LA Chargers wait three picks to take a corner in final 2021 mock draft
With their fourth-round pick, the LA Chargers select…
. Wide Receiver. TuTu Atwell. 118. 849
I know, I know. He’s light. But we’re talking about the NFL here. Frankly, the conversations about Devonta Smith or TuTu Atwell’s weight are weird to me. People don’t trust an NFL coaching staff to put 10-15 pounds on a player when they’ve done that routinely? Just saying.
Atwell opted out in early December after a productive, shortened season with Louisville. In his last two seasons, Atwell put up 115 catches for just under 1900 yards. He played like one of the best slot receivers in the country and has athleticism that someone like K.J. Hill can’t quite match.
The Chargers don’t have a big need when it comes to bodies in the receiver room, but they could absolutely use a little more burst and speed. Atwell has those traits in spades and is a huge yards after catch producer. Jalen Guyton and Tyron Johnson have brilliant athletic moments at points, but YAC is certainly neither of their specialties.
The slot receivers are better than the outside guys on day three and Atwell would be a nice booster for the Chargers’ receiving room.
With their fifth-round pick, the LA Chargers select…
808. . Safety. Talanoa Hufanga. 159
One of the really interesting quotes of Tom Telesco’s recent pre-draft presser was when he said that evaluating safety players is a little bit different with Brandon Staley as the head coach than it was with Anthony Lynn.
Anyone can unpack that idea for whatever they think it means. Perhaps it’s just GM talk. To me, it means that they’re looking for versatility. USC’s Talanoa Hufanga lined up everywhere in college from LB, slot CB, edge, to safety.
If he’s such a swiss army knife, why is he going on day three? Well, in all honesty, his athletic traits aren’t super-elite. He’s not the kind of physical monster that someone like Isaiah Simmons was coming out of the 2020 draft. However, he’s a hard hitter that shows up with explosive movement all over the field.
With the safeties the Chargers already have, I think they need more of a defensive chess piece that can be used everywhere than a field general per se. The 2020 Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year would provide needed depth behind Derwin James and Nasir Adderley. He has the experience to be an instant playmaking factor and might be used as more of a pass-rushing threat at the NFL level.