The chaos around Free Agency has mostly settled down by now, and teams around the league know their biggest needs in the draft. The Chargers are no exception to this. Small moves have been made around the margins with a couple of moves headlining their signings. With this, the Chargers can take whoever the best available player is in every round this year, which could help tremendously. Although, that comes with questions. They could take any position in the first round, with each pick setting up the next. Here is the newest Chargers mock that has the Bolts loading up on offensive weapons for Justin Herbert in the earlier rounds, with some possible home run picks on defense later in the draft.
Round One, Pick 22: TE Colston Loveland; Michigan
There are many directions the Chargers can go within the first round. They could take a WR, RB, DT, or TE. Of course, they address every one of these positions in this mock draft. In this mock, however, the Bolts select one of Jim Harbaugh’s own with Tight End Colston Loveland coming to Los Angeles from Ann Arbor. While Tyler Warren will likely go higher, Loveland is surely a first-round talent. He would immediately jump near the top of Justin Herbert’s target list. Loveland would be learning behind Tyler Conklin and could benefit from doing so. By the end of the season, however, he would take over as the TE1 and won’t look back. Out of every position of need, Colson Loveland may be the biggest needle-mover.
Round Two, Pick 55: RB Cam Skattebo; Arizona State
Cam Skattebo may be the best fit of any RB with this team. Yes, he and Najee Harris have parts of their game that overlap, but Najee’s one-year deal isn’t worth passing on Skattebo for. When thinking of a guy Jim Harbaugh would love, one would picture Skattebo. A relentless, willing-to-do-it-all type of back would find a perfect match with the Chargers here. There are some questions about whether Skattebo’s game will translate into the NFL, but his best bet is going to the Chargers. The man could not be tackled at ASU in 2024 and he would be getting behind one of the best offensive lines the Chargers have had in years. Going with another RB could make sense here, but Skattebo would land with his best fit while the Chargers pick up the man that should be their long-term RB.
Round Three, Pick 86: DT Deone Walker; Kentucky
Deone Walker’s draft stock has lowered after taking a step back in his junior season. However, that doesn’t mean he will not be a great interior lineman for any team that drafts him. He had 7.5 sacks in his sophomore year with 55 tackles. The only negative here is that he may be more of a project than the guys projected on the first day of the draft. He could be the type of lineman who takes a year to find his footing in the league. However, that’s normal in his position. Many DLs start slow in the NFL before becoming the force they were supposed to be. Deone Walker has that written all over him. In the meantime, he can develop behind their Free Agent signings at his position. Give it a couple of years, and Deone Walker will surely be the same player the nation saw in his sophomore season.
Round Four, Pick 125: CB Jordan Hancock; Ohio State
At this point in the draft, the Chargers could go in many different directions. One that is expected to be targeted at some point would be corner. Last year, the Bolts picked up two high-value corners in Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still in the fifth round. They could do the same here in the fourth. There will be many high-ceiling corners at 125, but the Chargers take Ohio State standout Jordan Hancock. Hancock had an interception in every full season at OSU and got to the QB a couple of times. He also had about 50 tackles in his Senior year, a number that increased every season. He split time at corner and safety, his versatility being something Jesse Minter can take advantage of. His size (6’1, 190) could be a problem, however. Of course, the Chargers just picked up Benjamin St. Juste who has the same problem, so they could work on getting both of them bigger at the same time. Jordan Hancock is more of a risk than most of their other mocked picks, but it could pay off big time in the future.
Round Five, Pick 158: WR Nick Nash; San Jose State
Nick Nash is admittedly a reach at 158. However, it is hard to not mention him as someone the Chargers could go after in a later round. Nash won the NCAA triple crown in 2024 and would be heading to a lacking WR room in this scenario. Yes, San Jose State doesn’t play the greatest competition, but there is still a high ceiling that is worth taking the risk on in the fifth or sixth round. In LA, Nash would be learning behind Mike Williams, Ladd McConkey, and (presumably) Keenan Allen. These wideouts are all elite at different parts of the game and they would all be great mentors to Nash as he looks to develop into a real NFL WR.