As the Los Angeles Chargers enter their bye week during Week 5 of the NFL season, the team has a chance to lick some of its wounds and hopefully, get some players closer to full health and back on the field. It also gives analysts a chance to survey the team in regards to what they have seen so far.
The Chargers are 2-2 and look to be a strong team in some areas but pretty weak in others. The injury bug has also smacked the team around in the first month of the season.
NFL mock drafts are always being drawn up. Many fans won't look at them until it is closer to draft season, but when there are interesting or exciting prospects connected to certain teams, it's worth talking about.
That is the case with Kyle Crabbs' most recent mock for The 33rd Team. He has the Chargers picking at No. 14 in the first round and with that selection, they take Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, a running back who is dominating college football this season.
Jeanty rushed for 1,327 yards last season, a terrific number. But in just four games this season, he already has 845 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. He is averaging a ridiculous 10.3 yards per carry. For a run-heavy offense like Jim Harbaugh prefers to run, this would be a perfect pick for the Chargers.
It would be even more perfect because of this recent comparison made by NFL draft analyst Dane Brugler...
Who does @BroncoSportsFB running back Ashton Jeanty remind @dpbrugler of?
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) October 2, 2024
LaDainian Tomlinson 👀 pic.twitter.com/Rrr2xKpTZs
Here is what Crabbs says about Jeanty in his mock:
"We, as football fans, deserve this. The Los Angeles Chargers entered Week 4 averaging five yards per carry but struggled against a stout Chiefs defense on Sunday.
We know Jim Harbaugh will want to pound the rock. No one is toting the rock like Jeanty, college, or pro. Jeanty is averaging more than 10 yards per carry through four games, posting an outrageous 845 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns during that stretch.
Jeanty can do it all for a Chargers team committed to running the ball. This match was made in heaven, especially considering the durability questions with J.K. Dobbins."
Chargers fans can start keeping tabs on the Boise State running back if they haven't already, and begin to envision what it would look like if he ends up in a Chargers uniform next season. Who knows, he may add the Heisman Trophy to his resume before then.
Ashton Jeanty would look good in Los Angeles
Jeanty, who was born in Florida, has been on a tear with Boise State this season and some believe he is the frontrunner to win the Heisman Trophy. His 845 yards rushing lead the country and is almost 200 more than the player at No. 2, Kaleb Johnson at Iowa.
The Chargers have not drafted a running back in the first round since 2015 when they took Melvin Gordon. However, if Jeanty is anything even close to the player Tomlinson was, every Chargers fan in the world would sign off on the pick.
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