After the departure of Thomas Davis and Jatavis Brown, as well as noting that Denzel Perryman has one more year remaining on his contract and knowing that there could be durability concerns with Kyzir White, the linebacker group needs some attention.
Coach Anthony Lynn also made the point at the combine that he was looking to add more depth. Given his remarks and the question marks that have yet to be answered, the Chargers could address the position as early as Round 1 or on Day 3.
With that being said, here is a linebacker from each round that could fit in Los Angeles:
Round 1 | Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
A Swiss-Army Knife for the Tigers, Simmons lined up all over the field, posting 299 reps at inside linebacker, 262 at slot cornerback, 132 at free safety, 116 at outside linebacker, and 100 at strong safety, according to Pro Football Focus.
In three seasons, Simmons had 238 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 20 passes defensed, six forced fumbles, four interceptions and one fumble recovery.
Similar to safety Derwin James, Simmons is a do-it-all defender who can defend the run, turn-and-run with positional players in coverage and blitz off the edge. His multi-dimensional and rare skillset would give the Chargers one of the best defenses in the league.
My Top NFL Draft LB Prospect:
Isaiah Simmons – Clemson rsJR
Awards:
Butkus – Best LB (19’)
ACC DPOY (19’)Accomplishments:
National Champion (18’)
All-American (19’)
First-team All-ACC (19’) pic.twitter.com/JWqjiJV2It— Boom, It’s Football! (@BoomItsFBALL) April 8, 2020