3 positions the Chargers should avoid in the first round of 2022 NFL Draft
By Jason Reed
3. Defensive tackle
I know that this is going to be a controversial inclusion as there are a lot of fans out there that want to see the LA Chargers take Jordan Davis in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. It is hard not to love Davis. He was arguably the best defensive player in the country last season and was absolutely the best defensive tackle in stopping the run and resetting the line of scrimmage.
It was more than just Davis being the best last season. He is one of the best run-stuffing defensive tackles that we have seen at the college level in recent memory. That is what has propelled him into a first-round prospect despite being rather one-dimensional with some work to be done in the pass-rush department.
With the Chargers having one of the worst run defenses in the league last season it seems to make too much sense to pick a freak like Davis who can reset the line of scrimmage for years to come. However, the Chargers have to consider positional value and other players that the team can take later in the draft.
Defensive tackle, especially a defensive tackle that is one-dimensional, is not the hardest thing to find in the draft. In fact, the Chargers could take someone who would be 85% as good as Davis right away in Travis Jones on day two of the draft.
What would be better for the Bolts? Landing a surefire starting right tackle or cornerback in the first round and then getting Jones later in the draft or taking Davis in round one and then getting a much bigger question mark at tackle or corner later in the draft? It is easier to fill the defensive tackle hole in rounds 2-3 than it is to get a starting right tackle or cornerback who can contribute in year one.
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Even if the Chargers land a starting CB1 and right tackle they will have other needs. If the Bolts fill those holes then wide receiver will probably be a hole as it is hard to see the team being able to afford Mike Williams, someone like J.C. Jackson, AND a quality starting right tackle. If not wide receiver it will be an edge rusher. You get the point.