LA Chargers NFL Draft: 6 late-round prospects team will regret passing on
By Tyler Gallagher
LA Chargers would have loved RB Khalil Herbert (Selected Round 6, 217th overall by the Chicago Bears)
In the sixth round, the LA Chargers selected running back Larry Rountree III. While Rountree was singled out by many as a potential diamond in the rough, fellow rusher Khalil Herbert was considered by many to be a top-six or top-seven talent at the position.
The selection of Rountree was likely made with special teams in mind, for which Rountree has much more experience and projects much better. However, the Chargers may have missed out on a solid, well-balanced rusher in Herbert.
This Herbert has a solid, well-built frame at 5-foot-9 and 210 pounds. He has strong, muscular legs, and he is excellent at bursting through holes with good power and balance.
He is also effective at eluding defenders with his cutting ability, where he is able to change direction rapidly without losing much speed.
Welcome to Chicago, Khalil Herbert?
— PFF College (@PFF_College) May 1, 2021
Pairing Herbert with Austin Ekeler would open up Ekeler to being utilized more frequently as the elite receiver that he is.
Plus, the thought of having a Herbert-Herbert duo just sounds like lots of fun.
LA Chargers could have used OG Trey Smith (Selected Round 6, 226th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs)
While the selection of Brenden Jaimes, who is projected to move to guard for the Chargers, gave Los Angeles a player who can immediately compete with Oday Aboushi for starting reps, they missed out on a near-elite player who fell due to medical concerns in Tennessee’s Trey Smith.
While the injury concerns of Smith (primarily blood clots in his lungs) are well documented, most still expected Smith to go around the third round in the NFL Draft. When Smith fell to the sixth round, the Kansas City Chiefs pounced on a player with elite potential.
In 2019, Smith was able to return from his blood clots to earn first-team All-SEC honors, an honor he was able to earn for a second consecutive year in 2020.
In college, Smith had some issues with reaching and overcommitting to blocks early, but once engaged, Smith used his elite size and length to dominate the competition.
If you want a real road-grating guard, Smith is the perfect prototype for that scheme.
However, all of his limitations appear to be things that can be ironed out with coaching. If Smith’s medicals check out in the future, the LA Chargers may have allowed the Chiefs to secure an All-Pro guard for the price of a late sixth-round pick by allowing Smith to slide further in the draft.