Chargers 2011 Draft: Michigan OLB Jonas Mouton

Written by Gil Alcaraz | 30 April 2011

With the 61^st pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the San Diego Chargers select Jonas Mouton, outside linebacker from Michigan.

I’m sorry, but I can’t see any reasoning behind what possessed the Chargers to take a guy like Jonas Mouton in the second round. Leave it to General Manager A.J. Smith to come up with one of the most bone-headed picks throughout the first two days of the draft. I’ll admit, there is some upside that is buried somewhere in Mouton.

He was a stud coming out of high school, but never really panned out as such during his time with the Wolverines. He showed subpar instincts, wasn’t explosive or aggressive, and struggled at times to have any sort of effectiveness when taking on blockers. The fact that his production saw a steep decline in his last two years only worries me even more. As a 3-4 outside linebacker, you need to be a threat to get to the quarterback and you need to be extremely aggressive. Mouton is neither of those, and I simply don’t understand why the Chargers used a second rounder on him.

The Chargers have shown a dire need to upgrade their linebacking corps, especially on the outside. With Shaun Phillips on one side and a huge question mark on the other, they were looking to find some answers during the draft. I’m not sure if they found one with Mouton, though.

I will continue to be baffled and perplexed by this pick until Mouton shows that he was worth the pick on the field. Consider that I don’t think that will ever happen, this could be one of the biggest reaches of the first three rounds. However, you never can be sure whether Smith’s decisions or insane or genius. Only time will tell.

Grade: D-