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BBV 2013 Community Mock Draft: San Diego Chargers select ...

The last of the three left tackles considered to be elite in this year's NFL Draft class comes off the board in this pick for the San Diego Chargers, the 11th in our Big Blue View Community Mock Draft.

Lane Johnson
Lane Johnson
USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Chargers are up next with the 11th overall selection in our Big Blue View 2013 Community Mock Draft. Playing the role of general managers for the Chargers is 'Drizzzy.' We have reached the point in our draft where I am starting to seriously pay attention to who will be available for me when I select 19th for the New York Giants.

Drizzzy's selection for the Chargers is ...

Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma [Mocking The Draft Johnson Profile]

'Drizzzy' explains:

In 2011 the Chargers scored the 5th most points in the league. In 2010 they scored the 2nd most points in the league so Phillips Rivers can command a good offense even if he makes a lot of mistakes. However that all changed in 2012 where the Chargers dropped all the way down to 20th in the league in points scored per game. The biggest reason for this really sudden drop is the poor offensive line the Chargers throw out on Sundays. Rivers was sacked 49 times which puts him in Cutler territory, just without the hype. Their rush offense was poor too despite having a promising RB in Ryan Matthews. Last season the Chargers were forced to play an undrafted rookie (Mike Harris) to play the most important position on the offensive line.

Thus the Chargers have little option but to draft for a LT. Lane Johnson quickly rose on the draft boards after showing off his impressive athleticism. He played a variety of positions including tight end and defensive end. His build is ideal for a franchise left tackle and his upside is right up there with Joeckel and Fischer. Even though he would be the 3rd LT taken within the first dozen picks, the consensus is that Johnson is a great value. CBS Sports has Johnson as the seventh-best prospect, and Mel Kiper has him as his 9th. Johnson is a bit raw but the Chargers have no choice but to take him.

Valentine's View: BBV draft analyst Jesse Bartolis is not a Johnson fan, having ranked him 52nd on his most recent NFL Draft Big Board. In his Johnson prospect profile, even Jesse admits that Johnson "has the length and athleticism that NFL teams desire."

Draft Tek agrees with 'Drizzzy,' having given Johnson to the Chargers in its most recent mock draft, calling him "too good to pass up."

This takes the three top-tier left tackles off the board, none of whom were expected to fall as far as the Giants' selection at No. 19.

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BBV Mock Draft, Round 1
  1. Kansas City Chiefs -- Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M [Explanation]
  2. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia [Explanation]
  3. Oakland Raiders -- Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah [Explanation]
  4. Philadelphia Eagles -- Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon [Explanation]
  5. Detroit Lions -- Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan [Explanation]
  6. Cleveland Browns -- Chance Warmack, G, Alabama [Explanation]
  7. Arizona Cardinals -- Barkevious Mingo, OLB, LSU [Explanation]
  8. Buffalo Bills -- Ziggy Ansah, DE, BYU [Explanation]
  9. New York Jets -- Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama [Explanation]
  10. Tennessee Titans -- Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida [Explanation]
  11. San Diego Chargers -- Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma

[E-mail Ed at bigblueview@gmail.com]