The offseason is underway, which means it’s time for the Los Angeles Chargers to prepare and build an even better 2023. The best way to do that is through the NFL Draft, which is still months away. However, that won’t stop me from making my own Chargers Mock Draft. Because there are so many unknowns in the draft and players have more than enough time to rise and fall, this draft will only feature the first three rounds. By and large, these players are known commodities, and their stock won’t change too dramatically over the next few months.
Also note that this exercise was performed using Pro Football Network’s Mock Draft Machine. If the player was on the board when the Chargers were on the clock, they were fair game.
READ MORE: Chargers 2022 Season Awards
Los Angeles Chargers Mock Draft: The First Three Rounds
1st Round – 21st Overall: Michael Mayer, TE
Justin Herbert needs another weapon in the passing game, as Keenan Allen is getting up there in age. With Jordan Addison already off the board, the next-best choice is Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer. With all due respect to Kyle Pitts, there is a real chance that Mayer is the best tight end prospect to come out in the past decade. This doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be the best tight end in the league (Travis Kelce went in the third round, the draft is an inexact science) but it does mean that he has the potential to turn into a top-five tight end and make an immediate impact as a rookie.
While he’s admittedly not a big play threat like Kelce, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone better at getting open in the intermediate part of the field and that can the chains regardless of coverage. He’s the type of player that could easily turn into a quarterback’s best friend, and he’s more than just a glorified wide receiver. Mayer is a menace in the trenches and should be able to improve an inconsistent Chargers rushing attack.
Michael Mayer is just silly pic.twitter.com/YBr0z5BQF7
— Tyler Browning (@DiabeticTyler) January 16, 2023
2nd Round – 51st Overall: Siaki Ika, DT
In case you hadn’t noticed, the 2022 Chargers had one of the worst run defenses in the league. Generally speaking, run defense is overrated, but when you’re allowing 0.038 EPA/carry and a 44% success rate, you need to do something to fix that. Fortunately, Baylor’s Siaki Ika is still on the board to fix that issue. Listed at 6′-4″ and 358 pounds, Ika is a unmovable wall of muscle that eats up run gaps like they’re pop tarts. While he’s a natural nose tackle, the Junior has the tools to fit any scheme and blow up any run game. While he’ll make his money stopping runs, he also has some potential as a pass-rusher as well.
3rd Round – 85th Overall: Zach Charbonnet, RB
The 2023 NFL Draft class boasts amazing depth at the running back position, and that’s the only reason a player as good as Zach Charbonnet is still available midway through the third round. Austin Ekeler is getting up there in age, and he won’t be around forever. Charbonnet has the potential to be a three-down back in the future, but he can still help out in the short term. The UCLA product possesses a physical, north-south style of running that would make him a perfect complement to Ekeler’s more elusive runs. The thunder to Ekeler’s lighting, these two could form one of the better running back duos in the league in the short-term before taking over in a year or two.
