2019 NFL Mock Draft: Los Angeles Chargers select Dre’Mont Jones

In 2018, the Los Angeles Chargers were overshadowed by their LA counterpart, but the Chargers were far from horrible. Finishing with a 12-4 record wasn’t enough to take the AFC West away from the Chiefs, but it got them into the postseason. From there, they picked up a Wild Card win before being knocked out by the eventual NFL Champions.

Now on the clock in the Pride of Detroit Community Mock, it’s up to zernbabyzern to add a player that will help them jump the Chiefs this year.

With the 28th pick in the POD Community Mock, the Chargers select Ohio State defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones. Here’s zernbabyzern with the explanation:

“The draft board did not exactly fall well for my Chargers here, who have bigtime needs at both DT and OT. LB was another position of consideration but there isn’t really value at that position until you get later in the draft. That left me in the position of having to reach a bit for Dre’Mont Jones out of Ohio State.

Jones fits exactly what we are looking for in Los Angeles, as he is another disruptive player along the defensive line fitting in well between Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram but also with some positional flexibility due to his size to shift outside, if needed. Jones’ strength is as a pass-rusher, and during his time at OSU he displayed great burst off the snap and ability to get upfield and disrupt the offense. He also showed good hand usage and the ability to use pass-rushing moves to disengage from blockers. One of my favorite things about Jones is that he displays the willingness and ability to run down plays that have gotten past him, displaying solid athleticism on tape.

The downside to Jones game is that he is so quick off the ball that he neglects to diagnose the play and can take himself out of it and vacate his gap responsibility. He also struggled with double teams in college, but I don’t feel that will be as much of an issue in the pros due to the previously mentioned Bosa and Ingram. One concern I have around Jones is his disappointing combine performance that showed really only average athleticism which is not what you see on tape.

Overall, I feel good about my pick here as there just isn’t a great selection of DTs, OTs or LBs that are worthy of this spot. Jones should come in right away and get solid playing time with Liuget on the interior DL.

Catch up on all of the picks with our Community Mock Draft Tracker