In the first mock draft series we will explored the various options of what a draft could look like assuming they take an offensive lineman with the 13th overall pick. However, thing’s often times don’t play out the way we expect. In this set of mock drafts we explore what a draft for the Chargers could look like if the team decides to go another route with the 13th pick. Same deal as last time as we look at it from 3 different perspectives.
Zachs perspective
Jaycee Horn CB South Carolina:
He might not have the highest ceiling out of all the other players at his position in this year’s draft class but Horn just so happens to be my CB1. The son of former star wide receiver Joe Horn, Jaycee has been around world class talent and training his whole life. In my eyes he is a sure thing. Horn is a guy who is very well rounded. Great both in coverage and physical up at the line of scrimmage. He only allowed a 33.3% completion %. At 6’1″ 200 pounds he also very much has the coveted size you look for in a first round cornerback. He totalled a 78.0 coverage grade which isn’t overly impressive on paper but he has the skill set to fit Staley’s system where he loves to have a corner sit in press man coverage.
Dillon Radunz OT North Dakota:
2020 really hurt Radunz because the conference that his school happens to be in only played 1 game. When you play in division 1AA you can’t afford to miss out on opportunities. Luckily events like the Senior Bowl help with that. Which leads me to one of his knocks which is that he was undersized for the position at 6’6″ 292 pounds. Early in the week at the Senior Bowl practices, Radunz seemed to be getting beat alot in lineman drills and it seemed that maybe he really doesn’t weigh enough. Then by the time the actual game was played you realised that the early part of the week was probably due to rust and having only played 1 game all year. I say this because he performed flawlessly in the game despite the weeks practice. If you dig a little deeper though you see he has only allowed 24 pressures in 715 pass blocking snaps. That combined with a 89.3 pass blocking grade and 81.4 run blocking grade and it’s enough to grab anyone’s attention.
Rashad Weaver DE Pitt:
While I’m a big believer in Uchenna Nwosu having a big break out season and to some degree even a fan of the Fackrell signing, the fact remains that they will both only be contracted for the remainder of 2021. Enter Rashad Weaver who would likely of been a higher pick if he had attended a bigger school. Standing at 6’5″ 255 pounds, Weaver is a very well rounded prospect. He finished with a 90 overall pass rushing grade with 9 sacks, 33 hurries and 6 other QB hits. In the run department he finished with a 80.4 overall grade and 14 run stops for no gain. Some even say he is the best run defending edge rusher in this year’s class. At the Senior Bowl he showed the ability to even line up all over the defensive line, inside and out. He could probably put on some more weight if he wants to play inside at the next level though. Even if Nwosu does have a big year and the team want to re-sign him then well, 3 quality defensive ends are better than 2.
Monty Rice LB Georgia:
Standing at 6’0″ 238 pounds, Rice is very sure tackler. When I say that I mean that his missed tackle percentage is 5.7%. That is very impressive especially when you consider the factvthat sloppy tackling is exactly what got the Chargers in trouble a lot of weeks. Most other linebacker’s in this class are higher than 12% in that department. While Rice isn’t a super flashy prospect as past Georgia linebacker’s, Rice could still be a steady contributor. The Chargers need depth at the position. Behind Murray and Tranquill it gets real dicey.
Kendrick Green G Illinois:
Here the Chargers continue to completely rebuild that offensive line and select probably the most underrated interior offensive lineman in the draft. At 6’2″ 306 pounds green is a monster in the run game. His pass blocking could use some refining but should be a good clean prospect in a year or 2.
Tommy Tremble Tight end Noter Dame:
Tremble isn’t a great route running tight end despite his athlethic prowless and great success with yards after catch. In fact, so much so, that his average route ran came at 3.5 yards down field. He is considered a great run blocking tight end though, especially on the move. Tremble could prove to be a great full back/ tight end hybrid.
Josh Imatorbhebhe WR Illinois:
This happens to be a pick based solely on upside. Imatorbhebhe is an athletic freak with less than impressive production. To his credit though Illinois is exactly an offensive powerhouse who have failed to find a decent QB for years. However, the 6’1″ 230 pound receiver recorded an insane 46.5″ vertical to go along with 4.48 40 yard dash. The Chargers can afford the luxury of developing a wide out with the depth that would be ahead of him as a rookie.
Keith Taylor CB Washington:
A double dip at the corner position is probably wise considering Harris is a free agent next year and the depth at this position is questionable. This is yet another “upside” pick who has everything that it takes on paper but hasn’t blown anyone away on the field just yet. At 6’3″ 195 Taylor is well coached coming from a school known fornits DB group in recent year’s. The fact he gave up an 88.3 passer rating is concerning however. Yet in the Senior Bowl Taylor showed he had the skills to get the job done at a high level. Taylor is a player worth taking a flyer on.
Gary Brightwell RB Arizona:
Brightwell is a guy who is every bit of an explosive power runner. Problem is that he was never a starter because his backfield blocking is poor and his receiving skill left much to be desired. Yet when your a team who has a guy like Austin Ekeler you probably could use a bowling ball to pair with him. Brightwell is 6’1″ 218 pounds but never got to carry the ball more than 87 times in a single season. Yet his yards per carry is very impressive at 4.8 in 2020, 5.9 in 2019, and 6 in 2018. His highlight reels also shows constant big play production. The chances were simply to limited.
Adams perspective
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah LB Noter Dame
Dillon Radunz OT North Dakota
Thomas Graham JR CB Oregon
Hunter Long TE Boston Collage
Tay Gowan CB UCF
Trill Williams CB Syracuse
Patrick Jones II DE Pittsburgh
Josh Imatorbhebhe WR Illinois
Tommy Kraemer G Noter Dame
Clays perspective
Micah Parsons LB Penn State
Brady Christianson OT BYU
Jackson Carmen OT Clemson
Trill Williams CB Syracuse
Dayo Odeyingbo DE Vanderbilt
Caden Sterns S Texas
Josh Imatorbhebhe WR Illinois
Jemar Jefferson RB Oregon State
Tony Poljan TE Virginia
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