Matt Smith Wonders If The Chargers Might Trade Back To Draft Taliese Fuaga
On his podcast Bleav In Chargers, Los Angeles Chargers radio personality Matt "Money" Smith unpacked the intriguing fit of a certain right tackle out of Oregon State, as the Bolts look to shore up their defense.
It could allow Los Angeles to flip their No. 5 first round pick for a latter first rounder.
Smith weighed in on new Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz's remarks in his NFL Combine press conference earlier this week, and strived to determine how Hortiz intends to operate during his first draft at the helm of the team.
"Joe Hortiz had his presser yesterday," Smith said. "When asked about the talent here and the group this year, he said, 'Look, wide receiver class is very deep.' [What] I read it into that is Joe saying, 'I have to take wide receiver [with the fifth pick]. I know everybody wants to give us [All-American LSU junior] Malik Nabers because we have Justin Herbert as our quarterback, but this wide receiver group is so deep, we're going to get somebody that's really, really good in the second round or in the third round. We don't have to take that at five. We could build [up] our lines.' And so I think if you trade back, you can still take the top tackle."
"We had Sam Monson [of Pro Football Focus], I was talking to him for that and he made a great point. He's like, 'To me, if you're the Chargers, you have one of the best left tackles in the league. You've got Rashawn Slater,"' Smith said.
Slater, 24, is a 6'4", 315-pound Northwestern product, who's already made a Pro Bowl and Second-Team All-Pro team in his three pro seasons.
"So if you know what's going to be a right tackle... why wouldn't you just trade back even further and Taliese Fuaga from Oregon State, who's the best right tackle in the draft? And when he puts his hands on you in the run game, it's over. You are done, you are out of the play. And so I think those are the sort of things that that they are going to start exploring."
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