With less than two weeks to go until the NFL Draft, more reports are coming out about team's interests in specific players. ESPN dropped a draft intel release on what they’re hearing as the draft approaches. It included a take from LA Chargers reporter Kris Rhim about guard Olaivavega Ioane:
“If Ioane is the top player on their board and available at 22, he'll be a Charger. Otherwise, it could make for another somewhat surprising pick.”-- Kris Rhim
Ioane has been linked as a Chargers fit for most of the draft cycle if he is on the board at 22. That part really isn’t surprising considering the Chargers’ need at guard.
More interestingly, the intel dump included a potential second round connection for the Chargers at pick 55. ESPN’s Matt Miller had a solution on how Los Angeles can address EDGE in round two after losing Odafe Oweh in free agency.
“Sources inside and outside the Chargers' scouting staff indicate guard is the team's top need, but they expect the team to also use an early pick on an edge rusher. With only five total picks, pass rusher Gabe Jacas (Illinois) has been identified as an option at No. 55.” --Matt Miller
Could Illinois EDGE Gabe Jacas be a Chargers fit at pick 55?
Jacas recently completed a 30 visit with the Chargers at The Bolt. He even got to meet Chargers EDGE Khalil Mack as he was training at the facility.
Jacas is the 50th-ranked player on the consensus board and the 10th EDGE overall. He’d technically be 11th if Ohio State’s Arvell Reese was ranked at the same position instead of linebacker. But this is a quality pass rusher and edge defender that just happens to be in a stacked class.
In the last two seasons at Illinois, Jacas has 85 pressures and 19 sacks. Amongst EDGE defenders that played 50% of pass rush snaps last year, Jacas ranked 16th in college football with an 88.0 PFF pass rush grade.
The Chargers don’t currently have a ton of sustainable depth in the EDGE room behind Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu. Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh have liked their three rusher looks. Bud Dupree is a solid run defender, but lacks the pass-rush juice at this stage of his career. Are there particularly high expectations for Kyle Kennard after what was effectively a redshirt rookie season?
He may not fall all the way to #55 on draft day. But if he is available with the Bolts’ second-round selection, Jacas would make sense in a rotation with Tuipulotu and Mack. If Mack were to retire relatively soon, the Chargers would also have a premium EDGE defender of the future to pair with Tuipulotu.