Late LA Draft Pick Befuddles Expert

The Los Angeles Chargers' draft pick of cornerback Tarheeb Still out of Maryland was one of the more confusing picks in their draft class. While Still performed well in college, Los Angeles grabbing him in the fifth round was a bit of a reach.

He was projected to be taken in either the sixth or seventh rounds by most draft boards, making this a confusing choice. Alex Insdorf of Chargers Wire graded every pick by the Bolts and gave this one a "C" due to the reach.

"This is the pick of the draft that still (pun intended) confuses me. The Chargers doubled down on cornerback in the fifth round with Hart and Still. Relative to the consensus boards, Still was the biggest reach in the draft for LA. It was a consensus board vs. draft position difference of 116 spots."

Maybe the Bolts saw something in Still that others didn't, which could indicate the decision to take him so high. Los Angeles did have a need in the secondary, potentially giving them the thought to grab him.

"When you turn on the tape, there are some positives with Still. He’s a good tackler who can trigger downhill in the run game. In this draft class, he’s also one of the better corners when it comes to zone coverage. But when it comes to man coverage, there’s certainly a need for Still to improve at the NFL level. Last season, he allowed a 65.9% reception percentage when targeted. For his career at Maryland, Still allowed over 1600+ yards and committed 20 penalties. We’re not talking about a player who walks into the slot role unchallenged on Day 1. He’s raw from a coverage standpoint."

Still posted 45 total tackles last season, with two of them coming for a loss. He also grabbed five interceptions during the 10 games he appeared in. Maybe the Chargers are banking on him being an impactful player at the next level and if he is, this pick will be seen as a true steal instead of a reach.

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