Eric D. Williams, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Mel Kiper has Chargers focused on defensive line in first round

COSTA MESA, Calif. – In his second mock draft, ESPN’s draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. once again has the Los Angeles Chargers selecting Alabama defensive tackle Da'Ron Payne at No. 17, as he did in his first mock draft.

Kiper’s reasoning is simple: The Chargers had the worst run defense in the NFL last season, and need to strengthen the interior of the defense.

Kiper said he wavered between giving the Chargers Payne or University of Washington defensive tackle Vita Vea, but stayed with the Payne at No. 17 and has the Washington Redskins selecting Vea at No. 13.

“They could not stop the run, and you want that ability to have a stronger interior on the defensive front,” Kiper said during a conference call on Wednesday. “I was kind of debating, and ended up going with Payne instead of Vea, but could have flipped them very easily with the Redskins' pick of Vea because I really believe that’s the critical need of this team.

“They’ve got the pass rushers on the outside with (Joey) Bosa and (Melvin) Ingram. They really need strength in the interior. They need to stop the run a lot better.”

My analysis of the pick: I agree with Kiper’s assessment. However, Michigan defensive tackle Maurice Hurst could be a better fit for what the Chargers do defensively because of his ability to get off the ball and up the field quickly as a three-tech defensive tackle.

Not only do the Chargers need better run defense in the middle, they need an effective interior pass rusher to go with Bosa and Ingram’s outside pass rush, and Hurst would seem to fill that need.

Kiper also mentioned the possibility of taking an offensive lineman in the first round, and that makes some sense as well with 30-year-old left tackle Russell Okung.

The Chargers have other options at tackle, including last year’s sixth-round selection Sam Tevi, Joe Barksdale and pending free agent Michael Schofield. However, the Bolts could add a young, developmental talent to that group as an eventual replacement for Okung.

“I could have gone with an offensive tackle,” Kiper said. “I could have gone there with a Kolton Miller from UCLA or a Geron Christian from Louisville. I had Miller going to Cincinnati at No 12 and Christian going No. 30 to Minnesota, and I think he’s going to be a fast riser up the board in the next month or two.”

If the Chargers do focus on the offensive line, another player to watch for is Notre Dame’s Mike McGlinchey. You can check out Kiper’s big board here.

^ Back to Top ^