Due to Florida weather on Tuesday, I lost almost two full days of Draft Work to home and car issues. First true ice storm I have experienced my 12 years living in Central FLORIDA. Torn lanai screens, dimple dented cars, broken windows, wind & hail damage deluxe, and more. Time to suck it up and move on.
So for my final team mock I have chosen the Chargers. I did so because they of course want to be projected as a Play-Off team for the duration of the JUSTIN HERBERT ERA as a CHARGER. So let’s go…
Round 1, Pick 21 BRYAN BRESEE DT Clemson 6’5//300 BRESEE had a very tough year in 2022 starting with the death from a brain tumor of his younger sister. Then he went through a series of injuries and illnesses himself. But he showed over the past 4 months that he still has the elite talent to soar in the NFL. And the Chargers lack of depth in their DL showed up and hurt them down the stretch. I have not heard of any lingering health issues from the Combine medical, so here he is.
Round 2, Pick 54 RAHSEE RICE WR SMU 6’1/205 Quality depth in the receiver room is a must when your team has a Franchise QB like HERBERT. And their two top wideouts, ALLEN/WILLIAMS, seem to spend half of their time nursing injuries instead of playing football in recent seasons. RICE is not a speedster but wins a lot of “50/50 throw” battles. He’s also among a small number of receiver prospects who stand over 6′ tall, compared to the plethora of slot guys coming in at 5’10” or less. He and JOSH PALMER will likely see growing playing time in relief of the older veterans.
Round 3, Pick 85 LUKE SCHOONMAKER TE Michigan 6’5/250 Good blocker, but one who emerged last season as a solid target piece for the Wolverines Offense. After MICHAEL MAYER/Notre Dame I believe that LUKE may be the best all-around TE in this deep and talented TE group for this Draft. Expect LUKE to put this team into 2-TE formations with regularity because of his versatility.
Round 4, Pick 125 KENDRE MILLER RB TCU 5’11/215 A slashing runner who combines power with elusiveness. He has well rounded skills, including being a reliable receiver out of the backfield. Has enough speed (4.40/40 estimate) and contact balance to break out for those 15-25 yard runs. Ran for 1299-yards last season at 6.3-ypc. Also shows a nose for the end zone with 17 rushing TD. If EKELER is really serious about moving on to another team, they need another horse in this RB group. Her could be it.
Round 5, Pick 156 A.J. FINLEY S/ST Ole Miss 6’2/200 An all-around football player and athlete. The team has a top SS DERWIN JAMES, but lack anything special back deep at the other slot. FINLEY has also played an important part in Special Teams play while in Oxford. Has starting potential with time, IMO.
Round 6, Pick 200 TRE TUCKER WR/RS Cincinnati 5’9/185 Mighty mite DeANFRE CARTER has moved on to the Raiders and this guy offers the same size and tool kit package that CARTER did. You didn’t get to see him at the Combine, but you should have noticed him during Senior Bowl week in Mobile. He’s tough for his size and shows more quickness than straight line speed. Could make a very nice, low price fill-in for there departed CARTER.
Round 7, Pick 239 TITUS LEO ER/DE Wagner 6’3/245 Edge-Rushers are a lot like CB in today’s NFL. They impact games and you can never have enough good ones on your roster. LEO is a long shot to make their roster, but was highly productive in the world of smaller school athletes. His 34″ long arms and 80+” wingspan paint the length picture to arm tackle people (like a QB) from behind in the pocket, our along the line-of-scrimmage.
No extra Picks here, but a solid group of picks to attempt to fill some need areas. Most will initially be back-ups, but the talent in this group is good, if not great. And this team always seems to need more depth. Team doctors and Trainers for the Chargers are never shy of players to help rehab. This team always seems to have more than its share of injured players.
Cheers
Pigskin
