Top remaining Day 3 targets for the Chargers

The longest day of the draft is here and there’s still quite a few notable players available. The Chargers can go a number of different directions here and that makes today all the more exciting.

Below, I wrote about five prospects that I would love to see the Bolts take a shot on. Here’s a hint: “Line of scrimmage team.”

Let’s go.

OG Trey Smith, Tennessee

Smith is a brute of a guard that overcame complications with blood clots during his time in college to return to play in 2020. He’s got great size at 6’5 and 321 pounds with a mauler’s mentality and elite athleticism for the position. Oday Aboushi is penciled in as the team’s starting right guard as of now but he’s only one a one-year contract and the Chargers would be smart to add another body to compete for the spot.

DE Elerson Smith, Northern Iowa

Smith has a ton of upside as a twitched-up athlete who wins with suddenness off the line of scrimmage. He brings an intriguing amount of upside with his 6’6, 256-pound frame and stellar production at the FCS level (21.5 tackles-for-loss, 14 sacks in 2019). Scouts can’t get over how thin his lower body is but that’s nothing that can’t be fixed with some extra time in the weight room. The Chargers need depth behind Joey Bosa and Smith is the best available edge prospect left on the board.

DT Bobby Brown III, Texas A&M

Brown has been an often-mocked player to the Chargers leading up to this year’s draft. He was named a First-Team All-ACC selection in 2020 after posting 7.5 tackles-for-loss and 5.5 sacks. His size is comparable to current Charger Linval Joseph (6’4, 320 pounds) and I believe he’d be an excellent fit to replace him in the near future.

On some plays, Brown looks like the most-dominant defender on the field with the way he can walk an offensive lineman straight into the lap for the quarterback. On others, he seems to just phone it in. The talent is evident with Brown, he just need to consistently put it all together and hopefully a coach like Giff Smith is the man to help him with that.

OG David Moore, Grambling State

Moore is one of “my guys” in this draft class. He’s a super stout guard (6’1 and 330 pounds) with notable athleticism that dominated the opposition with one of the best HBCUs in the country. He’s got the strength to lock down pass rushers along the interior and can move very well when pulled out into space. He’s also got a little bit of a means streak to him that you can see in the video below. I think Moore can come in, sit for a year, and compete for the starting right guard job in 2022 if Oday Aboushi is not re-signed.

LB Derrick Barnes, Purdue

This isn’t going to be viewed as a big need, but I can’t help but think of Barnes and his versatility as a good fit for a Chargers defense that loves their players who can play multiple roles. Barnes spent the majority of his time with the Boilermakers as an edge player. As a junior in 2019, he finished with 7.5 sacks and 11 tackles-for-loss before transitioning to inside linebacker as a senior. In that lone year off the ball, Barnes recorded 5.5 tackles-for-loss and a lone interception. He accepted an offer to play in the Senior Bowl where he performed admirably against some of the nation’s top talent. He can provide depth at both inside backer behind Kenneth Murray while also being able to walk up to the line of scrimmage and set the edge.