We already took a look at the San Diego Chargers' 2013 NFL Draft needs, so you can use that as a construct for determining the team's assumed priorities in this mock. Let's dive right into it and see where it takes us.
1. Lane Johnson, Offensive Tackle, Oklahoma
The Chargers’ most pressing need is talent along the offensive line. Both of their starting guards are free agents and last year’s starting left tackle, Jared Gaither, is sure to be cut before the season begins. Lane Johnson has tremendous upside. He’s currently the third overall tackle on my board, behind Eric Fisher and Luke Joeckel (who will presumably be gone by the 11th pick), but in five years, he may be the best tackle in the draft.
A former quarterback and defensive end, he’s incredibly quick and athletic for a 6’6”, 302-pound man. His technique is a little raw since he’s only been at the position for two years, but he’s already playing at a level high enough to justify this pick. Anything beyond that will be frosting on the cake.
2. Jordan Poyer, Cornerback, Oregon State
Both of the Chargers’ starting cornerbacks are free agents this offseason. Quentin Jammer is 33 and may be ready to move on. They would like to keep Antoine Cason around, but he’s in the market for money and they may not be able to afford him. So they need a cornerback. If Fisher, Joeckel, and Johnson were all drafted before the 11th pick in the first round, I’d expect the Chargers to take Dee Milliner of Alabama, the top cornerback in the draft. However, since they were able to snag Johnson in this scenario, we’ll assume they’ll be looking closely at corners in the second round.
Poyer is a fiery, physical corner who plays a little bigger than his 6’0”, 185-pound frame. As a former safety who has only played corner since the middle of 2010, he’s quite good in zone coverage. He can cover effectively inside and outside, so he’ll bring flexibility and extra value to the Chargers. He’ll probably never be a true shutdown corner, but his ability to click-and-close and play the ball in the air could lead to a number of key interceptions.
3. Justin Pugh, Offensive Lineman, Syracuse
Since offensive line is such a big need, the Chargers invest their third round pick in another quick, athletic lineman. Pugh has started at left tackle for the Orange for the last three years, but he more likely projects to guard at the next level.
He’s 6’5” and 301 pounds, but he has very short arms (only 31-1/2”). Typically the cutoff for arm length for offensive tackles is 32”. In this case, his experience at tackle can serve as extra depth for the Chargers, as he could slide out in a pinch. He’s a polished athlete who may the run the fastest 40-yard time among offensive linemen in the combine. That athleticism means good upside, even if he ultimately stats at guard.
4. Kiko Alonso, Inside Linebacker, Oregon
The Chargers head back up to the Northwest with their next pick, nabbing an aggressive inside linebacker to replace the potentially departing Takeo Spikes. At 6’4” and 240 pounds, Alonso’s explosiveness really pops off the tape. He’s a fast, instinctive, hard-hitting inside linebacker who could become an above-average starter and vocal leader of the team, as long as he can keep his nose clean. He’s had numerous run-ins with the law, and he suffered through an ACL tear in his sophomore year. As long as he can behave and stay focused, he can bring a real edge to the entire defense that could pay big dividends down the road.
5. Montori Hughes, Defensive Tackle, Tennessee-Martin
Hughes is a massive mauler of a man. He’s 6’4” and 325 pounds, so he’s similar in size to Red Bryant of the Seattle Seahawks. That’s probably who his playing style most closely resembles. I suspect he’d be a lot higher on many boards if he’d attended a school with a better reputation than Tennessee-Martin. He started his college career at Tennessee, but transferred to Tennessee-Martin after he was dismissed from Tennessee for violating school rules.
He has uncommon movement skills for a man of his size. He’s disruptive up the middle, able to occupy multiple blockers or shoot through a gap and wreak havoc on the pocket. He also has a knack for getting in the heads of his opponents with all of his talk on the field, just like Bryant. His biggest weaknesses have been his character red flags off the field and his motor on the field. But a guy his size shouldn’t be playing 50-60 snaps a game. Limiting him to something like 25-35 plays a game may maximize his impact.
6. Robert Lester, Safety, Alabama
Atari Bigby was their starting safety opposite Eric Weddle last season, and while he’s still pretty good inside the box, he’s a liability in coverage. This class of safeties is quite deep, and there’s a good chance of finding a starter in the later rounds. Robert Lester falls into that category.
He slid through the cracks a little bit on an exceedingly talented Alabama defense, but he’s a big, ball-hawking safety who’s athletic enough to run up the seam with some receivers. He tends to go for the big hit rather than wrapping up and tackling with good fundamentals, but these are the types of things teams are willing to deal with in the sixth round.
7. Oscar Johnson, Offensive Lineman, Louisiana Tech
Most NFL teams like to take line players in the last couple picks of the draft. Given San Diego’s needs on the offensive line, I’ve got them going for one last offensive lineman. This Johnson is a definite work-in-progress. He protected Colby Cameron’s blind side this last year after making the transition from right guard. He’s a huge tackle, at 6’6” and 336 pounds, and he has decently long arms (33-3/4”). He tends to play pretty high, so he loses the leverage battle when he has to sustain blocks, and he came from an offense that passes a lot, so he’s not super experienced as a run-blocker, but these are all things that are coachable. If the Chargers have some patience with the guy, at the very least, he could pan out as a solid depth tackle.