LA Chargers Mock Draft while trading down with the Atlanta Falcons
By Jason Reed
With the 112th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the LA Chargers select: A.J. Dillon, RB, Boston College
The LA Chargers simply need a change-of-pace running back to play alongside Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson and would get the perfect candidate in the fourth round in A.J. Dillon.
Dillon is a physical runner who fights for yards after contact and can get through the box to be a reliable short-yardage back. He is not as efficient in the passing game, but he does not have bad hands and can help there as well.
Neither Ekeler nor Jackson are short-yardage bruisers that the Chargers could not only use in short-yardage situations but in blocking situations as well. I would not be shocked to see Dillon in a hybrid role as the team’s fullback with Derek Watt now in Pittsburgh. He certainly has the size and skill set to do so.
With the 143rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the LA Chargers select: Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB, Appalachian State
Akeem Davis-Gaither is a really exciting small-school linebacker who is going to fall in the draft because of his competition level and his size but has the skill set and the tenacity to thrive in the NFL.
He is not the greatest in pass coverage and would not be an every-down option at strongside linebacker but he is a fantastic open-field tackler as well as a good pass-rusher as well. He is someone who will be a rotational linebacker right away in early downs and could eventually transition into a starting role on the team’s linebacker core.
The linebackers are the worst part of the team’s defense and Davis-Gaither not only brings talented depth, but a ferocious tenacity to succeed.