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2015 NFL Draft: Too-Early San Diego Chargers 7-Round Mock

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2015 NFL Draft: Too-Early Chargers 7-Round Mock

2014 NFL Draft
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The 2014 season is in the books for the Chargers. It's time for them to start thinking about the future. That includes planning their 2015 draft, and Bolts need to take a hard look at the holes and issues that need fixing with young talent. A mock draft in January is an educated guess at best; with that as a qualifier, here is the Chargers’ too early seven-round mock for 2015. (Note: Chargers do not have a 2015 7th round pick due to trade).

6th Round: Jake Smith, C, Louisville

Jake Smith
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

6th Round: Jake Smith, C, Louisville

Jake Smith
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Chargers experienced a nightmare at the center position in 2014. They had at last count five different centers start for them during the season, which really hurt them continuity-wise. Jake Smith would provide quality depth behind incumbent Chris Watt, and since Smith can play guard as well, he could be an insurance policy if the Bolts experience another IR run on the line in 2015.

5th Round: Kevin Hogan, QB, Stanford

Kevin Hogan
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

5th Round: Kevin Hogan, QB, Stanford

Kevin Hogan
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Philip Rivers will most likely get a contract extension in 2015 that locks him up as a Charger for life, but the injuries he sustained in 2014 had to concern the team. They need to have a backup they can groom to be his eventual replacement or spot start. Kevin Hogan is big (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) with a strong arm and a lot of intelligence. Hogan struggled with inconsistency in 2014, but Mike McCoy is a QB whisperer and could do wonders for him.

4th Round: Devante Davis, WR, UNLV

Devante Davis
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

4th Round: Devante Davis, WR, UNLV

Devante Davis
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

One thing the Chargers sorely missed in 2014 was a receiver other than Malcom Floyd who could out jump a CB for a deep ball. Enter 6-foot-3 Devante Davis. He has the height and jumping ability to grab the jump balls, but at 210 pounds he also has the size to compete over the middle. He has been projected as high as a third-rounder, but he did miss five games in 2014 due to injury. In 2013 he pulled in 87 catches for 1,290 yards and 14 TDs.

3rd Round: Jay Ajayi, RB, Boise State

Jay Ajayi
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

3rd Round: Jay Ajayi, RB, Boise State

Jay Ajayi
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

With the Bolts not picking high enough in the first round to get a RB like Melvin Gordon, they should pick up Jay Ajayi in the third. Ajayi is Ryan Mathews without an injury issue: great hands, a strong runner and the ability to block. He set rushing records at Boise State for TDs and yardage, and should be familiar to San Diego fans, as he was a pain for the SDSU Aztec football team to tackle.

2nd Round: Arie Kouandjio, G, Alabama

Arie Kouandjio
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

2nd Round: Arie Kouandjio, G, Alabama

Arie Kouandjio
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Another area of need for the Chargers in 2014 was quality starters on the offensive line. Arie Kouandjio is mauler in the run game, but he also has the ability to pass protect. He showed those pass blocking skills more in the 2014 Alabama offense, which was more pass reliant than in the past. He is rated as the No. 1 pure guard prospect by most college football draft analysts and would be an immediate starter for the Bolts.

1st Round: Danny Shelton, NT, Washington

Danny Shelton
Casey Saplo-USA TODAY Sports

1st Round: Danny Shelton, NT, Washington

Danny Shelton
Casey Saplo-USA TODAY Sports

Picking a NT in Round 1 might bug some Bolt fans, but getting Shelton at the later part of the first round should be considered a no-brainer. He is one of the few dual-threat nose tackles in the country in that he can stuff the run and rush the passer. Notables in his stat line in 2014: 88 tackles (16.5 for loss), nine sacks and two fumble recoveries. The Bolts badly need a player on the D-line like him; they struggled stopping the run in 2014.

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