Second-round cornerback target for the LA Chargers: Asante Samuel Jr, FSU
If I had to put money on one cornerback for the LA Chargers to draft in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft then I would bet on Asante Samuel Jr. Out of all the potential options, Samuel seems like the most likely to end up in the powder blue.
However, anyone that follows me on Twitter knows that I am perhaps the worst gambler of all time, so maybe it is a bad thing that I am so confident and willing to put money on this.
Samuel falls in the perfect range for the LA Chargers. He is a mid-second-round prospect that could have been picked as high as the first round in a different draft class. The Chargers pick 47 and The Draft Network ranks Samuel as the 54th overall prospect in this year’s class.
Samuel is much better in man coverage as opposed to zone coverage, which is a change that the Chargers are going to make with Brandon Staley as the head coach. He does not quite have traditional outside corner size but he is athletic enough and has good enough ball skills to make up for the loss of 2-3 inches of height.
Most importantly, Samuel can play in the slot. This might not be something the Bolts ask him to do a lot in his rookie season with Chris Harris but Staley’s previous defenses valued versatile members of the secondary that can line up anywhere on the field. That extra added dynamic makes Samuel an even more intriguing prospect.