Chargers mock draft: Building a quality class around Jordan Addison

With the 125th pick in the fourth round, the Los Angeles Chargers select:
Auburn EDGE Colby Wooden

The Chargers do need some EDGE and interior help. For that need, they get a true tweener by definition here in Colby Wooden out of Auburn. Wooden tacked on 40 pounds during his college career to get to 6'4" 273. In 2022, Wooden had six sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss.

Versatility is a feather in Wooden's cap as he played practically everything on the defensive line from standup pass rusher to nose tackle. In the NFL he probably projects to play more on the interior as that's where he had most of his success in college. In the event that he adds to his pass rushing bag of moves while developing with Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack though, there should be a belief that he's capable of doing both depending on the situation.

With the 156th pick in the fifth round, the Los Angeles Chargers select:
East Carolina RB Keaton Mitchell

At this point in the draft, it doesn't seem to me like the Chargers would be actively trying to answer the, "who replaces Austin Ekeler?" question. But if a high-upside running back they like is available on day three, it's possible as seen in recent drafts.

Keaton Mitchell out of ECU is a super smooth athlete with home run-hitting speed. He had 31 15+ yard runs in 2022. His yards per attempt went up every year in college to the point of reaching 7.2 YPA in his last season. While Mitchell is a smaller running back at 5'8" 180 pounds (hence why he's going on day three), he actually has noticeable relative strength on both zone and gap runs. PFF graded him as a top running back in the class with a 93.9 rushing grade.

The perception often is that the Chargers need a true power back to pair with Ekeler and well, that hasn't worked out to this point. Instead, this pick gives Los Angeles' offense a true missed tackle generator in space as one of the trickiest backs to bring down. Mitchell racked up 75 missed tackles in 2022.