LOS ANGELES _ The Los Angeles Chargers parted ways with Philip Rivers after having him as their quarterback for 14 seasons. They hope they acquired their next long-term starter at the position Thursday when they selected Justin Herbert with the sixth overall pick in the NFL draft.
Coming out of Oregon, Herbert is expected to sit behind Tyrod Taylor to start the 2020 season and be given an opportunity to learn the position at the NFL level. The Chargers were linked with Herbert for the past several weeks, a team in need of a future quarterback logically connected to one who is athletic and 6 feet 6 and 236 pounds.
The Chargers later traded into the first round, getting the 23rd pick from New England for second- and third-round picks (No. 37 and No. 71) and took Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr.
In four years in the Pac-12 Conference, Herbert played 43 games and threw nearly 1,300 passes. As a senior, he passed for 3,471 yards with 32 touchdowns and six interceptions while leading the Ducks to a 12-2 record.
The biggest questions surrounding Herbert involve his leadership ability and anticipation on certain throws.
The Chargers also had been linked to former Alabama star Tua Tagovailoa, who is coming back from a season-ending hip injury. He was drafted at No. 5 by Miami.
With Tagovailoa off the board, the Chargers were able to pick the quarterback with the cleaner health record.
