25 five-round mock drafts for the Los Angeles Chargers

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 10: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson #23 of the Florida Gators asks the crowd for noise during the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 10: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson #23 of the Florida Gators asks the crowd for noise during the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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CHESTNUT HILL, MA – OCTOBER 13: Chris Lindstrom #75 of the Boston College Eagles leads the Boston College Eagles out of the tunnel before the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Alumni Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
CHESTNUT HILL, MA – OCTOBER 13: Chris Lindstrom #75 of the Boston College Eagles leads the Boston College Eagles out of the tunnel before the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Alumni Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /

Format Two: Draft an offensive lineman at No. 28

Draft One:

  1. Dalton Risner, OT
  2. Juan Thornhill, S
  3. Dre’Mont Jones,  IDL
  4. Daylon Mack, IDL
  5. DaMarkus Lodge, WR

Draft Two:

  1. Dalton Risner, OT
  2. Taylor Rapp, S
  3. Renell Wren, IDL
  4. Will Grier, QB
  5. Tyler Roemer, OT

Draft Three:

  1. Dalton Risner, OT
  2. Deionte Thompson, S
  3. Dru Samia,  IOL
  4. Terry Godwin, WR
  5. Terry Beckner, IDL

Draft Four:

  1. Chris Lindstrom, IOL
  2. Kaleb McGary, OT
  3. Gerald Willis, IDL
  4. Ugochukwu Amadi, S
  5. Terry Beckner, IDL

Draft Five:

  1. Chris Lindstrom, IOL
  2. David Edwards, OT
  3. Renell Wren, IDL
  4. Tyler Roemer, OT
  5. Mike Edwards, S

Andre Dillard, Jonah Williams, and Jawaan Taylor were always gone before the Chargers pick at No. 28. Risner would have been the pick every time, but to switch things up I went with Lindstrom to see if I could recover and take a tackle in a different round.

Drafting an offensive lineman at No. 28 allowed the rest of the draft to become more flexible. When I had to draft a defensive lineman in the first format, the tackle spot became more of a question mark due to the lack of solid prospects falling to the Chargers’ next pick. Instead, the Risner or Lindstrom selection let me take advantage of the depth on the defensive line in this year’s class, able to find solid third round prospects in Renell Wren and Dre’Mont Jones.

Drafting a safety in the second round also became the obvious choice, as players like Thompson, Rapp, and Thornnhill were all available at some point. The Chargers have a shot to get a solid safety player, skipping over Adderley to get their tackle instead.

When the Chargers took Lindstrom, though, I felt the need to still try and find a tackle. With the team upgrading the offensive line in the first round, there was less pressure for the tackle selection to come in and be a starter that was felt when defensive line was the choice at No. 28 in the previous format. Still, options like McGary and Edwards were available in the second round, two players that could compete with and start over Tevi this season.