How Chargers can address early-season positions of need in 2022 NFL draft

As the saying goes, draft day is every day.

It may be only the seventh week of the NFL season, and the Chargers look like a playoff contender at 4-2, but it is never too early to look at the direction the team could go to continue to build an already stout roster.

While this mock is very early, positional needs are bound to change. However, we still get the sense based on what we have seen in the games thus far and players that are bound to be free agents.

With that being said, I used The Draft Network’s mock draft simulator to take a crack at predicting what L.A. might do come next April.

Let’s dive into the three-round mock draft!

Round 1, No. 29, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Ohio State

The Chargers hit a home run with the selection of Rashawn Slater, who already looks like one of the better left tackles in this league. Now, Los Angeles must look to find the long-term solution on the opposite side, with Bryan Bulaga’s future in L.A. up in the air.

General manager Tom Telesco showed us last offseason that he is all in on investing in quarterback Justin Herbert, which is why he could choose to solidify the spot early on in the draft if he does not go with a veteran via free agency.

Following a season where he performed well as the Buckeye’s right tackle, Petit-Frere moved over as the team’s blindside blocker and has been nothing short of dominant in 2021 against top-tier competition.

At 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, Petit-Frere looks the part with great length and plays with athleticism, flexibility, strength, and lower body explosion, controlling rushers in pass protection and moving bodies in the run game.

Since 2019, Petit-Frere has not allowed a quarterback hit in over 500 pass-block snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Round 2, No. 62, DT Devonte Wyatt, Georgia

The most glaring issue for the Chargers up to this point in the season is the run defense. Not only do they lack the talent, but they could be lacking serious depth next offseason, considering Linval Joseph, Justin Jones, and Christian Covington are all slated to be free agents.

With that in mind, this is a position that could be addressed in the first round but since making sure that Herbert has all the tools to succeed takes priority, Los Angeles addresses the interior part of the defensive line in the following round.

Jordan Davis, Wyatt’s teammate, has received the majority of the buzz. However, Wyatt has played his way into early-round consideration, having led the Bulldogs’ interior defensive linemen in tackles each of the past two seasons and currently up to 10 quarterback hits in 2021.

According to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, Wyatt’s most impressive testing number is the 4.87 40 he clocked last offseason. He also vertical jumped 31 inches and broad jumped 9-3.

At 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, Wyatt plays with the first-step quickness, leverage, lateral agility, and play strength at the point of attack to make an impact in all phases. In addition, he has the versatility to line up anywhere from the zero-to-five technique.

Round 3, No. 93, EDGE Jeffrey Gunter, Coastal Carolina

With both Kyler Fackrell and Uchenna Nwosu’s contracts expiring after the season, the position could very well be near the top of the team’s priority list.

After spending the 2019 season on the sidelines, Gunter followed that up with 12.5 tackles for loss and six sacks last fall. In addition, he led the nation with six forced fumbles in 2020.

Standing at 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, Gunter has a combination of explosion, power, and usage of length to create consistent pressure on the quarterback and impact the run. Furthermore, last season he tallied almost 100 coverage snaps.

Up to this point in the season, Gunter is third in Pro Football Focus’ “win percentage,” which is a stat that measures the percentage of wins vs. blockers on pass-rush snaps at 27.7%.