LA Chargers: Redrafting the 2020 NFL Draft halfway through the season

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 11: Inside linebacker Patrick Queen #48 of the Baltimore Ravens returns a fumble by wide receiver Mike Thomas #80 of the Cincinnati Bengals for a fourth quarter touchdown at M&T Bank Stadium on October 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 11: Inside linebacker Patrick Queen #48 of the Baltimore Ravens returns a fumble by wide receiver Mike Thomas #80 of the Cincinnati Bengals for a fourth quarter touchdown at M&T Bank Stadium on October 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) – LA Chargers
(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) – LA Chargers

Fourth round: Troy Pride, CB

Picking Joshua Kelley in the fourth round was a mistake. Running backs are a dime a dozen and after giving up a third-round pick to move up in the draft the Chargers should not have drafted a running back.

We have seen why this season. Troymaine Pope and Kalen Ballage have both had big games while Austin Ekeler has been hurt and has been better than Kelley. The Chargers would have been just fine with Ekeler, Justin Jackson and Pope as the third option.

Kelley has been bad. He had a solid first game against the Cincinnati Bengals, an okay second game against the Kansas City Chiefs and has been poor since. There are 25 running backs in the NFL with at least 90 carries this season. Kelley ranks dead last among those 25 running backs in yards per attempt.

Instead of Kelley, the LA Chargers should take the player that was literally selected one pick after him: cornerback Troy Pride Jr.

Pride has not been that great this season, especially if you look at his Pro Football Focus grade (PFF also gave Trey Pipkins a higher grade in Week 9 than Herbert has gotten all season, so take it with a grain of salt).

However, Pride is still an outside cornerback prospect with potential that has all the makings to be a solid zone corner. With the issues that the Chargers have had in the secondary plus the fall from grace that Casey Hayward has had, selecting Pride would have been a much better need-based selection for the Bolts.

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