So, who will the Chargers pick? (1 Viewer)

[BoltBacker]

'Gunz...... I am disappointed in you. Where are the blurbs from the darkest corners of the web declaring the punter "a steal!". 

I am waiting here to high-five you buddy.

 

[Tau837]

Cash is still on the board with two picks to go to the next Chargers pick. Is there any reason to hope they take him?

 

[Tau837]

Also, would like to see Dan Vitale in the 7th, if he is still available. There is currently no FB on the roster, and it seems Gordon would benefit from one.

ETA: So much for that, he just went to the Bucs. Then the Chargers took FB Watt. I wonder if Vitale was their target there.

 

[BoltBacker]

Cash is still on the board with two picks to go to the next Chargers pick. Is there any reason to hope they take him?

Pshhhhhhhh, you fogetin' that sleeper long snapper? Need depth there, brah.

 

[tommyGunZ]

'Gunz...... I am disappointed in you. Where are the blurbs from the darkest corners of the web declaring the punter "a steal!". 

I am waiting here to high-five you buddy.

I actually don't mind the pick b/c now they can cut Scifries and save ~ 4M against the cap.  

Of course this means we passed on some OL from Montana so I know I'm supposed to be OUTRAGED!!!!!!  

 

[BoltBacker]

lol, that should fix Gordon.

 

[Tau837]

Pshhhhhhhh, you fogetin' that sleeper long snapper? Need depth there, brah.

Last hope is that he lasts to the Chargers 7th round pick and they take him. His fall through the draft is very surprising. He was projected as high as the third round.

 

[BoltBacker]

I actually don't mind the pick b/c now they can cut Scifries and save ~ 4M against the cap.  

Of course this means we passed on some OL from Montana so I know I'm supposed to be OUTRAGED!!!!!!  

Have you seen some of the women on MT? They might give the best backup OLman on this roster a run for their money.

 

[Tau837]

I assume everyone knows you don't actually need to draft a punter to cut Scifres, right? How many starting punters in the NFL were drafted? I don't know the answer, but probably not many.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Pshhhhhhhh, you fogetin' that sleeper long snapper? Need depth there, brah.

Would be a valuable piece if Watt can be both the fullback and long snapper.  Wouldn't have to waste a roster spot on Windt.

 

[Tau837]

Per Acee, the Chargers apparently said they see Brown at ILB, not OLB. So two picks used for ILB depth in this draft, but just one pick on DL. In 4 drafts, Telesco has now expended 28 picks to draft 24 players, and they break down like this:

• LB - 7 (Teo, Perryman, Attaochu, Emanuel, Perry, Brown, Tourek Williams)
  
• DB - 3 (Verrett, Steve Williams, Mager)
  
• DL - 3 (Bosa, Carrethers, Philon)
  
• OL - 3 (Fluker, Watt, Tuerk)
  
• Backs - 3 (Gordon, Grice, Watt)
  
• Receivers - 3 (Allen, Henry, Reese)
  
• QB - 1 (Sorenson)
  
• Specialists - 1 (Kaser)
  

One would expect the Chargers to have one of the best LB groups in the NFL this year. Right?

 

[Tau837]

Read some articles on Watt. He does not seem to be a prototypical NFL FB, but rather more of an H back type. Those who are hoping he will be the next Lorenzo Neal will probably be disappointed. It seems he is more likely to be a rich man's Jacob Hester than a poor man's Neal.

As far as long snapping goes, he never tried it until the East-West Shrine game after the season. So I don't think he is going to take that job from Windt.

 

[Tau837]

Cash is still on the board with two picks to go to the next Chargers pick. Is there any reason to hope they take him?

This again. Please take him Telesco.

 

[BoltBacker]

How about this:

SD trades #3 to TEN for (15, 76, 2017 2nd rounder)

SD #15 drafts Ryan Kelly C (pushes Watt to the bench)

SD trades #35 to JAX for (38, 146)

SD trades #38 to MIA for (42, 107)

SD trades #42 to GB for (57, 125, 248)

SD trades #57 to TB for (74, 106)

SD #66 drafts Darian Thompson S (pushes Addae to the bench)

SD #74 drafts Austin Hooper TE (much cheaper developmental TE with similar upside to Hunter)

SD trades #76 to CAR for (93, 129, 168)

SD #93 drafts Conner Cook QB (finally developing a guy with potential, replaces Clemens)

SD #102 drafts Nick Kwiatkoski LB (versatile ILB/OLB depth that can cover)

SD #106 drafts Hassan Ridgeway DE/DT (rare big pass rusher)

SD trades #107 to CHI for (117, 206)

SD #117 drafts Andrew Billings DT (long term NT, rotational with Mebane for now)

SD #125 drafts Kenneth Dixon RB (replaces Donald Brown, Gordon bust insurance)

SD #129 drafts Chris Westerman OG (depth, could develop into a starter)

SD #146 drafts KJ Dillon SS (hard hitting compliment to Thompson)

SD #168 drafts Rashard Higgins WR(depth, could push Inman off the roster)

SD #175 drafts Jerrell Adams TE (raw but athletic, time to develop while Gates takes his encore)

SD trade #179 to PHI (196, 240)

SD #196 drafts Dan Vitale FB (if you HAVE TO draft a FB may as well be a slightly better one)

SD #198 drafts Brandon Allen QB (practice squad QB replaces Sorenson/Renner)

SD #206 drafts Mike Thomas WR (fights with Higgins for roster/practic squad)

SD #224 drafts Daniel Lasco RB (raw practice squad freak athlete)

SD #248 drafts Jack Allen C (pushes for roster practice squad)

 

[tommyGunZ]

How about this:

SD trades #3 to TEN for (15, 76, 2017 2nd rounder)

SD #15 drafts Ryan Kelly C (pushes Watt to the bench)

SD trades #35 to JAX for (38, 146)

SD trades #38 to MIA for (42, 107)

SD trades #42 to GB for (57, 125, 248)

SD trades #57 to TB for (74, 106)

SD #66 drafts Darian Thompson S (pushes Addae to the bench)

SD #74 drafts Austin Hooper TE (much cheaper developmental TE with similar upside to Hunter)

SD trades #76 to CAR for (93, 129, 168)

SD #93 drafts Conner Cook QB (finally developing a guy with potential, replaces Clemens)

SD #102 drafts Nick Kwiatkoski LB (versatile ILB/OLB depth that can cover)

SD #106 drafts Hassan Ridgeway DE/DT (rare big pass rusher)

SD trades #107 to CHI for (117, 206)

SD #117 drafts Andrew Billings DT (long term NT, rotational with Mebane for now)

SD #125 drafts Kenneth Dixon RB (replaces Donald Brown, Gordon bust insurance)

SD #129 drafts Chris Westerman OG (depth, could develop into a starter)

SD #146 drafts KJ Dillon SS (hard hitting compliment to Thompson)

SD #168 drafts Rashard Higgins WR(depth, could push Inman off the roster)

SD #175 drafts Jerrell Adams TE (raw but athletic, time to develop while Gates takes his encore)

SD trade #179 to PHI (196, 240)

SD #196 drafts Dan Vitale FB (if you HAVE TO draft a FB may as well be a slightly better one)

SD #198 drafts Brandon Allen QB (practice squad QB replaces Sorenson/Renner)

SD #206 drafts Mike Thomas WR (fights with Higgins for roster/practic squad)

SD #224 drafts Daniel Lasco RB (raw practice squad freak athlete)

SD #248 drafts Jack Allen C (pushes for roster practice squad)

Quoting this for posterity.  I bet 70% of these dudes are out of the league in 2 years or less, and NONE of them have the impact of Bosa or Henry.  

 

[Tau837]

I don't really like BoltBacker's draft. I would have been fine with trading down once or twice, but I value the early picks, too. But I can still see many variations of drafts I would like better than Telesco's, even with no trades. For example:

• (1) DT/DE DeForest Buckner, Oregon State - better fit than Bosa IMO (but I'm also okay with Bosa here)
  
• (2) C Nick Martin, Notre Dame - better than Tuerk
  
• (3) DT/DE Jonathan Bullard, Florida - would immediately get heavy snaps in DL rotation, would eventually replace Mebane as starter
  
• (4) OG Christian Westerman, Arizona State - projected as high as 2nd round; would eventually replace Fluker or Franklin, whichever is worse over next 1-2 seasons
  
• (5) TE Jerrell Adams, South Carolina - PFF's best all-around TE in the draft
  
• (6) FB Dan Vitale, Northwestern - better than Watt
  
• (6) SS/LB Jeremy Cash, Duke - stud run defender, would eventually start over Addae
  
• (7) ILB Scooby Wright, Arizona - PFF projected him 15 spots higher than Perry
  

I advocated for Buckner, Martin, Bullard, Vitale, and Cash before the fact, and I have long advocated for drafting more heavily for both lines, and Westerman was the best OL available in the 4th IMO. I also advocated to take TE and ILB later in the draft. So this isn't just hindsight.

Now add a couple minor trade downs to this, and there would be another player or two from the top 4-5 rounds, which would matter for this Chargers roster.

 

[BoltBacker]

Quoting this for posterity.  I bet 70% of these dudes are out of the league in 2 years or less, and NONE of them have the impact of Bosa or Henry.  

Sounds familiar, you said the same thing about all those RB's that were drafted after Gordon(and two additional picks) and played just as well.

 

[BoltBacker]

I've been calling for SD to fix the C and safety position for two years now..... that's less hindsight than most, ncluding Telesco. I like my draft because it truly fixes the positions once and for all instead of putting a bandaid on the positions.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Pro Football Focus draft grades:



 



San Diego Chargers, A-


1 (3) Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State
2 (35) Hunter Henry, TE, Arkansas
3 (66) Max Tuerk, C, USC
4 (102) Joshua Perry, ILB, Ohio State
5 (175) Jatavis Brown, ILB, Akron
6 (179) Drew Kaser, P, Texas A&M
6 (198) (from Minnesota) Derek Watt, FB, Wisconsin
7 (224) Donavon Clark, G, Michigan State

Day 1: There was little discussion that Bosa would be the pick for the Chargers at No. 3, because of a perceived lack of ideal scheme fit, but they took the top player on our draft board and he will immediately upgrade their weak defensive front. Our top-graded edge defender each of the last two years, Bosa is strong against the run and he topped the nation with a +44.1 pass-rush grade. Whether he sees snaps on the outside at linebacker or he bulks back up to play 3-4 defensive end doesn’t really matter — Bosa simply defeats blockers in both phases of the game, and San Diego will take a major step forward with his addition.

Day 2: Ladarius Green has moved on, and Henry will fill his role as a pass-catching tight end. The sure-handed Henry didn’t drop a pass in 2015, and he has the speed to work the middle of the field for QB Philip Rivers. Tuerk moves better than any center in this draft, pulling and locking onto targets with great athleticism. Before going down to injury last year, he had posted a monster +9.4 overall grade on only 113 snaps.

Day 3: Perry is a solid-all around linebacker and he’s only missed nine tackles in over 200 attempts in the last two years. Brown is an athletic linebacker that can rush the passer (+23.9, first among LBs in class) and add value in coverage (+9.2, fourth in class). Watt posted the second-best grade among fullbacks in the draft class at +23.2.

 

[petekrum]

Five years from now Chargers fans will look at some of the players they could have had instead of Bosa, and weep.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Scouts take on Henry.  

The Skinny: Well-rounded blue-collar prospect who is capable of paying huge dividends as an early starter. Contributor in a number of roles especially as a receiver from any position. Top H-back. Eventually a complete performer with Pro Bowl skill set. Fast rising early round addition with the talent to be a rookie weapon. Top 40 prospect with well-developed skill set with upside to start early and become a Pro Bowl type player once he settles into an offense. Possible late first round selection and complete prospect with impact talent.Draft Projection: 1st-2nd Round

 

[BoltBacker]

Five years from now Chargers fans will look at some of the players they could have had instead of Bosa, and weep.

That's the best you got? You'll take the 250 player "field" vs Bosa?

Way to go out on a limb, chief. How often would you say in the history of the NFL draft that the team with the third pick in the draft ended up taking the best player available?

I will go out on a limb and proclaim that the team drafting 6th next year will be awash in melancholy of what may have..... NAY, should have been.

 

[petekrum]

That's the best you got? You'll take the 250 player "field" vs Bosa?

Way to go out on a limb, chief. How often would you say in the history of the NFL draft that the team with the third pick in the draft ended up taking the best player available?

I will go out on a limb and proclaim that the team drafting 6th next year will be awash in melancholy of what may have..... NAY, should have been.

I don't need the 250 player field, I'll just take Ramsey, although there are more than a handful of others in the first round who will be vastly superior players than the meathead you chose. Enjoy the JAG you just picked, teaming him with Gordon should assure you another high pick in next years draft.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

I don't need the 250 player field, I'll just take Ramsey, although there are more than a handful of others in the first round who will be vastly superior players than the meathead you chose. Enjoy the JAG you just picked, teaming him with Gordon should assure you another high pick in next years draft.

Go away troll

 

[petekrum]

Go away troll

Better a troll than a blinders on homer. Have fun with that top five pick next year. Grab McCaffrey.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

Better a troll than a blinders on homer. Have fun with that top five pick next year. Grab McCaffrey.

Im far from a blind homer. Thanks for trollin though. Im not a fan of the bosa pick really as he seems to be more hype than anything else but im willing to give him a chance

 

[petekrum]

Im far from a blind homer. Thanks for trollin though. Im not a fan of the bosa pick really as he seems to be more hype than anything else but im willing to give him a chance

Well of course you're gonna give him a chance, what choice do you have, but I say Chargers fans will regret this pick in five years, you agree with me that you don't like the pick and somehow I'm a troll? Lol.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

Well of course you're gonna give him a chance, what choice do you have, but I say Chargers fans will regret this pick in five years, you agree with me that you don't like the pick and somehow I'm a troll? Lol.

No you are a troll

 

[Riversco]

Whisenhunt (not once again offensive co-ordinator) loves the run game.  Max Tuerk is a stud run blocker.  Hunter Henry is ALSO a stud run blocker who consistently beat down cornerbacks and linebackers paving the road.  He's also a dynamic pass catching TE.  The only negative about Henry is he can get too physical and abusive with his punishing run blocks and might need to carry a box of kleenex for when opposing defenders start crying.

 

[Riversco]

Bosa, Tuerk, and Henry will be part of the Charger Power Core for years.

 

[Chaka]

Well of course you're gonna give him a chance, what choice do you have, but I say Chargers fans will regret this pick in five years, you agree with me that you don't like the pick and somehow I'm a troll? Lol.

So if I am understanding you correctly you are closing the door on the career of a guy who was a consensus top 10 pick by NFL GMs before he has played even one snap in the NFL?

That stance makes it very difficult to take you seriously.  Michigan fan?

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

So if I am understanding you correctly you are closing the door on the career of a guy who was a consensus top 10 pick by NFL GMs before he has played even one snap in the NFL?

That stance makes it very difficult to take you seriously.  Michigan fan?

He did his anti-Bosa thing in the Jags thread, too.

 

[petekrum]

No, not closing the door, just saying they could have made a better pick. You boys might want to check out the bust rate of top ten picks over the years.

 

[Chaka]

No, not closing the door, just saying they could have made a better pick. You boys might want to check out the bust rate of top ten picks over the years.

And?  You are calling a guy a bust before he's even played a snap.  That kind of rash statement makes it difficult to take any of your analyses seriously.

I am sure lots of teams could have made better picks than they did but the point is that we won't know which ones for awhile so take a deep breath and let's see how it unfolds.

 

[Gr00vus]

No, not closing the door, just saying they could have made a better pick. You boys might want to check out the bust rate of top ten picks over the years.

So you're saying that top ten picks can be busts? Does anyone else know this? Because you should probably have yourself a GM job in the NFL if not. That would give you a huge edge over everyone else.

PS. Ramsey was also a top ten pick - so does the top ten bust rate apply to him too or is he somehow the only guy to ever get drafted that would be immune to that for some reason?

 

[cstu]

Joey Bosa, DE/OLB, Ohio State
Kangaroo Score:  0.763   Agility Score: 1.064   Avg TFL:  18.5
Based on our normal methods for doing this, Bosa is someone we should probably be excited about.  When examining his athletic traits and college production, this is someone that the computer would allow us to select in the 1st round.  Still, there are some odd details and concerns about Bosa that make us scratch our heads a bit.  His Kangaroo Score suggests that he should have the lower body power to bull rush, as well as stand up against the opponent's running game.  The score above actually might underestimate his power a bit, as the results from his broad jump would produce a result of 1.601, which is a significant improvement on his overall result.  Then we have his agility results, which are also really quite good, especially for someone of his size.  The one odd thing about his results was what happened when we removed mass as a factor.  Suddenly, his lower body explosiveness was appearing to be just "okay", with a result that came in between 0.208 and 0.823.  That result is a tad lower than what we normally see in most of the NFL's top level pass rushers, but not necessarily a significant problem.  These results would suggest that he is probably more of a bull-rushing torque machine, and less of a blow past the tackle at the snap kind of player.  That also probably fits with what we have seen of Bosa in the few games we have watched.  The most similar athletic comparison we can make, is probably Kyle Vanden Bosch.  Yes, we feel a bit awkward about making a white-guy-to-white-guy comparison.  Then we come to Bosa's statistical production in college, which is a whole other can of worms.  Because of the recent successes of the Ohio State football program, it is a bit more difficult to tell who is benefiting from being in an potentially advantageous situation.  In 2014, we would say that Bosa's production was quite good, though still perhaps a hair short of what we typically find with top level pass rushers.  In 2015, we run into much bigger problems.  Bosa took a rather severe tumble in production, and we don't have an adequate explanation for why that is.  Some people will say that it was caused by Bosa being double-teamed more often, but we're not so sure about that.  Considering that his team was actually improving the rate that they were getting to the opposing quarterback (going from an 8.3% sack rate in 2015, to an 8.4% in 2015), and that Bosa was frequently benefiting from being able to go after the opponent's right tackle, his slump bothers us a bit.  We'd also say that while Bosa appears to be active against the run, he was probably making about 10% fewer plays in this area than we would really like to see.  Admittedly, part of the reason we are being so critical of Bosa is because of some of the similarities he possesses to another former Ohio State player, Vernon Gholston.  Like Bosa, Gholston was an extremely gifted athlete whose market share of his team's pass rushing success was less impressive than his stat sheet might make you suspect.  You could say, that for as gifted as Bosa/Gholston appeared to be physically, we actually think they both should have been even more productive in college, especially considering the beneficial environment they found themselves in.  Maybe that seems like nitpicking.  Despite all of this criticism, we still think Bosa is probably one of the better pass rushing prospects in this draft, and worth a 1st round pick.  We just aren't certain that he should go in the top 5.

 

[petekrum]

So you're saying that top ten picks can be busts? Does anyone else know this? Because you should probably have yourself a GM job in the NFL if not. That would give you a huge edge over everyone else.

PS. Ramsey was also a top ten pick - so does the top ten bust rate apply to him too or is he somehow the only guy to ever get drafted that would be immune to that for some reason?

So apparently on this forum you aren't allowed to disagree with a pick?  Keep flapping your gums, I'm sure you all were defending the Gordon pick lasty year.

 

[Gr00vus]

So apparently on this forum you aren't allowed to disagree with a pick?  Keep flapping your gums, I'm sure you all were defending the Gordon pick lasty year.

I hated the Gordon pick immediately - look it up if you want. You can disagree with a pick, but the reasoning behind your disagreement has been pretty vapid so far. I'm not over the moon about Bosa by any stretch, but he doesn't scream bust to me just yet either. They could have screwed up much worse.

 

[BoltBacker]

I don't need the 250 player field, I'll just take Ramsey, although there are more than a handful of others in the first round who will be vastly superior players than the meathead you chose. Enjoy the JAG you just picked, teaming him with Gordon should assure you another high pick in next years draft.

Well, that's a better point then.

If you wanted to go even further and argue that Ramsey S 1st/Martin or Whitehair OL 2nd/Bullard DE 3rd/ and Bilings or Ridgeway DL in the 4th I would have completely agreed with you. The draft was deepest at DL, but there were also some S's sprinkled throughout this draft SD chose to pass on that would have helped them as well. Depends on whether you would rather have Bullard/Ridgeway on the DL to compliment your top pick safety, or if you wanted Darian Thompson/KJ Dillon to compliment your top 5 pick DLman(either Bosa or Buckner).

Given the strength of those late DLman I can understand your point and find it hard to disagree with you too strongly.

 

[BoltBacker]

No, not closing the door, just saying they could have made a better pick. You boys might want to check out the bust rate of top ten picks over the years.

Fixed.

That's why having more of them is always better, imo. I may not agree with every player CLE chose, but their overall approach to acquiring picks is a winning strategy in the long run.

If TEN was willing to give up 1st/2nd/3rd to move down to the middle of the round.... that was the best move for any team, but especially for a team that is hoping to climb up to .500. If you were a defending SB champion and in the middle of the window maybe you take quality over quantity but that is NOT the situation SD is in. Holes all over the roster, even after the draft and FA.

 

[cstu]

I hated the Gordon pick immediately - look it up if you want. You can disagree with a pick, but the reasoning behind your disagreement has been pretty vapid so far. I'm not over the moon about Bosa by any stretch, but he doesn't scream bust to me just yet either. They could have screwed up much worse.

Don't love the Bosa pick but at least he looks like a talented player at a need position.  I'm still flabbergasted over trading up for Gordon. 

 

[Gr00vus]

Don't love the Bosa pick but at least he looks like a talented player at a need position.  I'm still flabbergasted over trading up for Gordon. 

It was dismayingly horrifying to learn that there actually could be a worse move than trading up for Ryan Matthews.

 

[BoltBacker]

Maybe some folks were right that taking that many players in one draft was amiss, maybe SD should have focused on adding picks for the future as well as adding later picks in this draft:

SD trades #3 to TEN for (15, 76, 2017 2nd rounder)

SD drafts Ryan Kelly C #15 (safest OLman in the draft)

SD trades #35 to JAX for (38, 146)

SD trades #38 to MIA for (42, 107)

SD trades #42 to SEA for (56, 124)

SD drafts Cody Whitehair OG/C #56 (eventual replacement for Fluker in 2017)

SD #66 drafts Darian Thompson S (pushes Addae to the bench)

SD trades #76 to MIN for (186, 2017 3rd rounder, 2017 conditional 4th rounder)

SD #102 drafts Nick Kwiatkoski LB (versatile ILB/OLB depth that can cover)

SD trades #107 to CHI for (117, 206)

SD drafts Andrew Billings DT #117 (Safe fit for 3-4 that can't stop the run)

SD trades #124 to WAS for (152, 2017 5th rounder)

SD trades (#146 + #224) to SEA for (225, 2017 4th rounder) 

SD trades #175 to WAS for (2017 4th rounder)

SD drafts Jerrell Adams TE #179 (groom behind Gates)

SD drafts Kolby Listenbee KR/WR #186 (can simply fly, perfect backup for Benjamin)

SD drafts Jeff Driskel QB #198 (originally thought Allen as a cheap NFL backup, but Driskel has more upside potential)

SD drafts Mike Thomas WR #206 

So you end up with:

Kelly C, Whitehair OG, Thompson S, Billings NT... all 3-down starters(with Whitehair as the best backup the OL has had in more than decade while he waits for Fluker to move on)

Kwiatkoski passing down LB

Listenbee special teams ace with potential to be much more

Adams and Driskel high upside developmental players

Mike Thomas WR practice squad type guy that might grow into slot role... may get on the roster if Johnson guts hurt AGAIN

2017 extra picks:

2nd rounder

3rd rounder

4th rounder

4th rounder

conditional 4th rounder

5th rounder

Enjoy your extra picks LA! 

 

[Gr00vus]

I dunno, I'm a proponent of trading down, but that doesn't look like a super fantastic haul. I'd probably be happy with this actual draft if they'd done something smarter with the 2nd rounder, and not drafted a punter. Just a trade down from 35 to 38 would have worked - they could have drafted the same stupid TE and got an extra pick out of it most likely.

 

[Chaka]

So apparently on this forum you aren't allowed to disagree with a pick?  Keep flapping your gums, I'm sure you all were defending the Gordon pick lasty year.

It's not disagreeing with the pick that stands out, it's that you are effectively calling Bosa a bust.  I agree that there will be better players to emerge from later in the draft it always happens (it's hardly a huge prediction on your part) what I am bothered by is just dismissing the pick entirely.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

Dont feed the troll

 

[BoltBacker]

I dunno, I'm a proponent of trading down, but that doesn't look like a super fantastic haul. I'd probably be happy with this actual draft if they'd done something smarter with the 2nd rounder, and not drafted a punter. Just a trade down from 35 to 38 would have worked - they could have drafted the same stupid TE and got an extra pick out of it most likely.

As you can tell, I don't think the did enough to improve the OL(as always). I also think the S position got even worse, and it killed the team last year.

While I won't criticize the Bosa selection, I am not completely sold on him adding the pass rush they are desperate for. That's one of the reason I said before I hope he plays at a natural ~269 and plays passing downs(~65% of snaps). Having him lose weight to play OLB or gain weight up to ~291+ to be an everydown 3-4 DE so that he can play 80+% of snaps would lessen the likelyhood he gets double digit sacks..... and that's why they drafted him.

 

[Tau837]

As you can tell, I don't think the did enough to improve the OL(as always). I also think the S position got even worse, and it killed the team last year.

Not sure they made the right picks, but I don't think they needed to add more than 2 OL in the draft. Only so many guys can make the roster, and, whether you agree or not, Telesco had already committed to these guys before the draft: Dunlap, Barksdale, Franklin, Fluker, Watt, Hairston, and Wiggins.

Obviously the lack of center was notable, and Telesco addressed it in the draft with a guy who is expected to be a big upgrade over what the Chargers have had the past two seasons. (Granted, that is a really low bar...) The worst thing about the Tuerk pick may be that, because he is coming off injury, Telesco may feel he should keep Robinson on the roster.

And Telesco added a G/T in Clark in the draft, though I think he probably isn't good enough to make the final roster, maybe the practice squad.

With the addition of Tuerk and better health, will this line be good enough? Perhaps not, but it should be a lot better than the trainwrecks of the past two seasons. Without better health, it will be another trainwreck.

As for safety, I find it shocking that the Chargers only brought in Lowery at safety so far this offseason. Lowery will start at FS and will be a downgrade from the level the Chargers had with Weddle for several years. SS Addae is the same as last year but is a weak link in the secondary and defense. And their first backup safety is Stuckey, who is really on the roster for special teams, so there is very little depth. I thought it was a certainty Telesco would draft a safety within the first 4 rounds, and it is a glaring omission IMO. I am not sure what veteran free agent safeties are available, but I hope Telesco is able to sign one.

 

[Tau837]

While I won't criticize the Bosa selection, I am not completely sold on him adding the pass rush they are desperate for. That's one of the reason I said before I hope he plays at a natural ~269 and plays passing downs(~65% of snaps). Having him lose weight to play OLB or gain weight up to ~291+ to be an everydown 3-4 DE so that he can play 80+% of snaps would lessen the likelyhood he gets double digit sacks..... and that's why they drafted him.

If they drafted Bosa primarily to get sacks, IMO they made a mistake. IMO they need him to add weight and play traditional 3-4 DE, at least for the majority of his snaps. He was a better run defender than pass rusher in college. Why would any team draft him and move him away from his strengths? Besides, if he is getting push from the DE spot, that should make things a bit easier for Liuget, Attaochu, and Ingram, and thus it should help the pass rush.

Aside from that and back to Telesco. The position group he has done the poorest job with is DL. He has been there for four offseasons now, and he has signed just one impact DL (Mebane, we hope). But he has only used 3 of 28 draft picks on DL, with Bosa being the only one before the 5th round. So it isn't surprising that the Chargers have had poor DL play throughout Telesco's tenure.

This was my other issue with his draft this year. To draft a backup ILB in the 4th when NT/DT Billings was available is one of the worst decisions Telesco has made with the Chargers, and that is saying something.

 

[BoltBacker]

If they drafted Bosa primarily to get sacks, IMO they made a mistake. IMO they need him to add weight and play traditional 3-4 DE, at least for the majority of his snaps. He was a better run defender than pass rusher in college. Why would any team draft him and move him away from his strengths? Besides, if he is getting push from the DE spot, that should make things a bit easier for Liuget, Attaochu, and Ingram, and thus it should help the pass rush.

Aside from that and back to Telesco. The position group he has done the poorest job with is DL. He has been there for four offseasons now, and he has signed just one impact DL (Mebane, we hope). But he has only used 3 of 28 draft picks on DL, with Bosa being the only one before the 5th round. So it isn't surprising that the Chargers have had poor DL play throughout Telesco's tenure.

This was my other issue with his draft this year. To draft a backup ILB in the 4th when NT/DT Billings was available is one of the worst decisions Telesco has made with the Chargers, and that is saying something.

I agree that he CAN play the run, but they need his pass rushing skills more than anything imo. You can draft a 3-4 DE that defends the run well anytime you want. Even in bad years. They call those run-stopping specialists "two down players" but that's not even true. In the NFL passing defenders are two down players, run stoppers are one down players and short yardage specialists. Pass rushers are so much more valuable than run stoppers it's not even close. I was a little shocked they passed on Noah, although he has character concerns and Telesco seems to avoid bad character guys. But if you are winning 4 games with high character guys, then.......

If you really want to pull your hair out think about this. If Telesco would have passed on Mager last year they could have drafted a perfect 3-down 3-4 DE in Henry Anderson, and then of course this year as you mention they could have passed on Perry(who I actually think is a good prospect IF you don't have any of that type of player already) and instead drafted Billings they would have Bosa/Anderson/Liuget/Mebane/Billings on the DL. That might have made the SD DL the deepest and most talented unit on the entire team..... all for the price of giving up Mager/Perry. This ILB-run-stuffer obsession is killing the Chargers.... one draft after another.