LA Chargers Mock Draft: A hypothetical Isaiah Simmons mock

Wide receiver is easily the best position in this draft. Receivers who would be selected in the first round of other draft years may have to wait until day two to hear their names called because of how deep the class is. One of those receivers is Brandon Aiyuk out of Arizona State.

Aiyuk didn’t really surprise at the combine. He had an average 40 time and an OK performance as a whole. That shouldn’t prevent teams from pursuing him though. His speed on tape is very visible. If he gets the ball in open space, he’s gone.

Where Aiyuk would really help the Chargers is in yards after catch. Keenan Allen is a possession receiver. He methodically dissects defenses for first downs, but he’s not burning receivers on a run to the end zone.

As for Mike Williams, he’s the deep ball receiver for the team. In 2019, that point was accentuated with his 20.2 yards per reception. Aiyuk averaged 18.3 yards per reception in 2019, but a lot of that was yards after catch.

In addition to Aiyuk being so helpful in yards after catch, he’s got a long catch radius as well. His long arms make it harder for defenses to cover him. In general, the Chargers are desperately in need for a fast third receiver.

Another area where he may be able to help the Chargers is special teams. On kick returns in 2019, Aiyuk averaged 31.9 yards per return. If the Chargers could finally have a consistent kick return threat that teams are afraid of, it could really help the whole team when it comes to field position. While King was good when returning kicks and punts in 2018, he regressed last year. There were simply too many whiffs to consider putting him back there again.