Chargers land Stanford OT Walker Little in latest 2021 mock

I know it’s early, but I’m not sure the chances of the Chargers finding their left tackle of the future already on the roster are very good.

That’s why, for the most part, the Bolts are continuously paired with an offensive tackle in the majority of early 2021 mock drafts. This one is no different. Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski, in his most-recent way-to-early exercise, paired the Chargers with Stanford left tackle Walker Little at the 14th pick.

This isn’t the first time Little has been matched-up with this team, and when you take a look at his resume, it’s easy to see why.

Walker stands at an intimidating 6’7 and 320 pounds. He came to Stanford as a five-star recruit and was the No. 1 recruit in the country according to 247Sports. He played as a true freshman and was named the Pac-12’s Freshman Co-Offensive Player of the Year on top of earning a honorable mention accolade in the conference.

In his sophomore season, Little started in all 12 games, earning First-Team All-Pac 12 honors. His third year on campus wasn’t so kind to him, however. Little started the opener but succumbed to a season-ending injury, effectively ending his season before it really started.

Per Pro Football Focus, Little has allowed his quarterback to get hit only four times across a total of pass-block snaps. That’s quite the achievement, especially for someone who doesn’t show “elite” athletic traits on film. However, tackles can find plenty of success in the NFL without looking like another Tyron Smith, Terron Armstead, or Lane Johnson. The Chiefs’ Mitchell Schwartz is a good example of a player who gets his job done with nuance and fundamentals.

If the Chargers could get anyone even near the talent of Schwartz in a rookie tackle, then count is as a major win.