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Chargers land Andrew Thomas with first pick in January 2020 mock draft

By Alexander Insdorf

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 30: Andrew Thomas #71 of the Georgia Bulldogs celebrate's following the Georgia Bulldogs win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 52-7 at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 30: Andrew Thomas #71 of the Georgia Bulldogs celebrate's following the Georgia Bulldogs win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 52-7 at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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MIAMI, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 30: Lamical Perine #2 of the Florida Gators scores his second touchdown in the first half the Capital One Orange Bowl against the Virginia Cavaliers at Hard Rock Stadium on December 30, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 30: Lamical Perine #2 of the Florida Gators scores his second touchdown in the first half the Capital One Orange Bowl against the Virginia Cavaliers at Hard Rock Stadium on December 30, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Chargers January 2020 mock draft: Rounds 6 and 7

Round 6, Pick 166: RB Lamical Perine, Florida

The Chargers will likely have changes in the backfield this offseason. Melvin Gordon is going to be an unrestricted free agent, while Austin Ekeler will be restricted.

The likeliest outcome is that only one of them will be coming back, and it feels like it’s leaning towards the latter. Either way, there will be a hole if one of them leaves in free agency. Justin Jackson is still under contract for another year.

Taking another running back late in the draft feels like a good option if they want to avoid spending too much in free agency. A guy that feels like he has a lot of potential late in the draft for me is Lamical Perine.

Many will criticize and say he wasn’t the starter at Florida, which is true. But he did slowly grow his role over time.  While he dropped in total yards from his junior to senior seasons, he also caught 30 more balls.

Perine can figure out ways to get involved even when he’s not the lead back, which is what the Chargers need.

He’s light on his feet, but still physical. He reminds me of Aaron Jones of the Packers, but with a little more of a burst. Perine can get to the second level with ease sometimes:

https://twitter.com/espn/status/1079109673066864646

Round 7, Pick 197: OL Gage Cervenka, Clemson

It’s the seventh round, which means it’s time for a project. Clemson has one of the best offensive lines in college football, so much so that even their backups get drafted. Gage Cervenka is probably the strongest player on Clemson, as he’s able to bench 43 reps of 225 pounds.

The highest in the 2019 combine was 39, for context.

It’s a project pick, but there’s no harm in trying to add some more meat to the offensive line battle for roster spots.

Next. One potential Philip Rivers destination

Obviously, it was me who made the picks in this mock draft, so it’s easy for me to be pleased with it on paper. In general, though, none of the picks felt like reaches. However, considering that I’m going to be drafting once a month, expect there to be risers, fallers, trades, and all of the other fun draft stuff that happens over time.

The biggest factor of the draft that changes it is when or if the Chargers decide to go for the quarterback. If it’s the first round, obviously that changes the nature of when you go grab an offensive lineman, or any other position.

The one position in this draft that felt like it needed to be addressed more was linebacker. It’s a smaller need than some of the other key ones for me, but that could be a position in for some big changes this year.

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