Chargers 7-round NFL mock draft: Predicting what Jim Harbaugh, Joe Hortiz will do

Draft week is finally here. It is time to put some predictions on the record.

Welcome to Mock 4.0.

As always, this final seven-round mock draft of the offseason is my best guess at what the Los Angeles Chargers will do later this week.

Not what they should do. What I think they will do. Important distinction.

Coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz are entering their first draft together. As such, there is quite of a bit of unknown surrounding the Chargers’ approach. That made this exercise more difficult than past years, when we had quite a bit of data to work with from former GM Tom Telesco.

The Chargers enter the draft with nine selections.

We will get some firm answers in a few days. Until then, here are my picks.

The scenario: Four quarterbacks go in the first four picks. USC’s Caleb Williams to the Chicago Bears, North Carolina’s Drake Maye to the Washington Commanders and LSU’s Jayden Daniels to the New England Patriots. The Minnesota Vikings trade up with the Arizona Cardinals from No. 11 to No. 4 to take Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. The Chargers are then on the clock at No. 5 with their pick of every position player in the draft. They swing a deal with the New York Jets to move from No. 5 to No. 10. The Jets receive No. 5. The Chargers receive No. 72 — a third-round pick — in this year’s draft and a 2025 second-round pick.

GO DEEPER

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This would be a huge draft-pick value add for the Chargers while they remain in the top 10. Jets coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas have limited runway remaining in New York. They have to improve offensively, and they could be motivated to pair a 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers with another elite playmaker in the passing game. In this scenario, that would be Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. The Jets signed Mike Williams in free agency, but he is coming off a torn ACL. They do not have much else at receiver behind young star Garrett Wilson. Also worth mentioning: Douglas and Hortiz worked together for over decade in the Baltimore Ravens personnel department.

The Chargers move back and take an offensive lineman, which I believe is their ideal scenario. Harbaugh got a close look at Fautanu in the national championship game in January. Fautanu has the potential to play all five positions on the offensive line. Size, length, strength, athleticism. He would compete right away for a starting spot at right guard or right tackle.

Round 2, Pick 37: Mike Sainristil, CB, Michigan

Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter are both intimately familiar with Sainristil. The Chargers need a starter at nickel. Sainristil has experience playing that position in Minter’s scheme.

Even with the signing of J.K. Dobbins, Michigan’s Blake Corum makes sense as a third-round target. (Junfu Han / USA Today)

Round 3, Pick 69: Blake Corum, RB, Michigan

The Chargers signed J.K. Dobbins last week, but I do not think that will change their approach at running back in the draft — largely because Dobbins is coming off a significant injury. Corum rushed for nearly 4,000 yards and 58 touchdowns while playing for Harbaugh in Ann Arbor. This is a very chalk mock pick, but I am not going to overthink it.

Round 3, Pick 72: Devontez Walker, WR, North Carolina

Finally, a receiver. I see this as a very pressing need, and I would target receiver much earlier than the third round. But the Chargers have made it clear they are going to be prioritizing the running game on offense, and I think that will be reflected in how they use their early selections. This pick comes from the Jets trade. Walker has excellent long speed, and his effectiveness in the deep part of the field would complement the receivers the Chargers have on the roster in Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston.

GO DEEPER

Chargers NFL Draft big board: 70 prospects to watch in the first 3 rounds

Round 4, Pick 105: Hunter Nourzad, C, Penn State

Hortiz said last week that he is comfortable with the depth the Chargers have at center, even with Corey Linsley set to retire. They signed Bradley Bozeman in free agency, and he is in line to start. Hortiz and Harbaugh have both said they think second-year offensive lineman Jordan McFadden has center flexibility. Brendan Jaimes is also on the roster. He started the final three games at center in 2023 after Will Clapp went down with a knee injury. I am not fully buying into the current depth. At minimum, I think the Chargers need to establish a long-term plan at center. They could also use competition for this season. According to our draft expert Dane Brugler, Nourzad does not have “overwhelming strength or elite athleticism,” but he makes up for it with “smarts, physicality and well-schooled technique.” He has experience at center, guard and even tackle.

Round 4, Pick 110: DeWayne Carter, DL, Duke

I would be shocked if the Chargers do not come away from this draft with an interior defensive lineman. Carter had an offer to Michigan before deciding on Duke. Although his production waned in his senior season, Carter is “smart, strong and very active,” according to Brugler. He has good length and was a finalist for the 2023 William V. Campbell Trophy — the Academic Heisman.

The Chargers need depth at safety behind Derwin James and Alohi Gilman. Ohio State’s Josh Proctor could compete with JT Woods for that role. (Joseph Maiorana / USA Today)

Round 5, Pick 140: Josh Proctor, S, Ohio State

The Chargers need safety depth behind Derwin James Jr. and Alohi Gilman. Third-year safety JT Woods is very much unproven, and the only other safety on the roster is AJ Finley. Proctor also had an offer from Michigan coming out of high school. He started against the Wolverines when Ohio State played Michigan in November. I like his vision.

Round 6, Pick 181: Marist Liufau, LB, Notre Dame

As Hortiz said last week, the Chargers “need numbers” at inside linebacker. They have only four on the roster in Denzel Perryman, Daiyan Henley, Nick Niemann and Troy Dye. Liufau is a “blood-thirsty tackler,” according to Brugler. He would be a valuable special teams coverage piece for coordinator Ryan Ficken. Liufau is from Oahu and trained with Gilman’s dad as a kid.

Round 7, Pick 225: Elijah Klein, OG, UTEP

The Chargers have pieces already in their offensive line room, but I still expect Harbaugh and Hortiz to invest heavily in that position group in their first draft. The more competition along the offensive line, the better. Duke Manyweather, an offensive line specialist who trains Rashawn Slater and Trey Pipkins III in the offseason, has Klein as one of his sleepers of the draft.

Round 7, Pick 253: Chigozie Anusiem, CB, Colorado State

Anusiem is my favorite late-round traits cornerback prospect in this year’s class. He is over 6-foot-1, weighs 200 pounds and ran a 4.39 40 at his pro day. Anusiem has the “height/weight/speed blend that is coveted by NFL teams,” according to Brugler. After taking Sainristil in the second round, I think the Chargers would look for competition and depth on the outside.

(Top photo of Troy Fautanu: Joe Robbins / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)