2012 Cincy Jungle Mock Draft - The San Diego Chargers Select...

With the 18th pick in the 2012 Cincy Jungle Mock Draft, Anthony Knox selected for the San Diego Chargers, who earned their pick by finishing the 2011 season with an 8-8 record.

With the No. 18 overall pick in the 2012 Cincy Jungle Mock Draft, the San Diego Chargers select....

Fletcher Cox, DE, Mississippi State

With the 18th pick in the draft, San Diego had a choice of sorts to make. Many draft pundits had the Bolts taking either offensive or defensive line help, and when going through the options, it appeared obvious that the best help would be in the trenches with this pick. That meant taking a good hard look at Cordy Glenn, the guard from Georgia, Dontari Poe, the defensive tackle from Memphis, or Fletcher Cox, the defensive end/tackle from Mississippi State. When looking a bit deeper at the Chargers' moves ahead of the draft, it seems like AJ Smith plans on sticking to his trend of not selecting offensive line help in the first round. Resigning Cory Gaither and tendering the offer to Brandyn Dombrowski and moving hem to guard makes me feel like they're not looking at round 1 for the o-line, meaning no Glenn.

So that leads to a defensive selection in Round 1. Many Charger fans want to keep this pick close to home, as they're all over Nick Perry from USC, but many of those same fans didn't think a defensive lineman of Cox's level would be there at the 18th pick. Poe becomes an easy oversight when you look at his stats out of Memphis...while a huge guy, he just isn't a tremendous defensive tackle in a 3-4 scheme like the Chargers run, and Cox's smaller stature at 6'4" 298 appears to be a great flexible option as an end in the 3-4. This ability to play anywhere on the DL is the difference, and why Cox was selected by San Diego.

Fletcher Cox Highlights:

Joe Goodberry's Instant Analysis:

Chargers go BPA at a position if need with Fletcher Cox. To me, he's the safest D-lineman in the draft. He's athletic and always hustles. His potential is through the roof. He'll play DE for the Chargers in their 3-4 defense and that's probably his best fit. Good pick and value.
Grade: A
Value: +8

Draft Overview: