LA Chargers Roundtable: Defensive sleepers in the 2020 NFL Draft
Jason Reed: Cornerback Lamar Jackson, Nebraska
“The LA Chargers need a cornerback in the 2020 NFL Draft. While the defense looks very solid and they have the likes of Chris Harris and Casey Hayward in the secondary, the team could still use another corner as an outside option alongside Hayward.
Personally, this is not a massive need in my opinion and depending on who is on the board in certain rounds, I would prefer for the team to draft the position late. With the addition of Harris, the team really just needs someone who can fit into the Chargers scheme and not create holes in the defense.
They could get just that in Lamar Jackson, the cornerback. Jackson is projected to go in the fifth or sixth round and I would not even be shocked to see the Chargers snag him with an early seventh-round pick.
Jackson is long, and while he is not the fastest, he has the physicality to be a disrupter on ball. He does not have the playmaking ability in jumping routes and reading throws that Charger fans are used to, but with other playmakers on the defense, the Chargers really only need someone who could play press.
Jackson’s best fit in the NFL is going to be a team that runs zone coverage and the Chargers’ cover 3 is perfect for his style.
Next. History of quarterbacks taken with the sixth pick
Walter Football ranks Jackson as the 19th-best cornerback in the draft and while I would not mind drafting a cornerback earlier if a good fit is there, I think Jackson is an intriguing prospect to keep tabs on in day 3.”