Chargers Take QB Max Duggan At No. 239

The Chargers’ first- and fourth-round rookie wide receivers should have a familiar face throwing to them at rookie minicamp as Los Angeles has selected TCU quarterback Max Duggan in the seventh round at No. 239 overall. Duggan is the eighth Horned Frog taken in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Duggan was a four-year starter in Fort Worth who broke out in his senior year. Duggan’s breakout year saw him take TCU to the College Football Playoff National Championship game where the overmatched Horned Frogs ran into the buzzsaw that was the Georgia Bulldogs. His disaster game occurred in what will now be his new home stadium, SoFi Stadium.

The blowout loss in the season finale shouldn’t overshadow a stellar senior season in which Duggan completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 3,698 yards and 32 touchdowns while only tossing eight interceptions. Duggan adds an element on the ground, as well, rushing for 1,856 yards and 28 touchdowns over his four years in college.

The Chargers are obviously set at quarterback with Justin Herbert returning for a fourth season. Los Angeles picked up Herbert’s fifth-year option but are hoping they won’t need it as they continue to work on extending the 25-year-old. The team had used Chase Daniel as a backup passer in recent years, but with Daniel remaining a free agent, Easton Stick, who hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since 2020, is the only other quarterback on the roster.

Duggan obviously won’t be expected to challenge Herbert for a starting position, but he can push Stick for the backup job. Despite Stick’s experience of being with the team since 2019, Duggan brings a familiarity and chemistry with two of the team’s new targets. He, Quentin Johnston, and Derius Davis will be following in the footsteps of Chargers legend LaDainian Tomlinson, wearing the Bolt on their helmet after college in Fort Worth.