The 2022 NFL Draft is just a few days away and it is still unclear who the LA Chargers are going to draft in the first round. There are several prospects that potentially make sense for the Botls and who the team picks is largely going to depend on what happens the 16 picks prior.
There are a lot of variables in this year's draft, more so than previous years. Throwing a big wrench in everything is a thin quarterback class. If there were better quarterbacks then the chances of a great non-quarterback prospect falling to 17 would be higher.
The hope for the Chargers is that some of the teams without a quarterback fall in love with the prospects even in a thin class. There also could be a run of receivers ahead of the Chargers, pushing some solid defensive prospects down in the draft.
In our final mock draft before the 2022 NFL Draft, the Chargers wind up getting a cornerback prospect that they would love to have on the team. It may not be the potentially elite corner that nearly falls to the team in this mock, but it is still someone the Bolts can be happy about.
The LA Chargers land Trent McDuffie in Bolt Beat's final 2022 NFL mock draft.
My final 2022 mock draft. #Chargers get Trent McDuffie with Derek Stingley *almost* falling to 17. Can still see it happening if PHI is worried about Stingley's injuries/recent performance. pic.twitter.com/kuJePQrOTJ
— Jason Reed (@EatYourReedies) April 24, 2022
Derek Stingley almost falls to the LA Chargers, falling all the way to the Philadelphia Eagles with the 15th pick in the draft. There is a world in which the Eagles prefer the higher floor of McDuffie, instead leaving Stingley to likely fall to the Bolts at 17 (I don't think Minnesota takes Stingley at 16).
It is hard to not be happy with the McDuffie selection, though, as he would add a dynamic presence to the Chargers' secondary. With the team reportedly not very high on Michael Davis, adding someone like McDuffie who can come in as the instant CB2 would be huge in accomplishing Brandon Staley's defensive vision.
McDuffie is also intriguing with his versatility to line up in several different spots in the secondary, which is exactly what the Chargers would as him to do depending on the matchup. Staley loves chess pieces in the secondary and McDuffie would give the team exactly that.
After taking a corner in round one, the Bolts would most likely take an offensive lineman in the third round, with the best-case scenario being Abraham Lucas. However, it is probably more likely that Lucas is taken before the Bolts are on the board again.
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Los Angeles could also go with a guard in the third round with the intention of kicking Matt Feiler out to tackle. Regardless, an offensive lineman would be the next pick for the Bolts.