Los Angeles Chargers Draft Grade
The Los Angeles Chargers are a team on the rise. They have some nice young talent and are on the brink of a playoff run. How did they do in the 2022 NFL Draft? Let’s give the Los Angeles Chargers a draft grade.
(Round 1 Pick 17) Zion Johnson G, Boston College
Protecting Justin Herbert is always a good idea. He’s one of the best young star quarterbacks in the NFL. Keeping him healthy is a top priority, as the Chargers showed last year when they took Rashawn Slater. Interior offensive line was definitely a need, but I’m guessing the Chargers were really hoping Jordan Davis fell because their run defense was garbage as well. A run stuffing 3-4 nose tackle had to be high on their needs list. Davis was gone, so interior offensive line makes sense.
Grade: A-
(Round 3 Pick 79) JT Woods , S, Baylor
Derwin James is the absolute man, but the Chargers’ pass defense needed work. Really, their entire defense could use work. Woods is a fantastic athlete at the safety position. He’s also strong in coverage and hits hard. Honestly, he’s a great talent at this point in the draft. If the Chargers are smart, they find a way to get him on the field. He may even immediately challenge Nasir Adderly for a starting spot.
Grade: A
(Round 4 Pick 123) Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M
So Spiller was my legitimate number one running back in the draft. The Chargers did need another running back, but probably more of a bruiser than Spiller is. He’s still around 20 pounds bigger than Ekeler, but he’s not the typical pile mover. This is mostly because he’s so explosive though. No matter what, in my opinion, the Chargers got the best running back in the draft in the fourth round, well done.
Grade: A+
(Round 5 Pick 160) Otito Ogbonnia, DT, UCLA
Here’s that 3-4 nose tackle the Chargers were looking for. He could be a little bigger, but he sure ain’t small. Maybe my boy, the undrafted Noah Elliss would have been a little better scheme fit, but Ogbonnia is a real nice pick here for the Chargers. I thought he’d go a round earlier and he fills a need.
Grade: A-
(Round 6 Pick 195) Jamaree Salyer, OT, Georgia
Another guy I liked and had my eye on, did I forget I was the Chargers’ GM at some point? He’s “officially” listed as a tackle, but he’s probably a guard. He’s got good foot speed for an interior offensive lineman and probably deserved to go at least one or two rounds earlier. He looks like he has legitimate starting talent to me, and he was a sixth round pick.
Grade: A+
(Round 6 Pick 214) Ja’Sir Taylor, CB, Wake Forest
Seriously, this is getting weird. I loved Ja’Sir Taylor going into the draft. He’s one of my favorite sleepers. Decent size, but an absolute freak of an athlete. Taylor has great ball skills as well. He’s a steal in the sixth round. I think he has a real shot at being the third cornerback at the start of the year.
Grade: A
(Round 7 Pick 236) Deane Leonard, CB, Ole Miss
Six feet tall and a sub 4.4 40, that’s the guy you take a chance on in the seventh round. He’s great at pass breakups, which you know, is a pretty good skill to have as a corner. I really think my list of guys to watch got hacked by the Chargers, so well done. He needs to work on catching the ball, but he’s constantly in position to swat it. Leonard is an extremely strong seventh round pick. If they try and sneak guys onto the practice squad, hope your favorite team makes claims on them. I’d have Leonard compete with Taylor as the third corner, worst case scenario he’s your fourth.
Grade: A
(Round 7 Pick 260) Zander Horvath, FB, Purdue
Fullbacks are awesome, but obviously underused in the modern NFL. Horvath was a running back at Purdue, but doesn’t have the speed to be an NFL running back, hence the move to fullback. He’s the bruiser that the Chargers’ roster has lacked, as well as a good receiving back. The Chargers are deep at running back, so it remains to be seen if they want to keep a fullback. Horvath may be the player that they can hold on their practice squad and call up if an injury happens to one of their other backs.
Grade: B+
Overall Grade: A
Overall thoughts on the Los Angeles Chargers Draft Grade
Holy cow, I did not pay close enough attention to the Chargers’ draft. They absolutely killed it. Maybe they could have taken Elliss in the seventh or picked up a situational linebacker somewhere. The worst thing I could say about the Chargers’ draft is that they could have used a tight end and this was a deep tight end class, but that’s as nitpicky as I can be. Pay close attention to the Chargers’ rookie class this upcoming year, I think they will push the team over the top and into a playoff spot. This is one of the best draft classes in recent memory.
