LA Chargers: Ranking the 2020 NFL Draft picks by value
By Jason Reed
LA Chargers 2020 NFL Draft value rankings: 2. Kenneth Murray
The LA Chargers shocked their fans in the first round of the draft by trading back into the round to select middle linebacker, Kenneth Murray.
On paper, the trade might not have seemed like it was of good value and I saw that reflected in some of the responses to the trade on social media. The Chargers traded their second and third-round selections for the Patriots’ first-round pick, giving them no picks in day two.
However, when you really think about it, the Chargers essentially traded a third-round pick to move up 14 spots to select Murray, who probably would not have been there in the second round for the Chargers.
Some may not like the Murray selection because he is not great in pass coverage and that has kind of been the identity of the team in recent years but he fits a desperate need for the Chargers. The one thing that has burnt the Chargers in the past is run defense and they have never had that hard-hitting traditional middle linebacker to plug the gaps.
With other zone coverage linebackers on the roster, any deficiencies that Murray has will easily be masked and with his athleticism, we should expect some progressions in that department.
I really liked the trade up for the Chargers and they got a hard-nosed, exciting defensive prospect that makes the defense scarier than it already was.