During the Draft Last year
www.chargersauthorizedshops.com , I wrote about how Tom Telesco’s patience paid off. This year, it was a tad
different. There were surprises, arguments, challenges, and when it was all said
and done, the Chargers still walked away from draft weekend with the potential
to have every draft pick contribute. Like last year, I wasn’t there, but it sure
felt like it. Let’s recap.Thursday pre-draftFor the second year in a row I wrote
about the rumors I was hearing. For the second year in a row I mentioned the
player they coveted. Last year there was a change of heart with Garrett Bolles.
This year?The team had no idea that Derwin James would fall to them at 17. In
that article I mentioned the Chargers had narrowed it down to five players.
Three defensive tackles, a linebacker, and James. The linebacker was Rashaan
Evans, who they ended up passing on. The defensive tackles were, in order, Taven
Bryan, Vita Vea, and Da’Ron Payne.At about 1 pm the team went through several
mock simulations, trying to figure out who could possibly fall to them. There
wasn’t one that ended up with James at 17. They were dead set on taking Bryan,
even if each of the tackles and Evans were available. I made a damn video
breaking down Bryan. That’s how much of a sure thing Bryan was supposed to be at
17.On the clock at 17Roquan Smith was number one on their board. Odds of Smith
falling to 17 were about as good as you or I winning the lottery. Slimmer than
slim. If Minkah Fitzpatrick slid
Los Angeles Chargers Womens T-Shirt , the team supposedly was interested in going up and getting him. Fitzpatrick did just that. Four quarterbacks going in
the top 10 pushed him down. Fitzpatrick ended up going to the Dolphins at pick
11. If he would’ve fell to 15, things would’ve gotten very interesting. The next
two picks saw two more of the Chargers targets go off the board. Yet, James
remained. Atalent like James surely wouldn’t fall out of the top 15, no matter
how many quarterbacks went early, right? Wrong. The Raiders, like only they
could do, reached on an offensive tackle that was supposed to go more towards
the end of the second round.Now, all of the sudden, a new name surfaces. Sitting
at pick 16, the Chargers were staring the uber-athletic Tremaine Edmunds in the
face. Another player they had no clue would fall to them. I was told Edmunds was
going to be the pick at 17 had he been there. As the team thought Edmunds would
fall into their laps, Buffalo traded up for the second time in the 1st round.
Like that, Edmunds was a figment of their imagination. In a matter of 7 minutes
the shift focused back to James and Bryan. The room was split. Even with James
higher on the board, there were a handful of members in the room that still
coveted the high-upside Bryan.James was the pick.Bryan kept sliding. The
Chargers really, really wanted him. In NFL circles it was known that the Jaguars
were going to go defensive tackle. Just because they have some contracts coming
up they won’t be able to afford. If Bryan got past the Jaguars, the Chargers had
a deal in place with the Patriots to move up and go get Bryan. I’m not sure what
the compensation would’ve been, but that tells you how much they liked him. Even
getting a superb talent in Derwin, they didn’t want to walk away without Bryan.
The Jaguars ended up with Bryan and no deal was made.Feisty FridayReal life got
in the way Friday so I apologize I couldn’t get a rumors article out.What I
found out Friday is that all it takes is one. Telesco wants everyone to be on
board with the pick. If not
Los Angeles Chargers Hats , they won’t take him. The team felt like the depth at defensive tackle was enough to where they could get another second level
defender on defense and still be able to snag a quality defensive tackle in the
third round. The first name that was mentioned to me after the first round was
Malik Jefferson out of Texas. The team was zoned in on him. Jefferson is an
explosive athlete at the linebacker position. His issue is he doesn’t play as
fast as he tested. As the Chargers were on the clock they all but had him
selected. Then, things got testy. The Chargers linebackers coach didn’t want
him. He refused to give Jefferson his stamp of approval. Things got heated. The
Chargers ended up passing on Jefferson. I agree with the coach, and it would
appear that the rest of the NFL did as well. Jefferson ended up falling to the
14th pick of the third round.The Chargers ended up going with a versatile
linebacker in Uchenna Nwosu. Nwosu isn’t the explosive athlete Jefferson is, but
he can play multiple positions and he allows you to get mismatches inside with
Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. Nwosu does a good job of getting his hands in
passing lanes and swatting away passes, as evidenced by his 13 passes defensed
last year. It came down to Nwosu and Georgia’s Lorenzo Carter, who is also a
player that can play multiple spots. Nwosu is the better football player now.
Carter being the higher upside. Between Nwosu, Carter, and Jefferson, the
Chargers made the correct pick. Like Jefferson, Carter fell to the 3rd
round.Leading up to the third roundThe team needed help at defensive tackle with
Corey Liuget being suspended for four games. The team was eyeing a few defensive
tackles at their pick. B.J. Hill out of North Carolina State, Derrick Nnandi out
of Florida state, and Harrison Phillips out of Stanford. There was a surprise
pick, however. If Oregon’s running back Royce Freeman was on the board, he
would’ve been the pick. The team doesn’t want to be handcuffed to Melvin Gordon
next year and would be able to let him walk with a back like Freeman on the
roster.With the fifth pick in the 3rd round, the Giants selected Hill. Two picks
later Freeman was selected by the Broncos. There goes the Chargers two top
targets. Four picks later the Chiefs traded up for Nnandi. Two targets gone to
two division foes.On the clock in the 3rd round I thought Phillips would be the
pick. I was wrong. Like James and Nwosu before him, the versatility theme
continued. The team selected Justin Jones as they feel like he can play both
defensive tackle spots, unlike Phillips. Jones has the flashes
Los Angeles Chargers Womens Hoodie , strength and energy they really look for at the position. So he was the pick.On the clock in the 4th roundOffensive
coordinator Ken Whisenhunt was shut out the first two days of the draft. That
was going to change on Saturday or he might’ve given Telesco the stink eye for
the rest of the offseason. The Chargers still didn’t have that “weak-side run
and chase linebacker”, though. They liked Oregon’s offensive tackle Tyrell
Crosby. It came down to him or Kyzier White, a hybrid safety linebacker out of
West Virginia. Crosby had concussion issues and you’re no help if you can’t stay
on the field. The team ended up going with White, a big-time hitter from the
Mountaineers. White can play, and likely help them immediately.Whisenhunt wasn’t
left out to dry as the Chargers selected offensive players with their final
three picks. An offensive lineman from UCLA that is insurance in the event Mike
Pouncey or one of the guards aren’t healthy. A sneaky fast wide receiver that
might see some snaps at H-back. As well as running back that a lot of draft
folks are very, very high on. One thing that jumps out right away with Justin
Jackson, he can make you miss. If last years draft was about the decision
makers, this draft had more influence by the coaches. Not everyone agreed on
each pick, even the first pick. They might not have gotten who they wanted in
the second round, but that was a blessing in disguise. Getting depth and players
who can contribute in some way for early the rest of the draft has to make the
team very happy. The goal was to get faster on defense while getting more
athletic and versatile. They did just that. They also got insurance at some
positions where they’ve suffered injuries. For the second year in a row,
everything went to plan for Telesco and the Chargers.Los Angeles Chargers Daily
Links: Is Derwin James the Next Kam Chancellor? Philip Rivers' offseason job?
Playcaller for son's football team - Eric Williams"It's special," Philip said,
when asked about coaching Gunner. "Still to this day -- and thankfully I've had
a lot of fun games and highlights, won a lot of games and lost some, too, on the
biggest stages in pro and college -- but some of my most favorite memories are
still playing high school football for my dad.Ranking likeliest new NFL playoff
teams and which team each would replace - NFL NationThe Chargers won nine of
their last 12 games in 2017 and barely missed the playoffs. And with the three
other teams in the AFC West dealing with different levels of transition, Los
Angeles has the most continuity returning on its roster and the coaching staff.
The only starters the Chargers lost in free agency are safety Tre Boston and
guard Kenny Wiggins. And they return the top decision-makers on the team's
coaching staff
Womens Customized Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys , with offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley reaching new
deals this offseason.Man vs Zone – who ran each coverage scheme the most in
2017? - Gordon McGuinnessBroadly, Cover-0, Cover-1 and Cover-2-man are
considered man-coverage schemes, while Cover-2, Cover-3, Cover-4 and Cover-6 are
more zone schemes. There are of course variances and also coverages in which
change in the redzone and near the goal line. For sake of this article, we will
focus on those broad buckets – man versus zone.The NFL's prototypical defensive
backs for each secondary position - John KoskoUp-and-Coming: Derwin James (if he
continues to show the type of play he did at fsu)AFC Notes: Ravens, Jackson,
Chargers, Sturgis, Patriots, Rowe - Andrew OrtenbergThe Chargers likely would’ve
been a playoff team last year if not for their shaky kicking situation. As soon
as the season ended, the team made aggressive moves to upgrade the position.
They brought in former Buccaneers second round pick Roberto Aguayo and former
Eagles kicker Caleb Sturgis to compete for the job.Social Media Information:BFTB
Facebook Page: Click here to like our pageBFTB Twitter: Follow @BFTB_ChargersThe
Lightning Round Twitter: Follow @Lightning_RoundThe Lightning Round Facebook:
Click here to like our pageBFTB Manager: Richard Wade: Follow @RichardWade
