Chargers Land Star Ohio State Duo in Latest ESPN Mock Draft

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paul White | Last updated Apr 15, 2025 11:41 AM ET

The NFL Draft kicks off in about a week and mock draft season is in full effect.

In any sport, the draft is a crapshoot because you never truly know how the board will fall until it’s unfolding before your eyes.

In the NBA, March madness is a spectacle that heavily influences players’ draft stock, causing them to climb up boards or take a massive slide.

In the NFL, the Scouting Combine is the main influencer of draft stock, but personal meetings with the players in the weeks leading up to the draft also change the consensus on a player.

Each team has their own special formula on determining which player to select and this is why it’s so hard to get a gauge on where a player will fall.

But sometimes, a team telegraphs their draft plans and that is exactly what the Los Angeles Chargers are doing.

Everyone knows they need another pass catcher alongside wide receiver Ladd McConkey expeditiously.

No other receiver on the team besides the rookie could provide any support to quarterback Justin Herbert consistently.

So, it is no surprise that the Chargers have been incessantly linked to a pass catcher with their first-round pick.

Mel Kiper and Field Yates recently collaborated on a mock draft and added a new name into the mix of potential targets at No. 22.

The experts predicted that Los Angeles will use this pick on star Ohio State wideout Emeka Egbuka.

The National Champion possesses a rare combination of size, speed, and physicality that should have no problem translating to the NFL.

He may not be viewed as the best receiver in the draft, but he is a dynamic player that many believe has the highest upside of any pass catcher in the class.

The Chargers don’t have very many playmakers at all on the offensive side of the ball, but they could secure one by picking Egbuka.

In the second round of the draft, Kiper and Yates have Los Angeles selecting Egbuka’s teammate Quinshon Judkins.

Although they play two completely different positions, the former Ole Miss standout plays an eerily similar style to Egbuka.

He is 6’0 225 pounds, so he is extremely built and physical, but also has the ability to bust a big play if he gets out into open space.

Admittedly, this pick makes little sense when you consider the Chargers just went out and got Najee Harris to fill the running back role about a month ago.

Judkins would be a great pick and would replace the void that J.K. Dobbins left.

But in today’s NFL, it doesn’t make much sense to spend this much capital on a position that’s so expendable.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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