The Los Angeles Chargers may be forced to improve on multiple fronts, specifically at their offensive line, if they want to take the next step as contenders.
After another season where Justin Herbert was hit too much, the need to improve their offensive line has become impossible to ignore. Injuries, inconsistency, and much more have only made that issue more of a problem, leaving the Chargers with a lot of work to do.
A Penn State star could be that, as the Chargers would be forming a duo with him and Joe Alt.
Luke Easterling of Athlon Sports has Los Angeles selecting Penn State offensive lineman Olaivavega Ioane with the No. 22 overall pick, and his reasoning for it was due to the players the Chargers lost.
“After moving on from Mekhi Becton and losing Zion Johnson in free agency, the Chargers need to make some big investments along the interior of their offensive line, especially after how much Justin Herbert was battered down the stretch last year. Easily the best guard prospect in this year’s draft, Ioane would be an immediate upgrade for a team that has high hopes of making deeper playoff runs in the near future.”
Evaluators have loved Ioane, as some view him as the best player in the draft.
“The interior offensive line class doesn't feature a first-round grade, but there are strong contenders to be selected late in the first round. Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane ranks as a top-40 player on my board and has the consistent run game and pass protection skills at 6-foot-4, 330 pounds to be a starter in the NFL. Oregon guard Emmanuel Pregnon and Auburn center Connor Lew could push into that range, too,” Matt Miller of ESPN wrote.
The good part of Ioane is that he offers a fix with immediate and long-term help. Having solid offensive line play is as important as anything in the NFL, and keeping Herbert up should be a priority.
Ioane will likely be the only Penn State player drafted in the first round. He might not end up being the best player from PSU in this class, but he’s certainly the guy evaluators are all over right now.