The 2023 NFL draft is just three weeks away, so we are nearing the end of informing you who the Chargers could target while they’re on the clock.
With that being said, this is the fourth installment of the four-round mock draft Friday, where I lay out different scenarios on how the first four rounds could play out for Los Angeles.
Round 1, No. 21, WR Jordan Addison, USC
In most of these mock drafts, I’ve been sending a receiver whose game is predicated on speed to the Chargers because that’s the missing element from the positional room.
However, it might be difficult for Los Angeles to pass on one with a well-rounded skill set, with the hands, speed, quickness, and crafty route-running ability. Not to mention, a player familiar with wide receivers coach Chris Beatty, who recruited Addison, initially to Maryland, then to Pittsburgh.
Addison began his career at Pitt, where he caught 60 passes for 666 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games in 2020 before posting 100 receptions, 1,593 yards, and 17 scores in 2021. He transferred to USC after the season and ended 2022 with 59 receptions, 875 yards, and eight scores.
Overall, Addison boasts some high-quality traits, with the refined route running to separate at all levels of the field, quickness and vision to break away from defenders in the open field, and the ball skills and body control to reel in nearly everything thrown his way.
Additionally, by drafting Addison this could be the successor to Keenan Allen in the slot, as Addison offers a lot that Allen does with the silky smooth route running.
Round 2, No. 54, EDGE Derick Hall, Auburn
The Chargers have their fingers crossed in hopes of seeing Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack on the field together for a full season. However, they can’t bank on Bosa staying healthy. Additionally, Mack is not getting any younger. So that’s why they must bolster this position early in the draft.
At 6-foot-3 and 254 pounds with 34 1/2-inch arms, Hall is a high-motored and powerful rusher with the length, strength, explosiveness and violent hands to cause fits for offensive tackles. Hall is also one of the best run defenders in this class, something Los Angeles would benefit from, given their run defense issues last season.
Round 3, No. 85, TE Luke Schoonmaker, Michigan
The Chargers still have Gerald Everett under contract for another year. Donald Parham has dealt with significant injuries in the past couple of seasons, including a scary concussion in 2021 and a hamstring strain in 2022. Tre’ McKitty has underwhelmed in his first two seasons. That is why they must add a complete tight end to the room.
Schoonmaker is known more for his blocking skills, but over the last two years of his collegiate career, he was a contributor in the passing game, catching 52 balls for 583 yards receiving and six touchdowns.
With the fluidity in his movements, field-stretching ability with his good speed, and his tenaciousness as a blocker, Schoonmaker would be a good fit in offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s system, stylistically comparable to Dalton Schultz, who Moore worked with during his time with the Cowboys.
Round 4, No. 125, S Christopher Smith, Georgia
Brandon Staley has targeted defensive backs with three of his seven Day 3 picks in his first two Chargers drafts. That’s why it would not surprise me to see him take one here, especially with the safety position behind Derwin James being pretty thin.
A key piece in Georgia’s great defenses the past two seasons, Smith is a versatile safety who has the play speed, range, and toughness. He has great ball skills, as evident from having three interceptions each of the past two seasons. Against the run, Smith is an aggressive, downhill defender.
Smith finished the 2022 season with 60 total tackles, one sack, three interceptions, a forced fumble and five passes defended. He also had a memorable blocked field goal return for a touchdown in the SEC championship game against LSU.
