Chargers Draft: 6 players at positions of need the Bolts could double dip with

With a number of positions sitting atop the Chargers’ draft needs list, this could very well be a year where we see the Chargers double-dip at multiple spots along their roster.

Below, I touch on several situations where the Chargers could look at drafting a second player at the same position depending on who they draft earlier on days one and two.

If the Chargers take a wide receiver in the first three rounds, they could also grab:

A.T. Perry, Wake Forest

There’s a good amount of Perry hype going around and you could easily persuade me that Perry will not be available on day three, but we’re going to stick with him as you just never know how different opinions are on social media compared to NFL circles.

At 6’3 1/2 and 190 pounds, Perry is a long-strider with excellent length for the position. His 4.47 in the 40 checks the box for ideal speed which he couples well with good toughness before and after the catch. While he can make vertical routes look easy, Perry is unfortunately going to struggle with drops as he let 17 balls slip through his hands over his final two seasons.

Still, you’ll live with mistakes because you know he has the skillset to be productive as a rotational wideout after he averaged 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns over that same span.

Trey Palmer, Nebraska

A former LSU recruit, Palmer transferred to Nebraska to make a name for himself after sitting in the shadows of recent notable receivers for the Tigers.

At 6’0 and 193 pounds, Palmer blazed a 4.33 in the 40-yard dash, exemplifying the insane speed he showed weekly in the Big Ten. However, Palmer’s route tree was rather limited with the Cornhuskers and that remains one of his biggest question marks heading into the draft. He seemingly has all the athleticism in the world, but he’ll need to get with the right coach to make sure he’s able to round out his game for the next level.

Regardless, if the Chargers are looking for a potential depth piece with speed that must be respected, you could do a lot worse than Palmer.

If the Chargers take edge rusher in the first three rounds, they could also grab:

Byron Young, Tennessee

One of the combine’s best performances for his position, Young offers a rugged power rusher off the edge with stellar speed to beat offensive tackles to the edge. His 38 inches in the vertical jump and 11’0 in the broad further paint the picture of an extremely explosive athlete that needs just a bit more nuance in his game to make sure all of that athleticism starts transitioning into more production at the next level.

Jose Ramirez, Eastern Michigan

Ramirez is certainly one of the lesser-known names among this draft class’ edge rusher group but you’ll want to keep tabs on the reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Year after he posted 12 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss in his final year for EMU.

He’s roughly 6’2 and 250 pounds which is just fine for an edge player in Brandon Staley’s defense. His 4.73 in the 40 could have been better, but the sub-7.0 three-cone time is exactly what he needed to make people forget about his long speed.

If the Chargers take a cornerback in the first three rounds, they could also grab:

Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU

Due to his last name, he’s going to be on the radar of the Chargers no matter what. Hodges-Tomlinson is a scrappy, undersized corner at 5’8 and 178 pounds but he was enough of a playermaker for the Horned Frogs to help lead them to their first ever appearance in the CFP National Championship Game.

The biggest thing keeping Hodges-Tomlinson down on draft boards, aside from his size, is that he’s a bit of a flag magnet. He was penalized 14 times this past season and seemingly tries to win with athleticism as opposed to sticking with the fundamentals.

Either way, he’s a certified “ball-playing Jesse” as Staley would say.

He finished his four years at TCU with five interceptions and 35 pass breakups, including 15 in 2022.

Mekhi Blackmon, USC

Blackmon is a local product out of USC who won a good amount of accolades for himself during the 2022 season. By the end of the year, Blackmon had picked off three passes and broke up 12 more to garner First-Team All-Pac 12 and Third-Team All-America honors after starting all 14 games for the Trojans.

He’s a bit slender at 5’11 and 178 pounds but he’s another physical corner who loves to mix it up in man coverage and will attack the catch point with ferocity. His tape shows you a defender who has a knack for getting himself into the right positioning, but there remains some work to do on loosening his hips to open up his ability to click-and-close with more consistency.