Chargers add OSU deep threat in Daniel Jeremiah’s latest mock

For those who are still 100 percent invested into the idea of the Chargers selecting an offensive or defensive tackle in this year’s draft, some of the mocks being put out there in recent days probably have you worked up into a tizzy. This is because more and more draft analysts have been pairing the Chargers with one of the class’ top pass-catchers.

As far as who those receivers usually are, you can usually point to Alabama’s Jameson Williams, Arkansas’ Treylon Burks, or one of Ohio State’s dynamic duo.

In Daniel Jeremiah’s latest mock over at NFL.com, DJ has the Chargers continuing their recent habit of taking wideouts with the Buckeyes’ Chris Olave.

“The Chargers have a solid WR corps (they need to re-sign pending free agent Mike Williams) but they lack a big-time deep threat. Olave would be a perfect fit.”

Normally, you’d think draft analysts are only having the Bolts go with a receiver in the first with the assumption they aren’t going to re-sign Williams to a big contract. However, Jeremiah makes it seem like he believes the Chargers could go with a receiver on day one no matter what happens with Williams’ contract.

While a wideout group of Williams, Olave, Keenan Allen, and Josh Palmer sounds pretty good, this forces the Chargers to find solutions to their biggest problems via free agency or the final two days of the draft. It’s not impossible, but Tom Telesco hasn’t showed much success outside of day one in recent years.

Olave is one of the most-complete receivers in this class and that’s certainly saying something since this year’s group is fairly top-heavy in my opinion. With elite footwork and nuance, the senior was a nightmare for the Big Ten through all four years in school. One trait I like a lot that NFL.com’s Lane Zierlein points out in Olave’s scouting report is that he always works overtime for his quarterback in scramble drill situations. That will come up a lot in the NFL and the best teams usually are able to find success consistently when plays break down. And for the cherry on top, Olave blocked two punts during his career and also has experience playing gunner on special teams. What else could you want out of a first-round wideout?

The California native capped off his Buckeye career with career highs across the board with 65 receptions for 936 yards and 13 touchdowns. Overall, he left Columbus with 175 catches for 2,702 yards and a whopping 35 touchdowns en route to to earning First-Team All-Big Ten honors by the coaches and second-team honors by the media.

In the comments below, I want to hear your thoughts on whether or not it would be a little overkill to draft a receiver in the first round on top of re-signing Williams this offseason. Would that push the Chargers closer to being a contender compared to a right tackle or run-stopping interior defender? Let me know what you all think.