Category: Chargers mock draft

Chargers post-2022 NFL Scouting Combine 4-round mock draft

The Chargers bolster the defensive side of the ball and add a dynamic receiver and return specialist.

The 2022 NFL Scouting Combine is officially in the books. So how will it affect the Chargers’ draft plans?

Below are my latest four-round projections.

Round 1, No. 17, EDGE David Ojabo, Michigan

The Chargers could go in various directions with their first-round pick, whether that be defensive tackle, cornerback, wide receiver, offensive tackle, or like they do here by addressing the edge defender room.

Uchenna Nwosu is a prime candidate to be re-signed when free agency begins next week, but this is a league where you can’t have too many pass rushers in today’s NFL.

Wreaking havoc opposite the potential No. 1 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson, Ojabo posted 11 sacks and five forced fumbles in his final season for the Wolverines.

While he needs to get stronger to hold up against the run consistently, Ojabo is long and flexible with explosiveness off the snap, lateral agility, and closing burst to get after the quarterback at a high level.

The 6-foot-4 and 250 pound Ojabo showed off his elite athletic traits in Indy, posting a 4.55 40, 35-inch vertical jump, 10-foot-2 broad jump, and 4.45-second shuttle.

Round 2, No. 48, DT Phidarian Mathis, Alabama

Georgia’s Jordan Davis should be high on the Chargers’ draft board after he tested out of this world, but the Ravens already took him in this simulation. So instead, the team lands another stud interior defender.

Mathis amassed 53 total tackles, nine sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and two blocked passes in 2021. He received second-team All-SEC and All-American honors.

With his length, violent hands, lower-body strength, lateral agility, and ability to anchor, Mathis can create interior pressure just as well as he can defend the run at the next level, drawing parallels to Akiem Hicks.

Mathis did not run the 40-yard dash but still finished fifth in the broad jump (9-foot-11) among defensive tackles. Mathis was also a top performer in the 20-yard shuttle (4.91 seconds).

Round 3, No. 79, CB Coby Bryant, Cincinnati

“Corner is definitely going to be something that we’re looking at. We’re always going to be looking at it as long as I’m the head coach,” Brandon Staley said at his presser at the Combine.

This is a position that the Chargers could address in Round 1 if Derek Stingley, Sauce Gardner, or Trent McDuffie are available. But if they’re not, they could still take one on Day 2, especially if they land a starting corner in free agency.

Overshadowed by the impressive resume of  Gardner, Bryant ended a strong five-year career for the Bearcats on a high note, being named the Jim Thorpe Award winner.

Strong in both man and zone coverage, Bryant has the size and length coupled with the smooth footwork, physicality, and confidence at the catch point to be a solid contributor early on in this league.

Round 4, No. 121, WR Velus Jones Jr., Tennessee

The Chargers need speed in the wide receiver room and they finally fulfill that to kick off Day 3 with one of the workout warriors from this past week at the Combine.

At 5-foot-11 and 207 pounds, Jones ran a blazing 4.31 40, which marked the fourth-fastest among all participants at the event.

Jones was a 2019 All-Pac-12 performer at USC before becoming a 2021 All-SEC selection with the Vols, where he was a dynamic receiver and a return specialist at Tennessee.

In 2021, Jones had 62 receptions for 807 yards and seven touchdowns. He also finished as the FBS active leader with 2,973 kick return yards.

Not only would he give Los Angeles the speed on offense, but he would be a strong candidate to fill in as the kickoff returner if Andre Roberts is not re-signed.

Chargers add another weapon for Justin Herbert in Daniel Jeremiah’s second mock draft

The Chargers get a big-play threat in Daniel Jeremiah’s 2022 NFL mock draft 2.0.

In NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah’s first mock draft, the Chargers took Northern Iowa offensive tackle Trevor Penning.

In his second one, Los Angeles addresses the same side of the ball but goes in a different direction by getting Justin Herbert another weapon in Ohio State’s Chris Olave, the San Diego native.

The Chargers have a solid WR corps (they need to re-sign pending free agent Mike Williams) but they lack a big-time deep threat. Olave would be a perfect fit.

This offseason, the defensive line, right tackle and cornerback position are arguably the most pressing needs for L.A. Still, the team could be aggressive in free agency to fulfill them, giving them flexibility in the first round.

Mike Williams’ future with the Chargers is currently up in the air, as he waits to see if he will be franchise tagged, re-signed to a long-term contract, or let go of to test the market.

Regardless, even if Williams is brought back, the wide receiver room is still lacking a true field-stretcher, something that Olave would bring to the table.

In his senior season in 2021, Olave enjoyed his most productive campaign, finishing with 65 catches, 936 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns.

Olave shows the good route running and savvy to consistently separate and make himself an open target and the top-end speed to win vertically, with ball skills to reel in everything thrown his way.

Two-Round Tuesday: Chargers address CB, OT in latest mock draft

The Chargers address both sides of the ball in the latest two-round 2022 NFL mock draft.

Sitting at 8-6, the Chargers are on the verge of making the playoffs. Therefore, it would not be surprising if the offseason is the last thing on fans’ minds.

Nonetheless, it is bound to creep up before you know it, which means the roster reconstruction will be in full effect.

Until then, I am going to introduce prospects that general manager Tom Telesco could look to draft next April.

With that being said, here is my latest two-round projection that sees the Bolts take a cornerback and right tackle.

How Chargers can address early-season positions of need in 2022 NFL draft

Highlighting how the Chargers can go about addressing some of their positions of need in next year’s draft.

As the saying goes, draft day is every day.

It may be only the seventh week of the NFL season, and the Chargers look like a playoff contender at 4-2, but it is never too early to look at the direction the team could go to continue to build an already stout roster.

While this mock is very early, positional needs are bound to change. However, we still get the sense based on what we have seen in the games thus far and players that are bound to be free agents.

With that being said, I used The Draft Network’s mock draft simulator to take a crack at predicting what L.A. might do come next April.

Let’s dive into the three-round mock draft!

Round 1, No. 29, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Ohio State

The Chargers hit a home run with the selection of Rashawn Slater, who already looks like one of the better left tackles in this league. Now, Los Angeles must look to find the long-term solution on the opposite side, with Bryan Bulaga’s future in L.A. up in the air.

General manager Tom Telesco showed us last offseason that he is all in on investing in quarterback Justin Herbert, which is why he could choose to solidify the spot early on in the draft if he does not go with a veteran via free agency.

Following a season where he performed well as the Buckeye’s right tackle, Petit-Frere moved over as the team’s blindside blocker and has been nothing short of dominant in 2021 against top-tier competition.

At 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, Petit-Frere looks the part with great length and plays with athleticism, flexibility, strength, and lower body explosion, controlling rushers in pass protection and moving bodies in the run game.

Since 2019, Petit-Frere has not allowed a quarterback hit in over 500 pass-block snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Round 2, No. 62, DT Devonte Wyatt, Georgia

The most glaring issue for the Chargers up to this point in the season is the run defense. Not only do they lack the talent, but they could be lacking serious depth next offseason, considering Linval Joseph, Justin Jones, and Christian Covington are all slated to be free agents.

With that in mind, this is a position that could be addressed in the first round but since making sure that Herbert has all the tools to succeed takes priority, Los Angeles addresses the interior part of the defensive line in the following round.

Jordan Davis, Wyatt’s teammate, has received the majority of the buzz. However, Wyatt has played his way into early-round consideration, having led the Bulldogs’ interior defensive linemen in tackles each of the past two seasons and currently up to 10 quarterback hits in 2021.

According to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, Wyatt’s most impressive testing number is the 4.87 40 he clocked last offseason. He also vertical jumped 31 inches and broad jumped 9-3.

At 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, Wyatt plays with the first-step quickness, leverage, lateral agility, and play strength at the point of attack to make an impact in all phases. In addition, he has the versatility to line up anywhere from the zero-to-five technique.

Round 3, No. 93, EDGE Jeffrey Gunter, Coastal Carolina

With both Kyler Fackrell and Uchenna Nwosu’s contracts expiring after the season, the position could very well be near the top of the team’s priority list.

After spending the 2019 season on the sidelines, Gunter followed that up with 12.5 tackles for loss and six sacks last fall. In addition, he led the nation with six forced fumbles in 2020.

Standing at 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, Gunter has a combination of explosion, power, and usage of length to create consistent pressure on the quarterback and impact the run. Furthermore, last season he tallied almost 100 coverage snaps.

Up to this point in the season, Gunter is third in Pro Football Focus’ “win percentage,” which is a stat that measures the percentage of wins vs. blockers on pass-rush snaps at 27.7%.

Chargers attain balance in Chad Reuter’s 4-round mock draft

The Los Angeles Chargers draft two offensive linemen, Hunter Henry and Melvin Ingram’s replacement and a cornerback.

NFL Media’s Chad Reuter released his latest four-round mock draft, where he sees the Chargers building around quarterback Justin Herbert with their first three picks and filling in the holes on the defensive side of the ball with their next two.

With their first-round selection, Los Angeles selects former Northwestern offensive tackle Rashawn Slater.

Slater is not the tallest or longest of offensive tackles, but he will be a solid starter at the next level. Not only will he help Justin Herbert’s development, but also open holes for Austin Ekeler and whomever else the Chargers line up in the backfield the next few years.

I feel like a broken record saying this but drafting Slater would be splash. Slater might be moved inside due to his lack of arm length, but he has the athletic skill set and overall technique to be an All-Pro blind-side protector in the NFL.

In Round 2, L.A. stays on the offensive side of the ball by selecting former Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth.

With Hunter Henry a pending free agent, the Bolts could be looking for his replacement if he signs with another team this offseason. Like Henry, Freiermuth is a versatile tight end to get the job done in the receiving and blocking department.

With their first selection of the third-round, the Chargers get an interior offensive lineman after finding their tackle of the future by drafting former Ohio State center Josh Myers.

With Dan Feeney set to be a free agent, the team could be looking to upgrade at the position. Myers is a seasoned run blocker who possesses good intelligence, athletic traits, and effort to block in space effectively, while possessing good strength to anchor down vs bigger rushers.

Los Angeles uses their compensatory selection at the end of the third-round to address another need, drafting former Kentucky cornerback Kelvin Joseph. Joseph is an aggressive and physical corner who thrives in press coverage with his height, length and ball skills.

Finally, with their fourth-round pick, L.A. takes former Oregon State outside linebacker Hamilcar Rashed Jr as a replacement to Melvin Ingram, who is currently a pending free agent.

Rashed’s pass-rush arsenal lacks variety, and his production is based more on effort and athleticism than technique. However, Rashed is only scratching the surface of his ability and shows the athleticism, coverage skills, competitive toughness, and physical traits to be a productive player in the NFL.

Post-free agency Chargers 7-round mock draft

The Los Angeles Chargers make a trade to grab their quarterback of the future.

Even though there are still a handful of players that have yet to be signed, it’s likely that the Chargers are nearly done with all of their acquisitions via free agency.

Los Angeles addressed the right tackle, guard, cornerback and linebacker position with their signings, leaving very little holes to fill heading into the 2020 NFL Draft.

With that being said, it’s time to see how the Bolts could go about their draft plans with the event kicking off in less than a month.

Round 1, No. 3, QB Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

Trade: LAC trades 2020 first-round (No. 6), 2020 second-round (No. 37), 2021 second-round 

DET trades 2020 first-round (No. 3), 2020 fifth-round (No. 149)

The Chargers were all in on the Tom Brady sweepstakes, but the six-time Super Bowl champion elected to sign with the Buccaneers.

After the news surfaced, a report came out saying that Los Angeles is not going to sign or trade for a quarterback after all, leaving Tyrod Taylor as the penciled in starter at the moment.

While the team has expressed full confidence in Taylor, the franchise needs to give fans a glimpse of the future at the position, which is why they trade up to snag arguably the most polarizing prospects in this year’s class.

Tagovailoa has many skeptical of his future because of his injury history, specifically the severe hip injury that he sustained back in November. But Tua appears to be making rapid progress after a video was released of him dropping back, shuffling and throwing on the run.

Aside from the durability concerns, Tagovailoa is the type of quarterback that Chargers are looking for, bringing a rare skillset to the table. He has the characteristics and leadership ability they would covet. Tua would also be in the perfect situation where he wouldn’t have to start in Year 1.

To read more why drafting Tua is a risk worth taking click here.

Round 3, No. 71, WR Van Jefferson, Florida

What would a rookie quarterback benefit more from? More weapons.

In a league where winning at the line of scrimmage is essential, Jefferson possesses the skillset to do so at the next level. He isn’t going to win with physicality, but he will with his straight-line speed, refined route running and quickness at the top of his routes.

When open, he uses his frame and strong hands at the catch point to reel in the football. Jefferson also has the ability to be a special teams contributor due to his speed and competitive nature.

In the Chargers offense, Jefferson would line up opposite of Mike Williams on the outside while Keenan Allen and tight end Hunter Henry flourish inside in the slot.

Round 4, No. 112, OT Hakeem Adeniji, Kansas

Waiting until Day 3 to take an offensive lineman may come as a surprise and it wouldn’t be surprising if this doesn’t end up being the case. But in this case, it is.

The Chargers appear to have confidence in developing Trey Pipkins into the full-time starting left tackle and while they could draft another one for competition, they choose to take an experience lineman that offers versatility.

Adeneji, the Texas native, primarily served as the Jayhawks’ left tackle. In his 48 career games, he started 43 on the left side, while five of them came at right tackle. During Senior Bowl week, he moved inside to guard.

For the Bolts, Adejini projects as a multi-position backup with starter upside. Given his athleticism, he’s perfect for their soon-to-be zone blocking scheme that should be installed next season.

Round 5, No. 149, LB Evan Weaver, California (Acquired from DET)

Prior to the new league year and before the announcement of the release of Thomas Davis, coach Anthony Lynn said that the Chargers will be looking to add more depth to the linebacker position.

Los Angeles signed Nick Vigil, but there hasn’t been any more activity other than that.

L.A. has had contact with Weaver and the fact that they have interest is no surprise. The team covets production, great leadership and durability, all of which the former California product possesses.

Weaver would be a rotational Mike linebacker, winning with his ability to stuff the run inside the box and instincts to thrive in zone coverage. He would also serve as a vital special teamer.

Round 5, No. 151, DT Bravvion Roy, Baylor

The Chargers signed Linval Joseph to serve as Brandon Mebane’s replacement. However, the depth at the nose tackle position is thin since the team has chosen not to re-sign Damion Square or Sylvester Williams.

Roy played in 48 games, starting 29 for the Bears. At 6-foot-1 and 327 pounds, Roy is a massive human with heavy hands, upper body strength and eyebrow-raising quickness to wear down blockers.

He was moved all up and down the line for the Bears, but he would be the ideal candidate to serve as a nose tackle for the Chargers to help aide with clogging up the middle with his point-of-attack power.

Round 6, No. 186, RB Sewo Olonilua, TCU

The Melvin Gordon era came to an end after he signed with the Broncos. While the Chargers could roll with Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson, the backfield could benefit from a bigger back, especially since Derek Watt is no longer on the team anymore, either.

For his size (6-foot-3 and 232 pounds), possesses some enticing traits as a ball carrier. He does a nice job reading his blocks and gaining yards provided for him, possesses the lateral agility to change directions in his cuts, power to pile his way through defenders and solid build-up speed in space.

Round 7, No. 220, CB DeMarkus Acy, Missouri

The cornerback position could be addressed a lot earlier than the last round in the draft. But it’s possible that the team has full faith in Michael Davis and Nasir Adderley, who might experience a position change.

If that’s the case, the Chargers add Acy who gives the positional room another body for added competition.

The 6-foot-2 and 215 pounder is long and rangy who has experience in a variety of coverages. His speed and play recognition are perfect traits for defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s zone scheme.