Among the players that the Chargers are believed to have on the radar with the third overall pick of the draft is Ole Miss tackle Laremy Tunsil, who some thought would go first overall had the Titans not traded the pick to the Rams so Los Angeles can take a quarterback.
With the Eagles drafting another quarterback at No. 2, Tunsil will be there for the Chargers if they want him. Any decision on that front is going to be impacted by how the Chargers view current left tackle King Dunlap and right tackle Joe Barksdale. They like Barksdale enough that they signed him to a four-year extension with $10.5 million guaranteed this offseason and they reworked Dunlap’s contract to guarantee him $3.3 million after an injury-plagued 2015 season.
Dunlap missed six games with an ankle injury and three more with a concussion while making it to the end of just two starts over the course of the season. The concussion was Dunlap’s third since 2013, but he insists all is well heading into next season.
“I’m good,” Dunlap said, via the San Diego Union-Tribune. “As far as I’m concerned, if I have another one, that’s not the end. ... I appreciate people being concerned, but I’m fine. I feel great. The ankle is good, head is good. Concussions, they happen. We play a contact sport. I’m ready to roll. Missing as many games as I did last year, I’m ready to roll.”
The Chargers are surely using criteria beyond Dunlap’s opinion to assess both his current health and the likelihood that he’ll be able to hold up in this and the two other seasons left on his contract. If they share Dunlap’s optimism, boosting the defense would seem to be a good way to go with the third pick.
