ESPN’s Todd McShay released his latest two-round projections on Tuesday.
In the first round, McShay has the Chargers drafting former Pittsburgh defensive tackle Calijah Kancey.
We’ve seen Chargers coach Brandon Staley have success with Aaron Donald as an interior rusher when he was the Rams’ defensive coordinator, and while Kancey is not Donald, he plays a similar style as a penetrating 3-technique with take-off burst. Kancey also ran the fastest 40-yard dash time for a defensive tackle since 2006 at 4.67 seconds, and he had 14.5 sacks and 28.5 tackles for loss over the past two seasons at Pitt.
The selection of Kancey would bring a game-wrecking pass rusher from the inside with his quickness, burst and natural leverage. Finishing with 47 pressures on 275 pass-rushing snaps, Kancey’s 92.4 pass-rushing grade led all interior defenders this past season, per Pro Football Focus.
Los Angeles heavily invested in the interior part of the defensive line last offseason. However, they lost Austin Johnson and Otito Ogbonnia to knee injuries near the midway part of the season. The two players are still working their way back, so Kancey’s services would be beneficial.
McShay pegged former Penn State tight end Brenton Strange to L.A with their second-round selection.
I dug into Strange’s tape recently, and he’s one of the most underrated players in this class, despite mediocre production and combine results. He accelerates really well and can stretch the seam, and he is competitive as an in-line blocker. Justin Herbert would love finding the 6-foot-4 target downfield for big gains.
Strange hasn’t been projected this high in mock drafts, but it’s easy to believe a team like the Chargers could fall in love with his athletic profile and take him earlier. At the combine, Strange ran a 4.70 40-yard dash (ninth among TEs) and a 1.57 10-yard split (tied for second among TEs).
On the field, Strange is a capable blocker and well-rounded receiver. Strange combined for 52 catches, 587 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns in his last two collegiate seasons. He also had 11.3 yards per reception in his previous two years for the Nittany Lions.
