It’s never too early to talk about the future of the Chargers. Sitting at 2-3, there are many that are already counting out the team and have begun wondering what’s next.
With that, I decided to start giving those people a glimpse at the direction Los Angeles could go to fortify their roster in the 2020 NFL draft.
Aside from my weekly scouting notebooks, I will be doing a mock draft once a month before the pre-draft process, which will give an idea the directions they could go depending on where their draft selection will be.
Here is our first three-round mock draft:
Round 1, No. 11, OT Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
The offensive tackle position is clearly still the weakest group of team. Even when left tackle Russell Okung comes back, the future of the positional group still remains to be seen.
Because of that, the Chargers could look to fill that uncertainty with a premiere offensive tackle in Round 1, which is something that Leatherwood would bring to the table.
Standing at 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds, Leatherwood possesses the competitive toughness and works hard in all phases to flourish at the next level.
While many tackles are stressed by athletic edge rushers, he’s not and beats defenders with a blend of athletic movement skills and brute strength.
Leatherwood will be looking to follow the footsteps of Bengals’ Jonah Williams and become the second consecutive Alabama offensive tackle drafted in the first round.
Round 2, No. 43, CB Jeff Gladney, TCU
While many may suggest the cornerback position is fine, the Chargers have lacked fire power opposite of Casey Hayward for quite sometime, and Gladney brings immediate starting upside.
There’s no denying Gladney’s athletic profile. His speed immediately pop out, as The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman has reported he’s been clocked at 4.34 and it shows on the field.
Gladney has not been an interception machine throughout his stint at TCU, but he possesses the speed to erase angles, the physicality and the length to get always get his hands on the football and make plays.
Round 3, No. 75, DT Leki Fotu, Utah
Nose tackle Brandon Mebane is close to calling it quits, which means that they will have to find his successor, and Fotu would be a solid selection in the third round to fill that void.
Sure, they could kick Justin Jones inside, but I believe he’s suited better as a three-technique.
Fotu, the 6-foot-5 and 325 pound defensive tackle has the speed, power, length, body control and mismatch ability to cause fits for NFL interior offensive linemen.
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