with Tagovailoa and the other top quarterback prospects at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. Perhaps that was enough for him and the Chargers to move forward with the idea of landing Tagovailoa.

With Tagovailoa being left handed, the right side of the offensive line is more critical than the left. The Chargers prioritized that by signing Bryan Bulaga, one of the best right tackles in the NFL the past decade with the Green Bay Packers. They also traded their two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Russell Okung to the Carolina Panthers for five-time Pro Bowl right guard Trai Turner.

So far the Chargers haven’t been in a rush to find Okung’s replacement. Trey Pipkins, last year’s third-round selection, could be an option at left tackle, and the Chargers recently agreed to terms with Storm Norton, who played for the XFL’s Los Angeles Wildcats and was viewed as the best left tackle in the short-lived league.

If what Tagovailoa is saying is true and he’s able to play right away, he fits the Chargers’ scheme and personnel.

Wide receiver Keenan Allen and running back Austin Ekeler thrive on spacing and timing. Tagovailoa’s strengths are accuracy and reading defenses.

Here’s how Daniel Jeremiah, an NFL Network draft expert and Chargers radio analyst, described Tagovailoa on his top 50 draft board: “He doesn’t have an overpowering arm, but he can still place balls in tight windows. He understands how to hold and manipulate safeties with his eyes. He makes good decisions in the RPO game. He is a nifty runner, but he prefers to buy time behind the line and remain in passing mode.

“He did struggle with identifying some underneath defenders when in the red zone. He is coming off a serious hip injury and that must be factored into his evaluation. Overall, Tua is the ultimate point guard. If he can remain healthy, he has the potential to be one of the NFL’s most efficient passers.”

Lynn is known for operating run-heavy schemes with run-pass options, but he likely wants to blend that with a traditional style, and that could be why he kept Shane Steichen as his offensive coordinator.

Steichen spent the past four seasons working with Rivers and Ken Whisenhunt, who was fired as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator in October. Steichen proved he can get the running game going with a traditional pocket passer during his eight games as the interim play-caller last season.

Tagovailoa plays like a West Coast offense quarterback with modern updates. He can run when needed, but waits to take off until after checking his second and third reads.

And to connect the dots even more, Tagovailoa has spent the past few months training in Nashville with Whisenhunt and Trent Dilfer, a former quarterback who won a Super Bowl with the Ravens in 2000.

The evidence is there. The Chargers want Tagovailoa, but if he’s truly their top choice, the last decision the team will need to make by April 23 is whether to trade up from No. 6 to No. 3 to ensure that they get him.

The Chargers have the luxury of having quarterback Tyrod Taylor on their roster, and could pair him with a different rookie quarterback such as Oregon’s Justin Herbert. So the Chargers aren’t in a desperate situation. But remember that invigorating jolt that could solve many of the Chargers’ issues?

Sometimes you have to part with a lot to ensure a bright future. The Chargers would need to give up draft picks and perhaps a player or two to strike a deal with the Detroit Lions, who own the No. 3 pick and already have a franchise quarterback in Matthew Stafford. For example, the New York Jets traded three second-round picks to the Indianapolis Colts to move up from No. 6 to select quarterback Sam Darnold third overall in 2018.

But the Chargers might not have to bid against the Miami Dolphins, who own three first-round picks, one being the fifth overall selection. They have many needs to fill on their roster, and reports are starting to emerge of the Dolphins being high on Herbert.

If that’s true, the Chargers would still be wise to call the Lions in case other teams like the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars try to pounce on Tagovailoa.

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Chiefs can relate to Chargers’ QB dilemma with Tyrod Taylor, Justin Herbert Chargers general manager Tom Telesco isn’t known for trading draft picks, but this has been a unique offseason for them and they’ve already shown they’re willing to go after star quarterbacks.

Don’t be surprised if Telesco trades up to No. 3 before the draft to avoid any glitches during this unusual draft. And if that’s the case, you already know what name will be on that card.

Goodell would just need to decide how he wants to pronounce Tagovailoa’s first name.