The Los Angeles Chargers are heading in the right direction. Off to a 3-2 start under new head coach Jim Harbaugh, the team is looking to fast-track a rebuild after the disastrous job done by Brandon Staley and the previous regime.
But one area where things just aren’t up to Harbaugh’s standards is the defensive line. The Chargers have Otito Ogbinnia and signed Poona Ford and Teair Tart to one-year deals, but there is no long-term answer there. As ESPN’s Jordan Reid notes in his recent mock draft, there is a player currently on the roster of the Kentucky Wildcats who is already better than those players.
ESPN’s @Jordan_Reid recently released a mock draft, and he has the #Chargers taking a prospect I’ve had my eye on for a while now and is an awesome fit. Kentucky DT Deone Walker is a monster!#boltup pic.twitter.com/OgGcZiXstZ
— Thomas Martinez (@BoltsDraftTalk) October 16, 2024
Deone Walker, a 6-foot-6, 345-pound defensive tackle has “Jim Harbaugh pick” written all over him. While this pick would not be nearly as exciting for fans as the one made in this mock draft, the selection of Walker would be tremendous for this team.
Walker can shut down the run but he also offers an athletic upside from the defensive tackle spot that you don’t often see. While he’s not quite Chris Jones, he is a player who has surprising movement and athleticism for a player his size. He comes with a basketball background and that is evident in how he plays the game.
While the Chargers used a fourth-round pick on a project player in Justin Eboigbe this past spring, Walker would be able to start in year one.
Deone Walker to the Chargers would make total sense
This is the kind of pick Harbaugh and the front office would make. Similar to this past year when fans were pounding the table for the flashy Malik Nabers but the pick ended up being Joe Alt.
Harbaugh is going to want his offensive and defensive lines to be as good as they can possibly be. He and general manager Joe Hortiz will be happy to plug in the other pieces once that is settled.
Walker, who is compared to Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants in this scouting report, would be a highly-graded first-round pick if this ended up happening.
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