NFL Tickets
Predictions for who the San Diego Chargers will target in April’s 2016 NFL Draft have been wide and varied thus far this offseason. With Laremy Tunsil projected to go No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans and the quarterback du jour likely to wind up in purgatory (err, with the Cleveland Browns), some mocks say the Chargers should take the second-best left tackle in Ronnie Stanley, while others believe addressing the run defense with DeForest Buckner would be the best move. While those selections would make sense in a way, my opinion is that those would be either settling in the case of Stanley or boom-or-bust in the case of Buckner. Picking No. 3 overall should mean landing a surefire stud, and Jalen Ramsey is the only option that makes sense in that regard.
The primary argument for addressing the defensive front would be the 125.3 yards per game allowed on the ground this past season, sixth-worst in the league. While it’s easy to blame those numbers on the guys up front not getting the job done, a lot of the gashing the Bolts were subjected to came courtesy of bleeding the clock after the secondary had been burned and provided the opposition with a substantial lead. Fixing, not masking, the issue at hand would be the best solution to this problem.
And if it’s sacks folks are clamoring for after the Chargers had just 32 in 2015 (24th in the NFL), that low total is also due to poor coverage not forcing quarterbacks to hang onto the ball for that extra nanosecond which allows pass rushers to get home. The need for an upgrade in that department is severely exaggerated with the youthful Melvin Ingram (10.5 sacks, three forced fumbles in 2015) and Jeremiah Attaochu (six sacks, two forced fumbles in 2015) just coming into their own at 27 and 23 years old, respectively, when next season begins.
No, the way to fix these perceived weaknesses is by adding reinforcements where the talent level is already low and set to get even lower. With Eric Weddle leaving in free agency and Brandon Flowers underwhelming to put it mildly, this secondary needs reinforcements. Sure, Jason Verrett has shown flashes of potential greatness when he can stay healthy, but that’s been less often than the Chargers would like, to be sure. Drafting a kid like Ramsey out of Florida State would give the team a versatile piece in the secondary to work with for the next decade.
In today’s NFL where the passing game reigns supreme, having a 6-foot-1, 209-pound stud, who showcased incredible athleticism with 4.41 speed and a 41.5-inch vertical at the NFL Combine last week, would be an invaluable asset. This kid was the first cornerback to start at FSU as a freshman since Deion Sanders some 30 years earlier, and he has the potential to be every bit as stifling in coverage at the next level.
A guy with track speed and an element of physicality doesn’t come along in every draft class. Heck, I would even make an argument that the Titans should take Ramsey No. 1 overall. But given that the Chargers are positioned at No. 3 after Cleveland, a team almost assuredly taking a quarterback, the Bolts are certain to land either the premier left tackle in Tunsil or the can’t-miss secondary piece in Ramsey. For once, it seems hard for the Chargers to actually foul this draft up.
Share 
