Throughout the wave of mock drafts, the Chargers have had similar players consistently linked to them. From offensive tackle Kaleb McGary to defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, many media pundits have favored them to land with Los Angeles in the draft later this month.
That changes in Fantasy Football Statistics’ latest three-round mock draft. L.A. receivers prospects that haven’t been mocked to them recently. It includes a rangy free safety, speedy wide receiver and shutdown cornerback.
Below is the outcome from their mock draft.
Round 1 | No. 28 | Deionte Thompson | Alabama | FS
A free safety could be considered as early as Round 1, given the team’s depth on the active roster with Rayshawn Jenkins and Jaylen Watkins leading the pack with hardly any starting experience. Instead, they may be best suited as backups, which means they could look for a starting FS early on.
Alabama’s Deionte Thompson could be an ideal fit for the Chargers, who have lacked a true ballhawk free safety since when Eric Weddle was on the team.
Thompson flies around the field hunting the football. He’s got great speed and acceleration which allows him to cover a great amount of range. Thompson is quick-footed and fluid through the hips. He has no trouble getting out of breaks of flipping his hips to turn and run.
Thompson is a feisty tackler that comes out of nowhere to make plays. He shows no fear taking on bigger players and has a real knack for the ball, though he has the tendency to be a bit out of control when coming down at times.
Overall, Thompson will need to improve on his technique and mental processing, as he can be bite in coverage leaving his zone by tracking the quarterback’s eyes. But he the makings of another successful former Alabama defensive back in the NFL that would be a perfect fit in the backend of defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s defense.
Round 2 | No. 60 | Marquise Brown | Oklahoma | WR
After losing wide receiver Tyrell Williams to the Raiders, the competition for the No. 3 wideout has begun. Though the Chargers has options on the roster already with Travis Benjamin, Dylan Cantrell, Artavis Scott and Geremy Davis, they could look to the draft to bring in another weapon.
In this case, Los Angeles does with the selection of Oklahoma’s Marquise Brown. The second round may be a bit rich for the team to select a wide receiver with the other holes needed to be filled, but general manager Tom Telesco may think differently.
Leading the FBS with 14 catches of over 50 yards in 2017 and 2018, Brown might be the most dynamic player in the entire draft. The former Oklahoma product showed to win in a variety of way in the Sooner’s offense.
With rare combination of speed, quickness, and natural receiving skills, Brown would have the ability to make an impact early on, ideally as a Z-receiver to win vertically, stylistically similar to Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill.
The chances of this happening are slim, but can you imagine the trio of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Marquise Brown. Talk about a deadly combination.
Round 3 | No. 91 | Jamel Dean | Auburn | CB
Like the wide receiver position, the No. 3 cornerback spot appears to be wide open. And even though they have options with Trevor Williams and Michael Davis, the Chargers may look to add youth to compete for the job.
Dean had a difficult start to his college career because of multiple knee injuries. But he showed that they hadn’t effected him when he displayed his athleticism at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine. Dean ran a 4.30 40, which was the second-fastest at the event. He then jumped a whopping 41-inch vertical and 130-inch broad.
At 6-foot-1 and 206 pounds, Dean possesses the ideal height and weight for the position. He uses his length to his advantage in coverage when suffocating the catch point and force passes defensed. His allowed 40 percent completion rate in 2018 speaks for itself.
Though there are issues to his technique that he will need to work on, Dean has the makings of a quality starter and one that would be great for the Chargers.
