PHOENIX -- Most mock drafts have the Los Angeles Chargers selecting Ohio State product Malik Hooker with the team’s No. 7 overall pick in this year’s draft.

But head Anthony Lynn gushed over another safety draft that analysts have had a hard time figuring out where he will go in the draft -- Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers.

“There’s some good safeties coming out,” Lynn said when asked about the safeties in this year’s draft class. “I like Jamal Adams. I think Peppers can be a nice safety in the National Football League. Obi [Melifonwu], the young man from Connecticut, has a nice presence down in the box as a strong safety.”

2017 NFL DRAFT Round 1: April 27, 8 p.m. ET

Rds. 2-3: April 28, 7 p.m. ET

Rds. 4-7: April 29, noon ET

Where: Philadelphia NFL draft home page » • 2017 NFL draft order »

• Mel Kiper Jr.: Mock 3.0 »

• Todd McShay: Mock 3.0 »

• Todd McShay's Top 32 »

• Mel Kiper Jr.'s Big Board »

• McShay: Top prospects by position »

• Mel Kiper Jr.: Top 10 by position »

• Pro day schedule for prospects »

• Underclassmen who have declared »

• NFL draft player rankings »

Lynn said one of the reasons Peppers’ evaluation has been all over the place is because of his versatility in college.

“He plays so many positions,” Lynn said. “I believe if you put him at one position, I think he can be a superstar -- it’s that simple. He’s been a superstar his whole life. I don’t think it’s going to stop because he’s in the National Football League. He’s got a lot of juice.”

Safety is a position of need for the Chargers. The team re-signed Jahleel Addae to a four-year, $22 million deal. But fellow safety Dwight Lowery is 31 years old and has two years left on his contract.

“He was a priority for us,” Lynn said about Addae. “He can play deep. He can play close to the line of scrimmage. He is physical. We are rocking and rolling with him.

“He won’t just play in the back, and I think he will benefit from that. … He brings it every day. If you watch the tape, he brings it every snap. So I like him a lot. His leadership, how he plays the game -- he’s an impact hitter. People will think twice going over the middle.”

Chargers defensive backs coach Ron Milus likes his safeties to be interchangeable. Although Addae excelled playing as an in-the-box safety, he also played 300 snaps as a free safety, according to ESPN Stats & Information, so he could serve as a deep safety and Peppers could find a role as an in-the-box presence in defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s scheme.

The Chargers also need help in the return game, and Peppers could fill a role there. Bradley also values players capable of being tone-setters -- smart players who can grow into leaders on and off the field.

Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman served in those roles with Bradley’s defense for the Seattle Seahawks, and Peppers has the potential to develop into that type of leader at the next level, according to NFL scouts whom I’ve talked to.

Scouts compared Peppers’ skill set to Arizona Cardinals hybrid safety/linebacker Deone Bucannon.

Like Lynn, Chargers GM Tom Telesco said this year’s safety class is deep with talent throughout the draft. Even though the Chargers have changed from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defensive alignment, Telesco said his personnel department is still looking for three important characteristics in the defensive backs -- players who are smart, can cover and can tackle. Peppers appears to fit that mold.

“A lot of it is just watching us play, watching us practice and seeing us on game day how we’re playing guys,” Telesco said. “Sometimes you need to see it with your eyes than just hearing it.

“It’s a process and it takes time, but at the end, say, for DBs and corners, they’ve got to be able to cover and tackle. This isn’t rocket science. You need to be able to cover on man-to-man. You need to be able to play smart in zone and tackle. It doesn’t matter what scheme you run or what style you want, you’ve got to have those three things.”