Los Angeles Chargers
Battle card · first-round draft history, season-by-season record, and how Chargers top picks have shaped the franchise.
R1 Picks
55
Hall of Famers
3
5.5% hit rate
Avg pick slot
15.1
Highest pick
#1
Eli Manning · 2004
All-time record
419–453–5
0.481 win %
Playoff seasons
17
of 56
The Story
- Los Angeles Chargers have made 55 first-round selections and produced 3 Hall of Famers (5.5% hit rate).
- Their highest selection on record is #1 overall in 2004, when they took Eli Manning.
- Across 56 seasons in this dataset they have a 419-453-5 record (0.481) and reached the playoffs 17 times.
- In seasons after holding at least one top-10 pick, Los Angeles Chargers added an average of 1.6 wins versus the prior year (17 such seasons in the data).
- Their most-drafted position group is DB, taken 11 times in Round 1.
- Texas is their go-to talent pipeline, supplying 3 first-round picks.
- Their best season was 2006: 14-2-0 (+189 point differential).
- Their worst was 2000: 1-15-0 (-171 point differential).
Wins per Season
R1 Pick Slot by Year
Position Breakdown
Point Differential by Season
Impact of Top-10 Picks (Next-Season Wins Delta)
| Draft Year | Pick | Player | Prior-Year Wins | New-Year Wins | Delta | HoF? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | #2 | Bo Matthews | 2 | 5 | +3 | |
| 1975 | #8 | Gary Johnson | 5 | 2 | -3 | |
| 1976 | #4 | Joe Washington | 2 | 6 | +4 | |
| 1983 | #5 | Billy Ray Smith | 6 | 6 | +0 | |
| 1984 | #6 | Mossy Cade | 6 | 7 | +1 | |
| 1986 | #8 | Leslie O'Neal | 8 | 4 | -4 | |
| 1989 | #8 | Burt Grossman | 6 | 6 | +0 | |
| 1990 | #5 | Junior Seau | 6 | 6 | +0 | HoF |
| 1991 | #9 | Stanley Richard | 6 | 4 | -2 | |
| 1998 | #2 | Ryan Leaf | 4 | 5 | +1 | |
| 2001 | #5 | LaDainian Tomlinson | 1 | 5 | +4 | HoF |
| 2002 | #5 | Quentin Jammer | 5 | 8 | +3 | |
| 2004 | #1 | Eli Manning | 4 | 12 | +8 | |
| 2016 | #3 | Joey Bosa | 4 | 5 | +1 | |
| 2017 | #7 | Mike Williams | 5 | 9 | +4 | |
| 2020 | #6 | Justin Herbert | 5 | 7 | +2 | |
| 2024 | #5 | Joe Alt | 5 | 11 | +6 |
Hall of Fame Selections
| Year | Pick | Player | Pos | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | #13 | Kellen Winslow | TE | Missouri |
| 1990 | #5 | Junior Seau | LB | USC |
| 2001 | #5 | LaDainian Tomlinson | RB | TCU |
Every First-Round Pick
| Year | Pick | Player | Pos | College | HoF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | #15 | Walker Gillette | WR | Richmond | |
| 1971 | #13 | Leon Burns | RB | Long Beach St. | |
| 1973 | #25 | Johnny Rodgers | WR | Nebraska | |
| 1974 | #2 | Bo Matthews | RB | Colorado | |
| 1974 | #15 | Don Goode | LB | Kansas | |
| 1975 | #8 | Gary Johnson | DT | Grambling St. | |
| 1975 | #22 | Mike Williams | DB | LSU | |
| 1976 | #4 | Joe Washington | RB | Oklahoma | |
| 1977 | #24 | Bob Rush | C | Memphis | |
| 1978 | #14 | John Jefferson | WR | Arizona St. | |
| 1979 | #13 | Kellen Winslow | TE | Missouri | HoF |
| 1981 | #24 | James Brooks | RB | Auburn | |
| 1983 | #5 | Billy Ray Smith | LB | Arkansas | |
| 1983 | #20 | Gary Anderson | RB | Arkansas | |
| 1983 | #22 | Gill Byrd | DB | San Jose St. | |
| 1984 | #6 | Mossy Cade | DB | Texas | |
| 1985 | #12 | Jim Lachey | T | Ohio St. | |
| 1986 | #8 | Leslie O'Neal | DE | Oklahoma St. | |
| 1986 | #13 | James FitzPatrick | T | USC | |
| 1987 | #24 | Rod Bernstine | RB | Texas A&M | |
| 1988 | #15 | Anthony Miller | WR | Tennessee | |
| 1989 | #8 | Burt Grossman | DE | Pittsburgh | |
| 1990 | #5 | Junior Seau | LB | USC | HoF |
| 1991 | #9 | Stanley Richard | DB | Texas | |
| 1992 | #23 | Chris Mims | DE | Tennessee | |
| 1993 | #22 | Darrien Gordon | DB | Stanford | |
| 1998 | #2 | Ryan Leaf | QB | Washington St. | |
| 2001 | #5 | LaDainian Tomlinson | RB | TCU | HoF |
| 2002 | #5 | Quentin Jammer | DB | Texas | |
| 2003 | #30 | Sammy Davis | DB | Texas A&M | |
| 2004 | #1 | Eli Manning | QB | Mississippi | |
| 2005 | #12 | Shawne Merriman | LB | Maryland | |
| 2005 | #28 | Luis Castillo | DE | Northwestern | |
| 2006 | #19 | Antonio Cromartie | DB | Florida St. | |
| 2007 | #30 | Craig Davis | WR | LSU | |
| 2008 | #27 | Antoine Cason | DB | Arizona | |
| 2009 | #16 | Larry English | LB | Northern Illinois | |
| 2010 | #12 | Ryan Mathews | RB | Fresno St. | |
| 2011 | #18 | Corey Liuget | DT | Illinois | |
| 2012 | #18 | Melvin Ingram | DE | South Carolina | |
| 2013 | #11 | D.J. Fluker | T | Alabama | |
| 2014 | #25 | Jason Verrett | DB | TCU | |
| 2015 | #15 | Melvin Gordon | RB | Wisconsin | |
| 2016 | #3 | Joey Bosa | DE | Ohio St. | |
| 2017 | #7 | Mike Williams | WR | Clemson | |
| 2018 | #17 | Derwin James | S | Florida St. | |
| 2019 | #28 | Jerry Tillery | DT | Notre Dame | |
| 2020 | #6 | Justin Herbert | QB | Oregon | |
| 2020 | #23 | Kenneth Murray | LB | Oklahoma | |
| 2021 | #13 | Rashawn Slater | OL | Northwestern | |
| 2022 | #17 | Zion Johnson | G | Boston Col. | |
| 2023 | #21 | Quentin Johnston | WR | TCU | |
| 2024 | #5 | Joe Alt | OL | Notre Dame | |
| 2025 | #22 | Omarion Hampton | RB | North Carolina | |
| 2026 | #22 | Akheem Mesidor | DE | Miami (FL) |