LA Chargers: Breaking down the non-quarterback options at six
By Jason Reed
The case for drafting Jeff Okudah:
Chances are that Jeff Okudah is not going to be on the board for the LA Chargers. The Detroit Lions have the third overall pick in the draft and without a need at quarterback, the team is probably best-suited to draft Okudah to replace Darius Slay, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.
However, it is not impossible that Okudah falls. Perhaps the Lions fall in love with Isaiah Simmons, select him third overall, and with the New York Giants likely taking an offensive lineman and the Miami Dolphins likely taking a quarterback, Okudah could fall.
And if he does, he is a player that some Charger fans undoubtedly want to see suit up in the powder blue.
Okudah is about as good as it comes in terms of cornerback prospects in the NFL Draft and he instantly would be slated to start out wide alongside Casey Hayward with Chris Harris in the slot, giving the Chargers one of the most dangerous secondaries in the league.
The case for Okudah is that the Chargers could absolutely improve from Mike Davis and Brandon Facyson at the CB2 position and that Okudah would essentially be Hayward’s successor, giving the team a long-term plan at the CB1 position.
For a defense that has been so fun to watch because of the secondary, this could simply be adding more wood into an already blazing fire.
The counterpoint to Okudah is that cornerback is not the biggest need. While the team could definitely improve at the CB2 position, with Heyward and Harris, Derwin James, Desmond King in an Adrian Phillips-esque role and a great pass-rush, the Chargers could afford to draft later to fill in the CB2 with a less talented player.
It is a need that definitely should be filled, but it might not be big enough to warrant taking Okudah over a quarterback, which hurts his ‘best available’ case.
Don’t get me wrong, it would be really fun to see him suit up in this secondary. I just don’t know if the Chargers would consider going the best-available route with him, while they might with the other two.