Despite taking a guard with the 17th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the LA Chargers took another guard with the first of two sixth-round picks on Saturday. With the 195th pick in the draft, the Chargers took Georgia's Jamaree Salyer.
This is exceptional value by the Chargers in the sixth round. Salyer was projected to go much higher in the draft with many graded him much higher than a sixth-round pick. Salyer is an absolute unit on the offensive line and has allowed just one sack since the 2020 season.
It is clear with two offensive line picks and a defensive line pick that the Chargers are committed to building the trenches and that is a great thing. This is such great value for the Bolts in the sixth round as they could be getting much more than just a depth guard next season.
The LA Chargers may have just filled their right tackle hole with Jamaree Salyer.
Jamaree Salyer has ample experience playing tackle at the college level but he is likely going to kick to the inside and be a guard at the NFL. While he might not be the person who fills in at right tackle for the Bolts, him being on the roster makes a solution easy for the team.
Salyer is legitimately good enough to start at left guard in year one, opening the door for the Chargers to kick Matt Feiler out to right tackle. This was the proposed move the team would make after taking Zion Johnson in round one with Oday Aboushi potentially being re-signed. However, Tom Telesco said that Johnson is a right guard and would not play left guard.
While Telesco did say in that same press conference that he views Feiler at a left guard, he obviously did not want to give any draft plans away and now this opens the door for him to make that move. Feiler as tackle experience and the numbers are similar at tackle as they were at guard.
Regardless of what exactly the Bolts do, the great part about this selection is that it gives the team options on the offensive line. Feiler adds a security blanket to right tackle if Trey Pipkins does not take the leap that the team seems to think that he will take.
If Pipkins does take that leap and is actually a serviceable right tackle then Feiler can start and Sayler can be an over-qualified depth guard that can fill in on either side for the inevitable injury throughout the year.
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At the very least, the Chargers got an extremely qualified depth guard who will be the long-term replacement plan for Matt Feiler at left guard. In the sixth round, that is exceptional value.