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

With their first sixth-round pick, the LA Chargers select…

Tony Fields was a guy that I caught onto later in the pre-draft process. While I understand why someone like Hufanga isn’t higher on boards, I don’t understand while Fields isn’t higher in this class. Based on the Niners’ rumors with the third pick, maybe the NFL is predisposed to hating that last name.

Fields was a transfer from Arizona that earned First Team All-Big 12 honors as a linebacker at West Virginia. The two consistent things that are visible on film are his nose for the ball and his constant energy on plays:

Said on Locked On NFL Draft that Tony Fields II (LB #1 WVU) is the most surprising film I've seen this year.

6'1, 222 lbs, quick as a wink. Toughness + flexibility = block beater in space. Move to overhang will benefit him a ton. Needs man coverage work but solid in zone. Motor! pic.twitter.com/MfiWluhB5z

— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) March 5, 2021

Fields played 3000 snaps over a four year college career. His most effective trait is certainly pass rush, but he’s stout up the gut as a middle linebacker too. I view Fields as a potentially more athletic replacement for Denzel Perryman, who left in the offseason. The linebacker room is not in need of big playmakers from the jump, as they already have some of those. They do need some depth though.

Like with Hufanga, Fields fits the concept of situational chess piece pretty well.

With their second sixth-round pick, the LA Chargers select…

Interior offensive line isn’t quite the need that it once was in this draft. The signings of Corey Linsley, Matt Feiler, and Oday Aboushi have made it so the Chargers can wait until later in the draft to get some interior help.

Tristen Hoge has nice power to his game. He won’t necessarily blow defenders backwards, but he shows some flashes. Zach Wilson’s offensive line was great as a whole, but Hoge’s guard/center flexibility was a huge part of their success on offense.

Brady Christensen will get a lot of the credit (deservedly so) for BYU’s offensive line success. He’s more than deserving of it. The interior was primarily propelled by Hoge though.

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

Defensive interior help. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Chargers drafted an IDL earlier, but that’s just how this board broke down this time. Darius Stills is a prospect that the Chargers have met with a few times. Like his teammate Fields, Stills was also First Team All-Big 12.

The top of this defensive tackle class isn’t special, but there are day three guys that I think are worth taking a shot on. Stills is able to pierce into the backfield pretty frequently for an IDL that’s pretty massive. That has a lot to do with his ability to burst off of the line.

Stills won’t fill the run defending hole that the Chargers have by himself, but he always plays to the whistle and can get from sideline to to sideline pretty easily. Good rotational piece for a seventh-round price.

This mock draft was performed using The Draft Network’s Mock Draft Machine.