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Bolts Mock Draft Tracker 9.0

Mar 21, 2022 at 01:42 PM

Take a look at whom draft analysts have the Bolts selecting at No. 17 overall. The opinions, analysis and/or speculation expressed below represent those of individual authors and do not represent the opinions or policies of the Chargers' organization, front office staff, coaches and executives.

Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports - OL Kenyon Green, Texas A&M

Last updated: March 21, 2022

"Green can play outside or inside and at Texas A&M he lined up against some of the best defensive linemen and edge rushers in the country. The Chargers need to protect all-world QB Justin Herbert and Green would be an obvious choice in the middle of the round."

Damian Parson, The Draft Network – WR Chris Olave, Ohio State

Last updated: March 21, 2022

"The Chargers are one of the biggest winners through one week of free agency. They have filled numerous holes on their roster, making this selection a luxury. Chris Olave is the second part of that dynamic Buckeye tandem. Olave's a great route-runner with his ability to attack leverages with speed and tempo. He has experience moving all over the formation. Pairing him with Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, and Josh Palmer makes Justin Herbert an even more dangerous quarterback."

Nate Davis, USA Today – OT Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa

Last updated: March 21, 2022

"An excellent athlete who locked down the left side in college, Penning would bring a little fire to the Bolts – a team that should continue upgrading the protection of QB Justin Herbert after the release of RT Bryan Bulaga and at a time when the AFC West is in a pass rusher arms race."

Kyle Stackpole, CBS Sports – OT Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa

Last updated: March 19, 2022

"The Chargers have made all the right moves in free agency, from re-signing Mike Williams to adding J.C. Jackson to trading for Khalil Mack. Now it's time to provide better protection for Justin Herbert. Los Angeles selected Rashawn Slater 13th overall in last year's draft, and he earned Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors as a rookie. It's unreasonable to think Penning will replicate those accomplishments, but he should be a quality starter pretty quickly."

Danny Kelly, The Ringer – DL Devonte Wyatt, Georgia

Last updated: March 18, 2022

"The AFC West is loaded with high-powered offenses. If the Chargers are going to keep pace with the Chiefs, Broncos, and Raiders, they need more defenders who can get after the quarterback. Wyatt is a dynamic interior disruptor who can not only collapse the pocket from the inside, but can draw double-teams that create opportunities for Joey Bosa on the edge."

Josh Edwards, CBS Sports – OT Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa

Last updated: March 18, 2022

"As Los Angeles looks around the AFC West, they may notice something -- as the others are as well -- teams in their division are loading up on pass rushers. Denver has Randy Gregory and Bradley Chubb. Las Vegas has Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby. Kansas City has Frank Clark and Chris Jones. The offensive lines better be prepared and the Chargers add a little fire of their own in the form of Penning."

Trevor Sikkema, Pro Football Focus – OT Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa

Last updated: March 18, 2022

"The Chargers have made some big-time splashes over the last week. Trading for Khalil Mack, re-signing Mike Williams, signing J.C. Jackson and Sebastian Joseph-Day. It's all put them in true "best player available" mode for the draft. If the Chargers do have a big need left, it is likely at offensive tackle, as they just released veteran Bryan Bulaga. Penning could have the chance to come in at right tackle and compete to start right away."

Mike Renner, Pro Football Focus – WR Jameson Williams, Alabama

Last updated: March 17, 2022

"Williams may not be ready by Week 1 after tearing his ACL in the National Championship Game, but after the offseason the Chargers have had so far, they'll be thinking more about a playoff run. Williams provides something that offense is desperately missing: pure deep speed. His 20.0 yards per catch figure last year was the best of any top receiver in the class."

Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports – OT Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa

Last updated: March 16, 2022

"To shore up the right tackle position could go a long way in Justin Herbert building on the first two very encouraging seasons to begin his NFL career."

Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times/Yahoo Sports - DT Jordan Davis, Georgia

Last updated: March 14, 2022

"The Chargers need someone to help them stop the run. The 350-pound Davis is the immovable object in the middle."

Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports – DT Jordan Davis, Georgia

Last updated: March 11, 2022

"As I said up top, in a vacuum, I'm not taking a run-stuffing defensive tackle in the first round of this draft, but it makes sense for the Chargers to do so. They just traded for Khalil Mack to pair with Joey Bosa, and that duo should provide all the pass-rush juice the team needs."

Todd McShay, ESPN.com (subscription required) – DT Jordan Davis, Georgia

Last updated: March 9, 2022

"There isn't much more to say about Davis' combine workout. It was one of the most impressive showings I've ever seen at the event. Running a 4.78 in the 40-yard dash and jumping 10-foot-3 in the broad jump at 341 pounds seemingly defies physics. If he keeps his weight in the 340-pound range, Davis is going to be a problem for offensive coordinators in the NFL. Against the run, he's a space-eater who plays with power. He sees double-teams regularly but still appears impossible to move off his spot.

That's all good news for the Chargers, who gave up 4.6 yards per carry last season (tied for the fifth-worst rate in the NFL) and lose defensive tackles Linval Joseph and Justin Jones to free agency. Davis' big-time combine showing cemented his top-20 status, but if he keeps up his conditioning and can get on the field more often in the pros, Los Angeles could have a steal at No. 17."

Lance Zierlein NFL.com – (TRADE - Pick 20) DT Jordan Davis, Georgia

Last updated: March 8, 2022

"The Chargers were terrible at stopping the run last season. That changes with the addition of the block-eating Davis, whose combination of size and athleticism should allow him to play anywhere along the line."

Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN.com (subscription required) – DE Travon Walker, Georgia

Last updated: March 1, 2022

"As I mentioned in my debut mock draft, the Chargers still haven't fixed their years-long issue defending the run, as they ranked 28th in the league in yards per carry (4.8). If you're looking at a void to fill for a team that is right on the edge of playoff contention, this is a way to do it. The 280-pound Walker could be an ideal fit for L.A.'s 3-4 defense because he's a good run defender who also has some pass-rush ability. He's not a two-down player like his former Georgia teammate Jordan Davis; I think this is too high to take a nose tackle with a low ceiling for sacks. Walker had six for the national champs in 2021."

Bucky Brooks, NFL.com – OT Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa

Last updated: March 1, 2022

"The need to protect Justin Herbert could prompt general manager Tom Telesco to seek an upgrade at right tackle. Penning has the size, length and athleticism to stymie pass rushers in their tracks."

Steve Palazzolo, Pro Football Focus – OT Bernhard Raimann, Central Michigan

Last updated: February 28, 2022

"The Chargers did a fantastic job overhauling their offensive line last offseason, but right tackle was still an issue. Raimann can slot in there because Bryan Bulaga is older and injury-prone. In addition, backup Storm Norton struggled in pass protection. Raimann is young to the position, but he still graded at 94.6 overall last season."

Nick Baumgardner, The Athletic (subscription required) – EDGE George Karlaftis, Purdue

Last updated: February 22, 2022

"If Karlaftis gets dinged because he has short arms (and he might), he could wind up being a steal for someone in terms of overall talent. The Chargers will also be looking at corner here. It's hard to say where a player like Karlaftis will land, but he was a beast up front for Purdue from the day he arrived as a freshman in 2019. He's a powerhouse of an edge defender who can check a lot of boxes."

Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com – WR Chris Olave, Ohio State

Last updated: February 22, 2022

"The Chargers have a solid WR corps (they need to re-sign pending free agent Mike Williams) but they lack a big-time deep threat. Olave would be a perfect fit."

Austin Gayle, Pro Football Focus – WR Jameson Williams, Alabama

Last updated: February 21, 2022

"The Ohio State duo will attract a number of suitors in April's draft, but Williams will be the favorite for every team looking to add freaky high-end speed at the position. A finalist for the 2021 Fred Biletnikoff Award, Williams caught 67-of-102 targets for 1,434 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. He also dropped just six passes all year long while averaging north of 3.1 yards per route run on an absurdly high 15.2-yard average depth of target. He is the class' premier deep threat and a perfect complement to what Keenan Allen offers in Los Angeles, especially with Mike Williams expected to enter 2022 free agency.

The injury he suffered against Georgia in the College Football Playoff National Championship will obviously affect his draft stock, but a successful surgery should keep him from falling completely out of the first round barring any unforeseen hiccups with his recovery."

Chad Reuter, NFL.com – DT Jordan Davis, Georgia

Last updated: February 14, 2022

"The Chargers get their new nose tackle in Davis, who moves smaller offensive linemen out of his path and possesses better quickness to attack gaps than expected, given his 6-6, 340-pound frame."

Brentley Weissman, The Draft Network – CB Trent McDuffie, Washington

Last updated: February 14, 2022

"One of my favorite prospects in this entire class, Trent McDuffie is a player I'd be willing to bet everything on. He offers cat-like quickness in coverage to mirror route patterns, excellent deep speed to carry vertically, and has very good ball skills. What sets McDuffie apart for me is he is an outstanding tackler in run support and has very good awareness to try and knock the ball out and create turnovers. The Chargers need some more help in the secondary and pairing McDuffie with Asante Samuel Jr. would be very fun."

Cynthia Frelund, CBS Sports – LB Nakobe Dean, Georgia

Last updated: February 11, 2022

"I'm pretty sure I'll get some feedback about this one, as it seems everyone and their sister is mocking a very large DT to the Chargers to help shore up the run. But my models like Dean here. Why? His good run-stopping ability is also complemented by an ability to help shut down opposing tight ends -- and the AFC West has some excellent tight ends to contend with. Dean's forecast for executing blitz concepts is strong, and he ranks in the top 87th percentile in terms of breaking blocks and pursuit speed, especially in the middle of the field. The Chargers have a very special player on the roster in Derwin James, and throwing to the middle of the field would forecast to be a lot harder with both Dean and James on this defense.I've seen a lot of Olave at Ohio State, and I'm constantly impressed by how smooth and effortless he makes everything look. He's not big but gets off press coverage, has top-end speed, and runs some beautiful routes. With Keenan Allen getting older and Mike Williams a free agent, the Chargers would be wise to invest in Olave."

Seth Galina, Pro Football Focus – DT Jordan Davis, Georgia

Last updated: February 7, 2022

"There might not be a better fit than Davis landing with the Chargers, who did not have an interior defender grade higher than 59.6 against the run. Due to Los Angeles' propensity for two-high safety shells, their defensive tackles need to hold up by themselves. Davis is, by far, the best run defender in this draft."