Does Field Yates replace Justin Herbert with Chargers’ No. 1 pick in ESPN mini-mock?

Denny Medley-Imagn ImagesDoes Field Yates replace Justin Herbert with Chargers’ No. 1 pick in ESPN mini-mock? appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Los Angeles Chargers have been a disaster so far during the 2026 NFL season, currently sitting at 0-6 after a recent road loss vs the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chargers’ offense, led by quarterback Justin Herbert, has been abysmal, falling well short of expectations under new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.Some have wondered whether the Chargers might consider moving on from Herbert altogether after this season, especially if they end up with the top pick in a quarterback-loaded 2027 NFL Draft.However, one person not on board with this idea is ESPN analyst Field Yates, who instead projected the team to take wide receiver Jeremiah Smith if they end up with the number one overall pick next year, per his account on X, formerly Twitter.Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)Smith has established himself as one of the top wide receiver prospects in recent college football history for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and likely would have been a first-round pick had he been able to leave for the NFL after just his freshman season.While Herbert has certainly made plenty of mistakes this year, he hasn’t had a ton of help from his wide receiver room, which continues to be among the worst in the NFL in terms of drops and an overall lack of dynamic playmaking. Smith would immediately help solve those problems if he were to join the fold, and drafting him would seemingly let the Chargers give things another go with Herbert and McDaniel next season.While Chargers fans likely didn’t envision themselves being in contention for the number one overall pick this year, adding a player like Smith certainly wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize.Related: Chargers’ biggest problem to fix during 2026 bye weekRelated: Chargers rumors: Mike McDaniel is first in firing line, but Jim Harbaugh buzz is getting louder