BFTB Roundtable: Favorite first-round prospects

Leading up to the draft, I’ll be putting out a series of roundtables in which Matthew, Garrett, and I discuss our favorite prospects in each round of this year’s draft in which the Chargers hold a pick. So obviously, we’ll be skipping the second round with these.

Today, we’re kicking it off with the first round. The cream of the crop. The elite of the elite.

Now for clarification, these are not the players we believe the Chargers SHOULD pick in these rounds. These are specifically our favorite players in each round, or at least in the rounds we expect them to come off the board.

Matthew Stanley: WR Treylon Burks, Arkansas - I was going to put Jameson Williams here because he is my WR1, but the assignment was our “favorite” player in each round and through basically the entire draft process, Treylon Burks has been my favorite. Forget the testing numbers. You put on the tape and what he did to SEC-level competition gives me no worries about his speed. He is a GIANT chess piece and fits super well with the Chargers offense. If you look at heat maps for Herbert from last year, then look at where Burks succeeded, it’s a perfect fit. I know 17 might seem like a bit of a reach for him based on his testing but he is my favorite player in round one.

Garrett Sisti: WR Jameson Williams, Alabama - This team needs speed but not just a fast receiver but one that can create yards after the catch. Jameson offers world class speed at receiver to help stretch the field, add some YAC and make the Chargers offense multi-dimensional. Jameson Williams is a home run hitter whenever he touches the ball and will be an explosive weapon for the Chargers. The injury is not an issue because Joshua Palmer can be the WR3 while he recovers from the ACL injury.

Michael Peterson: OT Trevor Penning, Norther Iowa - Penning is one of the more polarizing prospects in this class. He’s a consensus first-round pick to pretty much every big-time draft analyst, yet there’s still plenty of second-tier scouts/analysts that simply don’t see it with the former FCS All-American. I think this is pretty understandable. But here’s what I know: This guy plays with a chip on his shoulder that’s the size of SoFi Stadium and offensive linemen with his temperament and play-style do not grow on trees. All the physical and mental traits are there. It’s simply up to an NFL offensive line coach to get the best out of him, which I don’t expect to be all that difficult of a challenge.