Chargers mock draft has the Bolts taking the best defensive player in college
By Jason Reed
The LA Chargers are still fighting to make the playoffs but with most of the league already being out of the playoff picture we have seen some outlets start turning to mock drafts. While Charger fans are most concerned about making the playoffs and making a run, the 2022 NFL Draft is still an exciting topic as it can help the team truly reach its ceiling next season.
Pro Football Focus just put out its latest 2022 NFL mock draft and they have the Chargers taking one of the most exciting players in all of college football from 2021. PFF has the Chargers picking 20th in the 2022 NFL Draft, which is the team's current standing in the draft order.
However, the deeper the Chargers go in the playoffs (if they make it) the later they will pick. If the Bolts miss the playoffs then they will pick 17th or 18th, depending on other outcomes.
Pro Football Focus mocks Jordan Davis to the LA Chargers in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
For those that are unfamiliar, Jordan Davis is an interior defensive lineman from the University of Georgia that took the college football landscape by storm in 2021. Davis is one of the most dominant interior defensive linemen in recent memory and had the most impressive season of any defensive player in college in 2021.
In fact, Davis won the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is given to the best defensive player by the Maxwell Football Club. There are several awards that are meant to name the best defensive player of the year but the Chuck Bednarik Award is one of the most pristine. Recent winners of the award include Chase Young, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Aaron Donald, to name a few.
Davis very well could fall this late in the draft because he is a defensive tackle and interior defensive linemen typically don't go very high in the draft. He absolutely could be in the Chargers' range depending on where they end up drafting and if he is on the board, he very well could be the selection.
The Chargers run defense has struggled this season and while it looks better with Justin Jones playing, it would not be surprising to see the team build from the trenches up by selecting Davis. Jones and Linval Joseph are both free agents and Jerry Tillery is not getting any better against the run. Davis could be a safe pick that makes an instant impact in year one.
Suddenly, the LA Chargers would have a much more promising interior defensive line. The team could re-sign Justin Jones and bring in Akiem Hicks, who has connections to Brandon Staley and have a three-man front that would dominate against the run. Meanwhile, the team would still have Jerry Tillery to play a lesser role in passing downs and give the veteran Hicks a breather.
It would definitely be an impactful selection and is one that is hard to get upset by. Depending on who is on the board, the team may also look into drafting an offensive lineman for the right side of the line or a cornerback. The Chargers have a solid secondary when healthy, but they have several CB2s. They do not have a true CB1, although they could also try and solve that in free agency.
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The team's free-agent activity will determine what position they target in the 2022 NFL Draft but because of just how good he is, Jordan Davis will always be on the board for the Bolts.