LA Chargers wait three picks to take a corner in final 2021 mock draft

With the 47th pick, the LA Chargers select…

There’s a couple of paths the Chargers could choose at 47. Cornerback and edge are the most pressing needs. Perhaps they go with a BPA pick that’s not an outright positional need.

In this mock draft, I was able to snag Joe Tryon at 47. He’s the 46th ranked prospect on TDN and fills a need with Uchenna Nwosu possibly moving on after 2021 and the team not being completely sold on him as a full time starter.

Tryon’s game fits the 3-4 scheme that Staley is looking for with flexibility that pops on tape. His hand technique is really solid and he can beat some tackles with his impressive moves. The one area where I think Tryon presents some level of risk to teams are the angles he takes in the open field. To be fair, many EDGE players have corrected that flaw at the next level.

Asante Samuel Jr. is a possible pick here as well. He was on the board for me to select, but cornerback is a need that the team can wait till round three for with the depth of the position in the draft. There’s not a huge difference in quality between Samuel and…

With the 77th pick, the LA Chargers select…

Melifonwu was the best defender out of a Syracuse secondary that will have at least three prospects selected in the NFL Draft. He’s clean out of his breaks and stays right on his receiver until the end of the plays.

The Chargers are unlikely to have Patrick Surtain II available to them in round one, but Melifonwu may be the next best thing. He’s actually a little bit bigger than Surtain with prototypical size of 6’2″, about 210. While not as efficient as Surtain, Melifonwu does have a bit of the “twitch” that shows on tape when seeing someone like Jaycee Horn.

Getting the cornerback of the future might be my most important concern of this draft. The Syracuse product solves that problem and gives the Chargers a technician who can ball out for the next decade.

With the 97th pick, the LA Chargers select…

Tight end is less of a dire need and falls into the category of positions that may or may not be chosen this time around. Hunter Henry left, but the team did sign Jared Cook. They also like Donald Parham and Stephen Anderson, both of whom played well towards the end of last season.

The issue? They don’t have a blocking tight end. Cook doesn’t block and is solely a pass catcher at this point in his career. Whether Parham or Anderson develop into that remains to be seen. Hunter Long out of Boston College may be the best offensive pass blocker that the Chargers could pick up at this point in the draft.

He’s no scrub in the receiving game either. Long had 57 receptions last year for nearly 700 yards and five touchdowns. He probably wouldn’t be expected to put up close to that level of production in year one, but he’s more than capable of making a difference as more than just a blocker.

With Cook on the team to stabilize the TE group for one year, the Chargers can figure out the long term future of the position in the meantime.