2021 NFL draft: The Athletic draws up what Chargers will do in Round 1

Will the Chargers move up or stand pat?

Only two more days until all of the predictions are put to bed and we finally find out what the Chargers, along with the other 31 teams will do in this year’s draft.

The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia was among the many who laid out their predictions on how the first round will unfold, and for Los Angeles, he believes they won’t be picking at No. 13.

Instead, Kapadia sees general manager Tom Telesco moving up six spots to  reunite quarterback Justin Herbert with his former college teammate, Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell.

In this scenario, the Bolts give up this year’s first and second-round picks along with next year’s third rounder for the No. 7 overall pick, originally owned by the Lions.

There’s no doubt that a trade-up is likely one of Telesco’s top options considering teams have already began calling Detroit to inquire about their pick and Herbert has voiced that he would love to have Sewell in the blue and gold.

What it ultimately comes down to is Sewell getting to the spot. The Dolphins could also be in play for him after a report came out stating that the team will move Robert Hunt from tackle to guard. In addition, the cost matters, especially if there’s a quarterback-needy team trying to move up.

If the Chargers choose not to move up, they will be hoping that one of Rashawn Slater, Patrick Surtain or Jaycee Horn falls to them. If not, they could stand pat and select Christian Darrisaw or potentially trade back to acquire more picks.

The Athletic predicts Chargers to sign top offensive lineman, lose three in free agency

The Los Angeles Chargers make a splash signing but lose out on three of their top in-house free agents.

With free agency kicking off next week, The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia made his signing predictions for his top-50 free agents.

In this scenario, Kapadia predicts the Chargers to make a splash by signing center Corey Linsley.

The Chargers made the right move not using the franchise tag on Hunter Henry. They need to prioritize their offensive line above all else. Linsley started 99 games in seven seasons for the Packers and went from underrated to first-team All-Pro in 2020. He’s great in zone-blocking schemes and in pass protection. Pairing him with Justin Herbert for the next few years is a no-brainer. As for fixing the rest of their line, the Chargers might need to look to the draft and the trade market.

With Dan Feeney set to be free agent, it creates a glaring hole at center. Adding Linsley would go a long way to remodeling a weak offensive line.

Voted first-team All-Pro and rated Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 center, from 2020, Linsley didn’t allow a sack or a tackle at or behind the line of scrimmage vs. the run, according to Sports Info Solutions.

Los Angeles is in good standing from a financial perspective, and they should be prepared to pay him in the ballpark of $10 million per year. However, he would be worth that amount.

While L.A. signs one of the top players on the market, they lose three of their own to other teams; tight end Hunter Henry, edge defender Melvin Ingram and cornerback Michael Davis.

Henry signs with the Jaguars, giving the presumed No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence a top target. Ingram goes to the Seahawks to add a much-needed pass rusher. Davis joins the Cowboys to shore up their secondary.

I believe L.A. will re-sign one of their own, with Davis being the most likely option out of the three.

Buckle up. Free agency, which begins on March 17, is going to be quite the ride.

The Athletic proposes a Lions LB for Eagles CB trade

The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia recently proposed the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles making a training camp trade, swapping back-seven defenders.

The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia recently proposed the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles making a training camp trade, swapping back-seven defenders (paid).

Kapadia’s proposal: Even swap of Lions linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin for Eagles cornerback Sidney Jones.

For Reeves-Maybin, this would be an opportunity to shift back to a 43 scheme (the Eagles defensive coordinator is former-Lions coach Jim Schwartz and they run his 43 Wide-9 scheme) which would highlight his strengths. His speed to the football and instincts would offer him more opportunities to find the field on defense in this scheme, either in subpackage MIKE work or as an every-down WILL.

For the Lions, adding Jones would reunite him with new Lions defensive coordinator Cory Undlin (who was the Eagles defensive backs coach during Jones’ entire NFL career) and would give the Lions youth, depth, and familiarity on the outside.

Desmond Trufant, Jeff Okudah, and Justin Coleman are expected to start and Amani Oruwariye looks primed to be the third option on the outside but adding Jones — a former second-round pick out of Washington — would give the Lions another option familiar with Undlin’s approach to playing in the secondary.

At linebacker, the Lions can afford to lose some depth with Reggie Ragland now in the mix but they would surely feel the loss on special teams. Working in their favor is the heavy investment the Lions made on special teams this offseason, but losing arguably their best non-kicking special teamer would hurt.

Erik’s take

Typically I am opposed to trade proposal suggested by writers who cover the league instead of a specific team, but Kapadia is a former Eagles beat writer and I think he makes a strong case that would benefit both teams.

Losing Reeves-Maybin’s special teams’ contributions would hurt for sure, but he is firmly on the bubble this training camp. While the upside of Jones — who could temporarily step up if Trufant or Okudah struggle to adjust to the Lions’ scheme — would offer the Lions insurance and the most important position in this defensive scheme.

Is Jones an upgrade over Mike Ford/Darryl Roberts?

Can Reggie Ragland replace Reeves-Maybin on defense?

Can Miles Killebrew replace Reeves-Maybin on special teams?

If the answer yes to those questions, this is a trade the Lions would probably entertain — and I wouldn’t blame them.