Bolts take Rashawn Slater in January 2021 LA Chargers mock draft

With their fourth-round pick, the LA Chargers select…

Blazing speed. Anthony Schwartz might just be the fastest receiver in this draft. It wouldn’t shock me if he rose up draft boards following his pro day. At the same time, he won’t get media eyes on an NFL Combine 40, so it’s hard to judge draft stock.

I wouldn’t say he’s quite as fast as Tyreek Hill generally speaking, but his deep speed is damn close. There aren’t too many players in the NFL that can run end arounds like Schwartz either.

Jalen Guyton and Tyron Johnson are certainly still in the picture for the Chargers going forward, but Schwartz’s athleticism is on a different level. His skill set is just a nice complement for Keenan Allen’s route running and Mike Williams jump-ball ability.

Statistically, he didn’t have a major explosion at Auburn, but that’s also the case for many burners in college. GM’s and scouts should be looking less at production and more at how he can fit into the offense. Even with that being said, Schwartz had quality production. 54 receptions in 10 2020 games for 636 yards and three touchdowns isn’t too shabby at all.

Where Schwartz needs to develop is his route running between 5-10 yards. He’s not quite as reliant on the deep ball as he used to be. Schwartz averaged 11.8 yards per reception in 2020 compared to 16.2 in his freshman season.

In an AFC West arms race, it’s not hard to see the Auburn wideout being the Chargers’ answer to Hill.

With their fifth-round pick, the LA Chargers select…

Thomas Graham is an Oregon cornerback that I actually mocked to the Chargers in my January mock draft last year. He wanted to return for his senior season but opted out in September when the status of the PAC-12 playing the season was in serious limbo.

Ultimately, I’m not sure how much his stock could’ve really moved if he did play in the abbreviated season. In my initial 2020 mock, Graham was picked 133rd.

Graham is likely a few years away from contributing in a big way on the outside. He’s a good enough athlete to do what’s required of him in a Staley defense. The run game is where he has to become more precise in terms of tackling. Other than that though, his ball skills and pass defense are above average for someone going in the fifth round.

It really did feel like he was going to take his game to the next level and become a third or fourth-round pick if he had played this season. Taking advantage of his opt-out in terms of draft value would be smart for the Chargers, even if he’s a year or two away from being pro-ready.

Graham played in an Oregon hybrid 3-4, which isn’t too far off from what Staley wants to do defensively.