Davon Hamilton could be mid-round nose tackle Chargers need

Meet the former Ohio State product the Los Angeles Chargers could use in the middle of their defense.

The Chargers have been making the point to address the interior defensive line the past couple of years.

Los Angeles drafted Justin Jones in the third-round of the 2018 NFL Draft, and followed that up with Jerry Tillery in the first-round and Cortez Broughton in the seventh-round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

While they’ve spent draft capitol on shoring up the position, Jones, Tillery and Broughton are suited best as three-techniques. Meanwhile, the depth at the 0-1 technique (nose tackle) is mightily thin.

Brandon Mebane has been a steady presence for three years, but Mebane missed seven games over the past two seasons and he only has one more year left on his contract.

Damion Square and Sylvester Williams, both of whom were reliable contributors at the nose tackle position this past season, are both set to become free agents this month.

So, while it may not be a pressing need this offseason, it still needs to be addressed at some point. Former Ohio State’s Davon Hamilton has the makeup to be a nice addition in the mid-late rounds of the upcoming draft.

The 6-foot-3 and 320 pounder served as the Buckeye’s nose tackle in their 4-3 scheme. He has a wide frame with a thick lower half, where he uses that to overpower offensive linemen at the point of attack.

In 54 career games, starting 17 of them, Hamilton amassed 66 tackles, 33 quarterback pressures, 21 tackles for loss and eight sacks, six of those coming in the 2019 season.

Even though he is a large human being, Hamilton is athletic and his testing from the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine backed it up.

Hamilton ran the 40-yard dash in 5.14 seconds and the 3-cone drill in 7.72 seconds. He also showed off his hops, posting the best vertical jump among defensive tackles (29.5 inches). The Ohio native was also fluid as ever in the on-field drills.

Even though Hamilton has one year as a starter in his final collegiate campaign, he finally came into his own that year and during his week at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, giving NFL evaluators the feeling that the best is yet to come.

If the Chargers wanted to use one of their draft picks on Hamilton, they’d be getting a tough, seasoned veteran who is a space-eater to dominate against the run, as well as someone that can get to the quarterback with a powerful punch and bullrush.