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The Los Angeles Chargers are entering the final phase of what has been a fantastic offseason. General manager Tom Telesco led his team to one of the best free agency periods in the NFL, adding big names such as JC Jackson and Khalil Mack. These moves were clearly made with Super Bowl contention in mind, making the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft a huge opportunity for LA. We go over some of our Chargers predictions with the NFL Draft in mind.
They still have some notable holes on their roster, and this is their last real chance to fill them before the season eventually rolls around. Expect Los Angeles to have one of the most exciting drafts in the league as they make an effort to finish a roster that can win in 2022.
With that said, here are three bold predictions for the Chargers in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Chargers Predictions for the 2022 NFL Draft
3. Los Angeles will select Jordan Davis in the first round
This may not seem like such a bold prediction, but it certainly is. Davis is a mammoth defensive tackle who excels at shutting down the run, but his pass-rush abilities are lackluster at best. Players like that rarely go in the first round, but Los Angeles will change that here. Despite his lack of versatility, Davis is a slam-dunk pick for the Chargers.
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LA was abysmal against the run in 2021, allowing nearly 140 rushing yards per game on 4.6 yards per carry. Those are two of the worst numbers in the league, and they cost the Chargers games. Even if Davis is only a two-down player, his presence should dramatically improve the run defense in Los Angeles. That alone is well worth a first-round pick for a Chargers team that doesn’t have many holes.
2. The Chargers will trade up into the second round to select Nakobe Dean
One of the biggest holes the Chargers have on their roster is at linebacker. Currently, they’re set to start Kenneth Murray and Troy Reeder at the position. Murray has been a disappointment ever since coming out of Oklahoma, and Reeder is a below-average player at best.
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Los Angeles needs to find a way to fix that gap, and Nakobe Dean seems like a good solution. The former Georgia Bulldog is coming off of a fantastic season in which he racked up 72 tackles, six sacks, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions. Spending future draft capital to trade up for someone who should be an instant starter is well worth it, especially since Dean fills a need.
1. The Chargers won’t make more than five selections in this draft
If the draft started today, Los Angeles would be set to make a whopping ten selections. That sounds like a good thing, but six of those ten picks come in the last two rounds of the draft. Those picks aren’t very valuable, and they become less valuable when we consider how good the Chargers’ roster already is. If Los Angeles actually uses all of those picks, it’s likely that the majority of the players selected in the sixth and seventh rounds don’t even make the roster.
It doesn’t make much sense to hang on to those draft picks when the rest of the roster is on the brink of Super Bowl contention. The Chargers should use the excess picks to trade up and select players that have a better chance of making an immediate impact.