Mel Kiper Jr. gives Chargers right tackle of the future in second mock draft

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. sent Georgia tight end Brock Bowers to the Chargers in his first mock draft.

A month later, Kiper stuck with the same side of the football but addressed the trenches with Alabama offensive tackle JC Latham.

Here’s a big — literally — deviation from my debut mock draft. When I projected the Chargers to take tight end Brock Bowers (Georgia) in January, it was before they had hired Jim Harbaugh as their new coach. And we should know from Harbaugh’s time with the 49ers and at Michigan that he wants to build through the lines, which means starting with the 300-pounders. The 360-pound Latham started 27 games at right tackle in college, which is where he could slot in for L.A.

Notre Dame’s Joe Alt has been commonly pegged to Los Angeles, but the difference between the two is that Alt’s natural position is left tackle, whereas Latham’s is right tackle.

However, this is the earliest I’ve seen Latham go in a mock draft, as he’s been anywhere from No. 8 to 15, which is why he might be available in a trade-down scenario.

It’s no surprise that the Chargers could be looking to improve the offensive line as they look to prioritize the running game, so Latham would replace Trey Pipkins at right tackle in this scenario.

Hulking at 6-foot-6 and 360 pounds, Latham is a force in pass protection and the run game with a great combination of size, strength, physicality and agility, projecting as a starter from Day 1.