By Steve Adler 

As we roll into the 2010 season I am cautiously optimistic about this Chargers team.  Although I feel I am the only blogger that is not madly in love with AJ Smith and the way he conducts his business, there is no denying that this Chargers team is the most talented team in the AFC West…again.

In three seasons with Norv Turner at the helm the team is going into the same position in 2010 as it was when Norv took over in 2007, entering the season after a playoff loss to the Jets.  The difference?  Unlike his predecessor, Norv was given a contract extension.  Who says that it doesn’t pay to be a “yes” man?

Enough about my displeasure with AJ and Norv, let’s talk about the guys that strap on the gear.

Things I love about the 2010 Chargers

Philip Rivers – Unlike some people that believe he can walk on water, I simply think he is a very good QB with the potential to be great.  The down side (outside of his amazing ability to throw the ball a foot higher than his receiver) is the diminishing talent around him.  This is the weakest OL he has had since becoming the starter and this wide receiver group is unproven to say the least.  The argument has been made that Philip makes receivers, receivers do not make Philip.  I do not buy into that, but we will soon find out.

Antonio Gates – What is not to love about Gates?  Coming off his most productive season in 2010, Gates is the best tight end in football.  Without VJ on the field, Gates will get a lot more attention and Rivers will have smaller windows to throw into.  With that said, Gates is world class and I cannot wait to see him play.

Ryan Mathews – I do have concerns about Mathews.  First, will he be able to stay healthy?  He was banged up in college and guys tend to hit much harder in the NFL.  Second, will he have anywhere to run?  The OL looked great in the exhibition games, but will that translate into the regular season.  I think week two vs. the Jaguars will speak volumes.

Quinton Jammer – The most underrated corner in the league.  Jammer is amazing in every facet with the exception of being able to catch the ball.  Jammer enables defensive coordinator Ron Rivera to be more aggressive with blitzes and Jammer tackles like a linebacker.

Chargers Fans – The fans are pumped and ready for another playoff run.  It is exciting to see the enthusiasm and it gets me fired up to talk about the team.  Football is a game of drama and passion and the fans show that in many ways.

This I hate about the 2010 Chargers

The Chargers OL – McNeil will miss at least the first three games and could sit out the entire season.  Hardwick is fantastic…when he is not hurt.  Vasquez is great in pass protection but appears lost on run plays.  Dielman is nasty and a great guy to run behind, hopefully he can keep his emotions in check.  Clary…in my dreams I hear “false start number 66”.  This OL has shown the ability to pass protect, but with McNeil out, look for teams to expose that.  Many people want to blame LT for the teams inability to run last season, but none of the Chargers HBs were able to run.  Week two should set the tone.

Chargers wide receivers – With Vincent Jackson presumably lost for the season this WR group is a bunch of no names.  Malcom Floyd showed flashes last season, but he is also a guy that has trouble staying healthy.  Nanee only caught 24 passes last season, Crayton was about to get cut by the Cowboys and Craig Davis is the worst of all three rolled into one.

Chargers first half schedule – The Chargers should start 6-0, will they?  I would not put my money on it, for one simple reason.  I feel like they should start fast every year and they do not!  The first half is too easy, if this Chargers team is 4-2 or 3-3 people will start to FREAK OUT!  Which leads me to #4

AFC West – If you are not progressing you are regressing.  At this point I cannot say the Chargers are a better team than they were in 2009, or 2008, or 2007 for that matter.  I can say that every team in the division is better than they were last season.  None of them are playoff teams, but they are better.  I think that the AFC West has allowed the Chargers to be complacent because getting into the tournament is always AJ’s focus.  Plenty of other teams in the AFC could have won this division the last three seasons as well.

Front office decisions – VJ and McNeil are great examples.  Three years ago this team was cluttered with All Pro players, now we have a few all pros, a string of bad draft classes and a bunch of me me me guys.  AJ’s inability to bring in an impact veteran in areas of need is now hurting the team.  The Chargers depth of years past has evaporated.  To ask fans to shell out hundreds of dollars to watch a game when you are not fielding the best team you possibly can is a damn shame.

Side Notes:

Shawne Merriman – I would like nothing more than to see Shawne Merriman go off this season.  He is the key to the Chargers pass rush and if he is able to command double teams and get to the QB this could be a special season for the Bolts.

Eric Weddle – I think Weddle is a nice player, but that is about it.  I hope he turns into John Lynch like people want him to be, but I just do not feel he is that guy.

Injuries – I shake my head when I think about Castillo and Hardwick.  We may have to start a poll about which one gets injured first.  After last season’s injury issues with the OL why was this not addressed?

Stephen Cooper – This is a big season for Cooper, because he was not the same player last season and disappeared in some games.  He needs to assert himself again and become a tackle machine.

Shaun Phillips – In the words of SP95 himself, “You don’t need to like me, I’m famous”.  I think that about sums it up.

With that said I see the Chargers cruising through the AFC West with a 10-6 record, winning the wild card game at Qualcomm only to lose in the second round on the road.

http://highboltage.com/ 

By Eric Howard 

Seattle head coach Pete Carroll is used to being the one with the high powered offense and the ball hawking defense when he coached at USC.  Well, he is likely to get a taste of his own medicine when the Chargers head on the road on Sunday to face the Seahawks.

By Sunday evening, Carroll may wish he had stayed in the college game after he gets a front row look at what a high powered NFL offense looks like.  For all of the criticism Norv Turner gets, some justified, he has had much more professional success then the “genius” from Southern Cal.

San Diego looked very impressive on both offense and defense, manhandling Jacksonville last week, while the Seahawks looked pretty pathetic and were completely dismantled by Denver.

Chargers on offense

The Chargers will exploit the size advantage they have over the all under six-foot defensive backs of the Seahawks.  Malcom Floyd will have at least a six-inch height advantage over either of the starting Seattle cornerbacks.  We will surely see plenty of Philip Rivers to the 6 foot, 5 inch Floyd and to the 6 foot, 3 inch Legedu Naanee.

You just have to think there is no way tight end Antonio Gates will be left alone by the defense like he was last week.  Gates was open all over the field against the Jags.  If the Seahawks do not put two guys on Gates, especially on third down, it’s going to be a long day for Seattle fans.

Even if Ryan Mathews is not healthy enough to go on Sunday, the Chargers running duties seem to be pretty safe in the hands of Mike Tolbert.  The human bowling ball crashed through the Jacksonville defense last week for 82 yards and two touchdowns.

The running backs should be involved more in the passing game on Sunday.  Seattle has not shown the ability to stop backs from catching the ball and gaining big yards.  Darren Sproles could be big on Sunday.

Chargers on defense

San Diego got after David Garrard last week and made a pretty respectable quarterback look horrible.  Expect much of the same this week against the Seahawks.  Though they only had two sacks last week, they did put enough pressure on the quarterback to force him into bad decisions.

Cornerback Antoine Cason took advantage of Garrard’s errant throws and had a career day last Sunday, recording two interceptions and a forced fumble.  Cason and Quentin Jammer have another favorable match up this week.  None of the Seattle receivers are anything spectacular.

The Line backing group had a big day last week and will likely do the same this week to Seattle’s quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.  Brandon Siler, filling in for the injured Stephen Cooper, contributed with an interception as did Kevin Burnett.

Seattle’s offense is pretty comparable to Jacksonville’s maybe, maybe a little less effective then the Jags.  So, another huge day by the Chargers defense seems likely.

Seahawks on offense

There is just not a lot going on with the Seahawk offense.  They are not only lacking an identity on offense, they are lacking skill as well.

After a three interception game against the Broncos last week, there were rumblings in the Pacific Northwest about sitting starting quarterback Hasselbeck in favor of former Charger Charlie Whitehurst.  Hasselbeck will remain the starter for now, but as appears to be the trend in the NFL, coaches are not opposed to yanking unproductive quarterbacks in favor of their second stringer.

The biggest threat on offense is tight end John Carlson, who leads the team with eight receptions and 84 yards.  The rest of the receiving corps are just average, at best.  Golden Tate, a rookie wide receiver from Notre Dame, was spectacular in college and showed some flashes last week.  He caught a 52-yard touchdown pass and impressed on punt returns.  Tate will test the shaky Chargers special teams.

Seattle just hasn’t featured the running game yet this season.  Justin Forsett is averaging almost six yards per carry this season, but can’t get a fulltime load of work.  He has been sharing carries with Julius Jones and Leon Washington, neither of whom are lighting the world on fire, averaging just a little over fire yards per carry…COMBINED.

Seahawks on defense

Linebacker Lofa Tatupu is still one of the upper echelon defenders in the league and is the clear leader of a Seattle defense that has been very stingy against the run early this season.

After two games into the regular season, the Seahawks rank 5th in the NFL against the rush.  And it’s not like they have faced a couple of slouches.  They limited San Francisco’s Frank Gore to a measly 38 yards (2.2 yards per carry) in week one and Denver’s Knowshon Moreno to only 51 yards (2.1 YPC) in week two.

Concentrating on stop Moreno last week made them susceptible to the Broncos passing game last week.  Kyle Orton torched them for more than 300 yards last week.  

Rookie safety Earl Thomas leads the Seahawks in tackles.  In fact, four of the top five tacklers on the Seahawks are defensive backs.  Sure, the DB’s are helping with run stopping, but in last week’s game, they were making tackles several yards down the field.

Prediction

The San Diego air show will take over Seattle.  The Chargers have way too much on both sides of the ball for the Seahawks to handle.  Floyd and Naanee are just too big and too strong and the short passing game to the running backs will take the place of a traditional running game if the Seahawks try to stack the line of scrimmage.

Hasselbeck will be pressured from start to end and a Whitehurst sighting is not entirely out of the question.

This will be an easy winner for the Bolts.

Chargers-27

Seahawks-13

http://www.highboltage.com 

By Kyle Wadford

The San Diego Chargers, with the number 1 offense in the NFL, came into Oakland looking to keep the unheard of streak of 13 straight victories (7 years) over the Raiders alive. Very early in the game the Raiders showed no signs of allowing the arch nemesis take them out in front of their home crowd. The Raiders jumped on the board early in the game with the help of there special teams, 2 blocked punts gave the Raiders 9 points.  The Raiders also forced 3 fumbles, one on the 1 yard line, the other on the 19 yard line, and the last with 1 minute to go in the game, was knocked out of Rivers hand and returned for a back-breaking touchdown. which would prove to be the “nail in the coffin” putting the raiders up 27-35.

The San Diego Chargers looking to take the continued dominance over the Raiders to 14 straight games  could only sit back and shake there heads and they, yet again, shoot themselves in the foot away from San Diego, now 0-3 on the road, 2-0 at home. Philip Rivers seemed to have been on a different level than the other Chargers as he tried to will the Bolts to a comeback victory. A faltering offensive line, failing special teams and costly turnovers helped the Chargers trip over there own feet.

Philip Rivers (21/42-431 yrds-2 tds- 2fumbles) had a heck of a day throwing for well over 400 yrds for the 3rd time this year. Rivers did what he does on a consistante basis in keeping the Chargers in the game late.

Running Backs- Ryan Mathews (9/59) had a long of 17 yards and an average of 6.6 ypc with no fumbles and no td’s. Mike Tolbert (12/11) had a lost fumble on the 1 yard line, and a touchdown.

Wide Receivers – Malcom Floyd (8/231) had a huge coming out party for the Chargers today with an average of 26.6 ypc, a touchdown and a long of 55 yards. Antonio Gates (5/92) had his typical day with 18.4 ypc, a long of 22 yards and Gates also scored a touchdown.

Offensive line – The offensive line had a hard days work with the Raiders on the other side of the ball, allowing 3 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, and 2 QB hits. The line couldn’t open any running holes for our running backs. Even allowing a defender to get enough pressure on Rivers to get the ball knocked out of his hand and returned for a TD late in the game.

Defense

Defensive line – As a collective unit, our guys got beat up. Allowing 111 yards on 30 carries. The Raiders rb had 104 yards on 26 carries.  No sacks to speak of on behalf of the d-line.

Linebackers –  Burrnett had 5 tackles and 2 sacks on the day. Copper was the only other backer to register a sack, he had 1 sack and 3 tackles. Wilson registered 4 tackles. Phillips (3) and Merriman (2) had a quiet day, year even.

Secondary – The Chargers secondary did a great job the first half of the game shutting down the Raiders Gradkowski, but seemed to have an even harder time keeping the arm of Campell under wraps. The Chargers secondary allowed only 14 completions all day 168 yards and 1 td. Oliver had a solid day with 8 tackles. Weddle had 4. Jammer and Cason had 2 tackles each. No Raiders receiver had more than 62 yards receiving.

http://www.highboltage.com/ 

The Chargers struggled in the start of the 2010 season, nothing new to them. They started 2-5, but like they had in recent years, everyone expected them to be able to bounce back. They looked well on their way, winning 4 in a row, before losing to the Raiders and falling to 6-6. They won their next two games, but a loss to the lowly Bengals eliminated them week 16 and the Chiefs won the division with a record of 10-6.

Several things did them in. One was injuries. Vincent Jackson missed most of the season with various injuries, a holdout, and a suspension. Antonio Gates also missed 6 games with injuries. Malcom Floyd also was hurt, as was Legedu Naanee. Running back Ryan Mathews also missed time. That’s their top three receivers, their Pro-Bowl tight end, and their promising rookie running back all missing time with injury. How Philip Rivers was still able to lead the league in passing yards, I don’t know. He really cemented himself as one of the top 6 or 7 quarterbacks in the league with his performance last year.

However, injuries couldn’t have been the only thing that did them in. Even with their injuries, they ranked 1^st in total offense and 1^st in total defense. That’s how talented they are. So why did they go 9-7? For one thing, there was that slow start. However, the bigger problem was special teams. It seems like they allowed scores in every way possible last year.

Their final problem was luck. They had a point differential of plus 119. That suggests they should have had a much better record than 9-7. That type of thing typically balances itself out over the years and I think if they have a similar point differential, this year, they should have around 12 wins. Pittsburgh had a point differential of plus 143. They got 12 wins. Atlanta had plus 126. They got 13 wins.

On top of that, there are other reasons why I like San Diego in 2011. They don’t have a first place schedule. They will be healthier. Their special teams can’t possibly be worse and given the new kickoff rule, even if they were as bad this year, it might not matter. Kickoff recovery teams don’t matter as much now. They gave up 3 kickoff return touchdowns last year. They won’t do that this year, no matter what.

Finally, call me crazy, but I think last season was a wakeup call for this team. Every year, they were able to sleep walk early and still make the playoffs. Last year, they couldn’t. I think that was a wakeup call for this Norv Turner coached bunch. I still can’t pick them to go deep into the playoffs because Norv is their coach, but I don’t think he’ll let them sleepwalk this year. Neither will Philip Rivers, a feisty competitor who had to hate watching the playoffs from home.

Rivers will be helped out by better health in his receiving corps. If he can have an MVP type season throwing to guys like Patrick Crayton, Seyi Ajitotutu, and Randy McMichael, imagine what he can do with a full season of Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd, and Antonio Gates. Ryan Mathews will be back for them at running back. In his absence last year, Mike Tolbert stepped up big time. Mathews and Tolbert will both see action in the backfield this year.

The Chargers return all 5 starters on their offensive line, good for continuity’s sake, but I bet most Chargers fans wish they made one change. That change would have been at right tackle, where Jeromey Clary received a 4 year 20 million dollar deal in the offseason despite being terrible. Clary allowed 8 sacks and 38 pressures last side on the right side. They had young Brandyn Dombrowski waiting in the wings to take over, with rookie Steve Schilling brought in to compete for the starting right tackle job. However, they still decided to bring back Clary.

Aside from Clary, this is one of the better lines in the league. Excluding Clary, they allowed 26 sacks last year, all while being above average as run blockers. Left tackle Marcus McNeill is one of the better left tackles in the league. He didn’t play all year, but he did only allow 1 sack in 708 snaps. Center Nick Hardwick and left guard Kris Dielman are both above average, while right guard Louis Vasquez is decent with upside, as a 2009 3^rd round pick.

Philip Rivers has to be very pleased with all of their talent up front, as well as all their talent in the receiving corps. Rivers could be even better this season than he was last season when he threw for 4710 yards, averaged 8.7 yards per completion, completed 66% of his passes, and threw 30 touchdowns to 13 interceptions.

Defensively, they have almost as much talent as they do on the offensive end. After all, they did rank #1 in fewest yards allowed in addition to most yards of offense. Their strength is their defensive line and their pass rush, as is the strength of most good defenses. Antonio Garay was a revelation at nose tackle in their first season since cutting long time nose tackle Jamal Williams. Garay came out of nowhere to have 5.5 sacks, all while providing a strong force against the run.

Around him on their 3 man defensive line are Luis Castillo, an above average player, and Jacques Cesaire, a marginal player who should be leapfrogged by rookie first round pick Corey Liuget on the depth chart at some point this season. However, their top pass rusher is Shaun Phillips, who has effectively stepped up in Shawne Merriman’s absence in the past few years. He had 11 sacks last year from the 3-4 rush linebacker slot.

They are, however, struggling to find a consistent pass rusher opposite him. Larry English, a 2009 1^st round pick, was supposed to take the job in his 2^nd year. He failed to do so. Antwan Barnes and Antawn Applewhite both tried to become the consistent starter. Neither were able to prove themselves as such. Applewhite left as a free agent, while Barnes is listed as a backup.

Larry English, who is looking more and more like a bust each day, also is listed as a backup on the depth chart. Free agent acquisition Travis LaBoy will get the first crack at the starting job opposite Phillips. LaBoy has been a marginal player throughout his career. He had 5 sacks last season in San Francisco after being out of the league in 2009 and has never had more than 6.5 in a season. He rejoins former San Francisco defensive coordinator and new San Diego defensive coordinator Greg Manusky.

The Chargers underwent a makeover at the middle linebacker position. Their top 3 guys from last season, Kevin Burnett, Stephen Cooper, and Brandon Siler are all gone as free agents. To replace them, they signed Takeo Spikes from San Francisco, another one of Greg Manusky’s guys from San Francisco. 2010 3^rd round pick Donald Butler is expected to start next to him, though he’ll be pushed by James Holt, an inexperienced former undrafted free agent out of Kansas in 2009. Jonas Mouton could also push him, though the rookie 2^nd round pick was mostly brought in for special teams purposes. Same with Andrew Gachkar, a middle linebacker they drafted in the 7^th round.

When they traded Antonio Cromartie to the Jets last offseason, they didn’t miss a beat in the starting lineup as 2008 first round pick Antoine Cason stepped into Cromartie’s spot in the lineup opposite Quentin Jammer and played well. However, Cason moving from nickelback to the starting lineup did leave them with a hole at the nickel back position. Nickel corner Donald Strickland really struggled. For this reason, they drafted Marcus Gilchrist and Shareece Wright in the 2^nd and 3^rd rounds respectively this past April. The two will battle it out for the nickel back role.

Safety was a question going into the offseason. Strong safety was a position of weakness for them last year and if they let stud free safety Eric Weddle leave as a free agent, free safety would too become a position of weakness. Not only did they resign Weddle, albeit for more than he was worth, they signed strong safety Bob Sanders from Indianapolis.

Sanders was the defensive player of the year in 2006, but hasn’t been able to stay healthy since. He’s reportedly healthy now and while I don’t think he still has it in him to be a defensive player of the year caliber player anymore, he can still be a solid strong safety for them. If he gets hurt again, 2^nd year player Darrell Stuckey, a 4^th round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, would step into the lineup.

With better luck, better health, and better special teams, this team should be able to rise to the top of the AFC West once again. For once, I don’t expect them to have an early season slump. I think last year was the wakeup call they needed. I still don’t trust their coach enough to pick them to win a Super Bowl, but I really like this team once again in 2011.

Quarterback: A-

Running backs: B-

Receiving corps: A-

Offensive line: B+

Run defense: B+

Pass rush: A-

Pass coverage: B

Coaching: C-

Projection: 12-4 1^st in AFC West

Cornerback

The Chargers ranked 28^th against the pass in 2011. Quentin Jammer was pretty bad. The 33 year old could move to safety long term. Meanwhile, Antoine Cason wasn’t much better opposite him. They have Marcus Gilchrist, their 2^nd rounder last year, in the mix, but they’ll need one more cornerback.

Rush Linebacker

Their struggles against the pass are a bit of a chicken and the egg problem. Do they suck in coverage because they can’t get any pressure on the opposing quarterback or can they not get any pressure on the opposing quarterback because they suck in coverage? They should fix both of these problems this offseason. Antawn Barnes, a situational player, led the way with 11 sacks last year, but no one else had more than 4. Shaun Phillips, once a good pass rusher, had just 3.5 sacks in an injury plagued season. He turns 31 this offseason and is a declining player. Nick Perry will be considered at 18.

Offensive Tackle

Left tackle Marcus McNeill is expected to be a cap casualty after an injury plagued season. Right tackle Jeromey Clary was awful once more last season, allowing 7 sacks and 42 pressures, while committing 11 penalties. In McNeill’s absence, swing tackle Brandyn Dombrowski was awful, surrendering 6 sacks and 17 pressures, despite playing just 257 snaps. Extrapolated over 1000 snaps, that’s 24 sacks and 68 pressures. So yeah, he was pretty bad. He was so bad that they signed Jared Gaither, who had been waived from 3 teams in the last year because of back problems. The once elite left tackle was good on the left side down the stretch, but he’s a free agent and hardly a sure thing going forward with his injury history. They are expected to resign Gaither to play the left side and give Clary one more shot on the right side, but neither of them are sure things. They, at the very least, need a good swing tackle behind those two.

Guard

As you can tell, the offensive tackle position is in a bit of flux in San Diego. The guard position is as well, though not as much. Kris Dielman is one of the best interior offensive linemen in the league, but he’s considering retirement. That makes sense because he suffered seizures following a concussion this season. Health is most important. However, in his absence, Tyronne Green was pretty awful. They should select a couple versatile offensive linemen through the draft this April.

Running Back

The Chargers offense really missed Darren Sproles last season. Ryan Mathews broke out as the lead back, but they didn’t have a niche player like Sproles. 3^rd down back Mike Tolbert is a free agent so look for them to target a Sproles like player through the draft to play on 3^rd down for them and compliment Mathews, more of a two down player.

Wide Receiver

Vincent Jackson is a free agent. He’s expected back, which seemed unlikely 12 months ago, but he’ll need to be resigned. Even if he isn’t, they could still add another wide receiver to the mix. Malcom Floyd can’t stay healthy and while 2011 3^rd round pick Vincent Brown was solid at times, he’s still an unproven commodity.

Safety

They need another safety opposite Eric Weddle. Quinton Jammer could move to safety and be that player, but he’s no sure thing and even if he plays well, he’s still 33, so I think they need to add a safety either way.

Center

Nick Hardwick had another good season last year, but the 30 year old is a free agent and reportedly considered retirement. If he’s not back with the team, they’ll need a new center.

3-4 Defensive End

Luis Castillo is not expected back, so they’ll need to add depth behind starters Vaughn Martin and Corey Liuget.

Nose Tackle

Antonio Garay is a great player, but a 32 year old free agent. Cam Thomas was solid in limited action last season, but if Garay is not resigned, they might be best off adding another nose tackle to compete with and possibly split snaps with Thomas.

() FA Rank 

QB Billy Volek

RB Mike Tolbert

RB Darren Sproles

WR Vincent Jackson (#19)- Franchised 

He has character and attitude issues, but he had 1000+ yard seasons in 2008 and 2009 and was dominant in short bursts this season, in between injury and contract disputes.

WR Malcom Floyd

WR Legedu Naanee

TE Randy McMichael

TE Kris Wilson

OT Jeromey Clary

OT Brandyn Dombrowski

C Scott Mruczkowski

3-4 DE Jacques Cesaire

3-4 DE Travis Johnson

RLB Antawn Barnes

RLB Antawn Applewhite

RLB James Holt (exclusive rights)- tendered

MLB Kevin Burnett (#40)

A do everything linebacker, Burnett has settled into his role in the middle of San Diego’s 3-4 with 95 tackles, 6 sacks, and 2 picks last season.

MLB Stephen Cooper

MLB Brandon Siler

CB Dante Hughes

S Eric Weddle (#30)

S Paul Oliver

S Tyrone Carter

Offseason moves:

Signed Bob Sanders

Tendered James Holt

Franchised Vincent Jackson

Draft

3-4 DE Ronnie Cameron (Old Dominion)

S D.J. Campbell (California)

S Brandon Hardin (Oregon State)

MLB Dont’a Hightower (Alabama)

RLB Melvin Ingram (South Carolina)

RLB Ronnell Lewis (Oklahoma)

RLB Donavan Robinson (Jackson State)

FB Brad Smelley (Alabama)

MLB Bobby Wagner (Utah State)

S Tavon Wilson (Illinois)

18. 3-4 DE Corey Liuget C-

From now on, I’m figuring out what I think the Chargers will do and then mocking someone else. They never do what you think they’re going to do. Cameron Jordan would have been a perfect fit here at 18. I had it in my mock. He’s my best available by far at his position and fills a major need and many, many people agreed with me. Instead they reach for a prospect I don’t particularly like, especially in a 3-4.

50. S Marcus Gilchrist D

Marcus Gilchrist is a tweener and I don’t think he can start at either safety or cornerback in the NFL. Cornerback and safety depth were needed and Gilchrist can also return kicks, but he was way too big of a reach in the 2^nd round.

61. MLB Jonas Mouton F

This was the biggest reach of the draft and I don’t even think he fits the scheme. I don’t even care that he fills a need. This is an F. I will be very surprised if Mouton is anything other than a special teamer in his career.

82. WR Vincent Brown B

This one wasn’t as big of a reach as their first three. I like Brown more than most do and Malcom Floyd and Vincent Jackson are both not signed long term, so wide receiver is a need, but I think something like right tackle or rush linebacker was a bigger need for them and also Brown is a minor reach.

89. CB Shareece Wright C+

I guess this says where Gilchrist is playing. Wright provides necessary cornerback depth, but they could have gotten this later. They had bigger needs in the 3^rd round and Wright is a reach by at least a round.

183. RB Jordan Todman A

This was a really, really good pick. Todman had a 2^nd or 3^rd round value and they got him in the 6^th round. Darren Sproles is going to be too expensive to keep as a backup and Todman has speed and pass catching ability to compliment Ryan Matthews and Mike Tolbert.

201. G Steve Schilling B

Schilling fits the range, but they had much bigger needs than guard depth. They need someone to compete with Brandyn Dombrowski at right tackle. They need someone to compete with Larry English at rush linebacker.

234. MLB Andrew Gachzar C+

I didn’t have Gachzar in my top 300 and I don’t think he fits the scheme, but he was drafted to be only a special teamer, which is fine in the 7^th round. I think there were better players who could play special teams available, however.

Overall:

The Chargers can never draft well. Look at their first and second round picks in recent years. A lot of players who didn’t pan out. They had 5 picks in the first 3 rounds and they got a 3-4 end who I think will bust, a safety and a linebacker both of whom probably won’t be able to do anything, but play special teams, a depth cornerback and a depth wide receiver. Only the selection of Vincent Brown was one I liked. Getting a steal in Jordan Todman in the 6^th helps their draft grade, but they reached big time with 4 of their first 5 picks and they didn’t fill two of their biggest needs, rush linebacker, and right tackle. This draft probably only upgraded their special teams, which was a huge need, but they could have done so much more with this draft.

Grade: C-

Free Agency Priorities

Rush Linebacker

They didn’t address this position through the draft at all, which shows they aren’t ready to give up on 2009 1st round pick Larry English, who has been a bust to this point in his career. Given that, they probably won’t address this position in free agency, but they really should.

Right Tackle

They drafted Steve Schilling in the 6th round, a guard prospect, to play right tackle. Something tells me that won’t go well. They also have Brandyn Dombrowski at the position, but I think they need to add a true veteran starter through free agency.

Middle Linebacker

Their top 3 middle linebackers from last year are free agents. If all 3 leave, they’re left with 2010 3rd round pick Donald Butler and 2011 2nd round pick Jonas Mouton at the position, with very little depth. They need to at least resign 1 of the 3 or add a veteran in free agency.

Safety

Unless they resign Eric Weedle, easily the top safety on the market, they’re left with 2011 2nd round pick Marcus Gilchrist, the injury prone Bob Sanders, and Steve Gregory, who struggled last year. If they don’t resign, Weedle, they need to find some other free safety through free agency.

Draft Needs 

3-4 Defensive End

This team’s needed an upgrade at defensive end since Igor Olshansky left. Current starter Jacques Cesaire is a free agent and isn’t very good.

Drafted Corey Liuget (#18) 

Safety

They’ve needed an upgrade at safety opposite Eric Weddle for a while. Weddle himself is a free agent so if he leaves, they need two new starters.

Drafted Marcus Gilchrist (#50), Signed Bob Sanders

Rush Linebacker

The 18^th pick in the 2009 draft Larry English has not lived up to the hype at all. He didn’t even finish last year as a starter, losing his job to Antawn Applewhite, a marginal player. They could easily go rush linebacker this year at #18 with options like Akeem Ayers, Justin Houston, Ryan Kerrigan, Von Miller, and Aldon Smith available. 

Offensive Tackle

Jeromey Clary isn’t very good and he’s a free agent. They do like young Brandyn Dombrowski, but some competition could be added in the mid rounds.

Drafted Steve Schilling (#201) 

Cornerback

After their starters, this team doesn’t have a lot of corners depth.

Drafted Shareece Wright (#89) 

Wide Reciever

They are prepared to move forward without Vincent Jackson. However, if Malcom Floyd leaves as well, they’re very thin at the position.

Drafted Vincent Brown (#82) 

Middle Linebacker

Their top 3 middle linebackers are all free agents so if they don’t resign 2 of them or don’t feel comfortable with the ones they bring back, some depth could be added in the mid rounds.

Drafted Jonas Mouton (#61), Drafted Andrew Gachkar (#234) 

Running Back

Darren Sproles is likely gone as a free agent unless he takes a pay cut. They’ll need someone to do everything he does as a breakaway back, a 3^rd down back, and a return man.

Drafted Jordan Todman (#183)