Chargers upgrade both sides of the ball in 2021 mock

It’s been a minute since I wrote up a super early mock draft for 2021 so I thought I’d go out and find one. Thankfully, Luke Easterling over at The Draft Wire had exactly what I was looking for.

In his latest two-round projection, the Chargers nab a up-and-coming offensive tackle out of the Big 12 and an experienced secondary member from the west coast.

First up, we have Samuel Cosmi, a monolithic tackle who has been an impact player for the Longhorns since he stepped on campus.

Cosmi stands at an intimidating 6’7 and weighs around 310 pounds. As a true freshman in 2018, he played in every game, including starts in the final 13 games at right tackle. He was named a Freshman All-American and an honorable mention member in the conference as the Big-12’s Freshman of the Year.

He once again started all 13 games at right tackle last year en route to being named to the Pro Football Focus Big 12 Team of the Year and the All-Bowl team by the AP and ESPN. Oh, and he’s super athletic for his size.

The Chargers will need an infusion of youth at the corner position past the 2020 season and that’s why Easterling paired Cal’s Camryn Bynum to the Bolts in the second.

At 6’0 and 200 pounds, Bynum has adequate size and plenty of experience under his belt. After redshirting his initial year on campus, he’s gone on to start 38 games over the last three seasons, with a chance at hitting the 50+ mark by the end of his career.

As a redshirt freshman in 2017, Bynum finished with 58 tackles, eight pass breakups, two interceptions, and a half sack. In 2018, he recorded 48 total stops, 2.5 of them for a loss, two interceptions, and a career-high 10 pass breakups.

Bynum finally earned All-Pac 12 honors this past season as he was named to the second team due to his 63-tackle, one-interception, nine-pass breakup season.Each of the last three seasons, he’s led the Golden Bears in both pass breakups and passes defended.