NFL Mock Draft 2016: Pre-Free Agency edition

OT. Notre Dame. Ronnie Stanley. 3. player. 13. <p>The Chargers might be where the draft “starts”. Both the Titans and Browns have picks that have become the consensus, but it is difficult to pinpoint what exactly San Diego will do.</p> <p>On one hand, the Chargers have many defensive needs. Florida State DB Jalen Ramsey would be a beautiful fit to replace the likely departed Eric Weddle, and San Diego could also be choosing from two stellar defensive line prospects in Ohio State’s Joey Bosa and Oregon’s DeForest Buckner. However, this is also a team that needs to keep Philip Rivers (who isn’t getting any younger) upright in a more effective fashion, and Ronnie Stanley is comfortably the second-best tackle in this class.</p> <p>In my mind, taking Stanley at number three would be a slight reach, but he is 6-foot-6 and 312 pounds with real polish on his profile, and with long arms (35.5 inches), he looks a lot like a Pro Bowl left tackle moving forward. The Chargers should also be considered a prime target to move down to acquire more assets given that they do not need to even consider a quarterback with this selection, but we are not in the business of projecting trades, and Ronnie Stanley would fit nicely in protecting Rivers’ blind side for the rest of his career in San Diego.</p>