BFTB Roundtable: Favorite seventh-round picks

Alright, Chargers fans. We’ve finally come to the finale of our “favorite prospects” roundtable series. We’ve been over a lot of interesting players and hopefully we’ve been able to educate some along the way.

Today, we’re capping this off with our favorite players we expect to go in the seventh round of this year’s draft. The Chargers own four whole picks in this round, meaning they’ve got the resources to make some true dart throws and take some risks at the same time.

Without further ado, here are our favorite prospects we expect to go in the seventh round of this year’s draft.

Matthew Stanley: Kyron Johnson, OLB/DE Kansas - So Johnson is listed as a DE/EDGE in a lot of places, but he’s 6’0 and 231 pounds. Over his final three seasons at Kansas, he had 1009 snaps as a DE/EDGE, and 780 snaps as an off-ball linebacker. But it doesn’t matter where you put him because he is a damn good football player. In his career at KU, Johnson had eight forced fumbles, 22.5 tackles for a loss, and 12.5 sacks to go along with 193 total tackles. He also had 600 special teams snaps over his career and some insane testing numbers at his pro day, clocking a 4.36-4.4 (depending on who you ask) in the forty-yard dash, a 39.5-inch vertical, 10-foot broad, and a 6.98 three-cone. Adding that kind of speed and talent to your special teams is worth it. #RockChalk

Garrett Sisti: DB JT Woods, Baylor - Woods is a former track star who played in the box and in the backend at Baylor. His tackling was an issue in college but what he does excel at is coverage. Woods had nine interceptions over the last two years for the Bears. He’s a versatile defender with high-end athleticism, size, and length. We’re betting on the athlete here while getting some defensive back depth.

Michael Peterson: RB CJ Verdell, Oregon - With four picks in the final round, why not pick up a player who already has history with Justin Herbert? Verdell spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons alongside Herbert in the backfield where he rushed for a combined 2,238 yards and 18 touchdowns. As a pass-catcher, he caught 41 passes for an additional 440 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Verdell’s final season in Eugene was cut short due to injury which is a big reason why he’s being viewed as such a late-round pick, but familiarity with Herbert and his experience within a heavy zone-run offense would immediately give him a leg up to contribute for the Chargers on offense. At this price, that’s too good to pass up.