[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”]
[et_pb_row admin_label=”row”]
[et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]
Post 'em if ya got 'em! Yours or theirs.
I wouldn't mind this draft, but I would prefer to swap Grant for an Edge.
Buck,
This could be a fun exercise. Let's periodically use the simulator at https://www.profootballnetwork.com/mockdraft since it has free trades if we should decide to make some.
Here is my first one:
7 rounder using the PFN sim. Click on the attached screenshot, much clearer to read.
@buck-melanoma Nice. You did the full 7. It’s good to do these because you get an idea of who might be available when we select. 7 rounds and 10 picks and a WR wasn’t selected. That’s why I think this team is 2 drafts away from legit SB contention. Still a bunch of holes to fill.
@evolz3737 I did a few, posted this one. In some I did take a WR, and my first round pick varied from TE to DT to Edge to IOL, which then caused a ripple of changes. Traded down some, never tried trading up.
Of course, free agency will affects the picks.
Both TE's gone by 1.22 in this one....and Gray Zabel in the 1st????
https://www.on3.com/pro/news/2025-nfl-draft-cbs-sports-shakes-up-mock-draft-after-senior-bowl/
@buck-melanoma We picked James Pearce Jr. in this one. The Rams picked Zabel.
I think Zabel will be a good pick for us when we get closer to April. He might be out of reach at some point. If they like him at C, I'll be all for it. His value is just quite not there at the moment. I believe he is gonna continue to rise.
@bolt_dk I didn't mean to indicate the Chargers drafted him in the first, only that he was shockingly drafted there. I like Zabel and it's well documented that I think center is a priority that should have been addressed last year. I'm just very reluctant to suddenly push an FCS player (and I LOVE the small school guys) into the 1st round based on a bowl performance.
Maybe that performance will cause more scouting and uncover his value. Maybe a good Combine will do the same. Maybe the lack of center depth in the draft will inflate his value.
Again...I like the kid and think he could have a pretty high ceiling. But first round status? Not there yet by any stretch.
@buck-melanoma Completely agree. I'm only projecting where I think he will end up before the draft, but that is just my gut feeling.
So I'm making my Mocks with an eye towards big FA signings, also using pfn/mock with some of my own rankings adjustments
Mock #1 (Sign Tee Higgins, Trey Smith, Khalil and Keenan)
#22 - Jahdae Barron - CB/S (purposefully don't select Loveland in either since I believe he won't be available and he always is with PFN)
#55 - Kaleb Johnson - RB
#86 - Elijah Arroyo - TE
#124 - Bradyn Swinson - Edge
#159 - Seth McLaughlin - C
#177 - Josh Farmer - DT
#183 - JaCorey Brooks - WR
#215 - Trevor Etienne - RB
#220 - Moliki Matavao - TE
#253 - Yahya Black - DT
Select a quality coverage DB who can play a lot of roles on the back-end; draft a high-end RB and quality backup for an Offense that must run the ball well; get a rising H-TE and another solid Y-TE late; a fast Edge that pairs nicely opposite Tuli; a quality Center prospect who can be brought back from injury slowly and possibly take a job mid/late season or provide an option going forward in 2 years; Farmer and Brooks are possibly not available but quality depth pieces should they be there and the final pick in Black represents a potential theme: double-dipping at a few positions with depth/need.
Mock #2 (Sign Trey Smith, Juwaan Johnson TE, Jevon Holland S and Keenan)
#22 - Luther Burden - WR
#55 - Az. Thomas - CB
#86 - Josiah Stewart - Edge
#124 - Jake Majors - C
#159 - Malachi Moore - S
#177 - 'Femi Oladejo - Edge
#183 - Darius Alexander - DT
#215 - Brant Kuthie - TE
#220 - Donovan Edwards - RB
#253 - Thomas Perry - OL Weapon
In this draft the team has a more modest approach to Free Agency and I remain convinced that the pairing of Trey Smith and Joe Alt has the double effect of bolstering our right side while weakening the Chiefs with a potential 3rd future comp pick. Luther Burden falls and the team shouldn't hesitate give Justin another weapon outside; Az Thomas helps bolster the CB room for the future and with the signing of Holland and M. Moore falling the DB group should be very enticing for Minter to have some solid center-fielder types; Josiah Stewart is another lightning quick Edge to play opposite of Tuli and I don't think he'll fall but would love him for us; same thing as Jake Majors where you may need to take a few of these Centers about 15-20 picks sooner but he's a quality Pivot to have in the middle; 'Femi Oladejo is another UCLA hidden gem the team should have plenty of eyeballs on and Kuthie represents an injury history but reliable target; same for Donovan Edwards as potential RB2/3 behind Dobbins; Thomas Perry's only problem is his height but he might represent a FB/TE style OL Weapon for the team too and somebody is going to draft that guy for that specific role.
@duck07 Love this FA/Draft angle. Burden is an interesting case. He is not really a boundary WR so he might conflict with Ladd's style. However, I am not so hell bent on X WR must be this big, Slot WR gotta be small and shifty etc.. Did Steve Smith win on the boundary? Did OBJ win on the boundary? Does Nabers win on the boundary? None of these guys are behemoths. This offense needs guys that can win vs man coverage period. Line them up wherever. With that being said the combine will have some effect here. I think Golden will run better and he has enough size to play some boundary and the speed to be an effective deep threat
@evolz3737 I don't put much stock in rhetorical questions like did Steve Smith, OBJ, Nabers win on the boundary, implying that because they did, Burden can. The simple fact is, Burden took 85% of his snaps in the slot in 2024 and 82% in 2023.
I want no part of Burden at #22. Frankly, I want Higgins and no early draft pick on WR, but that is different than the scenario here. Bottom line, if they draft a WR, it should be one who has significant experience playing in college the way the Chargers will ask him to play in the NFL. That is seemingly not the case with Burden.
Of lesser importance, but not zero importance, I think a nice complement to Ladd would be a bigger X WR. Burden isn't what I have in mind saying that.
@tau837 Agreed 100% which is why I said Burden was an interesting case. Personally, I don’t see a Chase, Jefferson or Nabers type of WR in this draft which is why I am 100% not calling for one in the first round. I do think Tre Harris’ size and style fits what we need, but again I’m not taking him Rd1 and he might be gone by #55. I think the IOL class is not outstanding, but pretty deep with solid players, so if we were to spend big on Higgins and then grab 2 IOL in the draft I would be behind that 100%. Anyway you slice it, this team needs to enter training camp with at least 4 new offensive weapons.
I gave it a go too. I like to not make any trades, because it makes it easier to "game the system". Some sites will be quite low on some prospects and usually you get quite good value by trading back a lot and get more picks. It's more of a challenge to keep the original picks and try to get good value.
The only guy I haven't read or heard anything about is Stout, otherwise I like how this one turned out. I could have gone several different ways and I will in future mocks.
With all the holes we have right now before any FA signings makes it difficult to shore up every single hole this team has at the moment.
Let me hear what you think!
@bolt_dk not a fan of safety at 1.22 but without knowing who else is available at the time of any pick it's difficult to critique too much. Glad you're joining in! 🙂
@buck-melanoma No clue why they list Barron as a safety. He is a CB everywhere i have seen. He is Daniel Jeremiah's top CB prospect (he has Hunter as WR1) and could be a lock down corner for us with versatility.
@bolt_dk I think Barron could be a real valuable chess piece in the DB room for us and it'd make for an interesting case if the team went out and signed someone like Jevon Holland too.
Monheim is one of those local LA kids who the team should absolutely be all-in on working out, same to me for Moliki Matavao at TE for UCLA since they can be a part of the local visits. It's a serious advantage that LAC has over other places like Green Bay where the local prospects from HS to College just don't rank the same.
PFN's latest 7 rounder.
https://www.profootballnetwork.com/2025-nfl-mock-draft-ian-cummings-february-2025/
@bolt_dk I'm good with the first 5 picks. After that I'm just less familiar with the players.
A few trade downs....
@bolt_dk he was very productive at Virginia Tech and I obviously have some bias for that program. Great vision, good power/burst/speed. Low 4.3 guy. Had some ball security issues that need work. I think he's a good get in the mid 4th or later.
@buck-melanoma I know these are just mocks but I don't think there's any way we take an off ball linebacker with our first pick or even the first 2 days. I think Zabel might launch himself into Rd1 or early day 2 by the time it shakes out.
@evolz3737 probably not. I traded down a couple times and he ended up BPA....so that happened.
I haven’t done any mocks yet but I’ve never been more convinced that the DL needs to be a priority. I loved Ford, and I hope he’s back but the Chargers need a legitimate game wrecker on the DL. They will never win the AFC West if they can’t get home with 4 against Mahomes. That is the bottom line.
The impact Jalen Carter has on that Eagles DL is unreal. He absorbs so much attention, it makes Zach Baun into an All Pro and Josh Sweat look like Lawrence Taylor.
If they can’t get what they need inside, then at least restock the edge so The first round pick has to be DT or Edge.
Also, this has nothing to do with mock drafts, but I have zero interest in signing Trey Smith. Big guard contracts are nearly always a mistake and he was bad during the entire playoff run against good teams. No thanks!
@blue-beers That level of DT doesn't exist in this draft outside of maybe Graham, but there will be nothing even comparable to Carter at 1.22.
@evolz3737 Maybe not a direct comp to Carter but there are good D-linemen in this draft and it needs to be a priority, multiple years in a row IMO. I’ve seen it enough over the last several years in the NFL. You will not beat the best QBs and certainly will not win a Super Bowl unless you can collapse the pocket and get home with 4.
Grant, Nolen, Williams, Harmon…all look like they’ll play well at the next level, though I’m not certain who is the best for our defense. Probably Grant.
Chris Jones was a 2nd round pick. Madubuike a 3rd. Cam Hayward went 31st overall. Etc.. There are guys out there that may not be Jalen Carter but in the right system they can be really impactful.
As a recent example, Braden Fiske was a guy I wanted last year and I thought that may have been who they were targeting when they first announced the trade up. I’m glad we got McConkey, but Fiske really brought a lot to the Rams defense right away.
@evolz3737 It's important to also remember that Jalen Carter has Jordan Davis next to him along with Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith and Brandon Graham rushing the passer. If you want someone at 22 or maybe 55 who has a chance to mimic what he does it's Kentucky's Deone Walker, who frankly has some of the same maturity and motor concerns that Carter did. He's just a massive guy and if you can unlock that potential the way the Eagles have been able to hone Carter that's probably the more likely Boom pick. The one Mock that suggested Tyliek Williams at 22 made me sigh because I don't see that kind of high-end potential for what's likely just a 2-down run stopper.
Now another DT who has a chance to Boom as more of a pass-rushing specialist could be Oregon's Derrick Harmon who had a ridiculous amount of pressures this year at the DT spot (like 50+) and could fill a Morgan Fox type role of DE on rush-downs and DT on pass-downs
[/et_pb_row]
[/et_pb_section]
