If there is anything I’ve learned as a Charger fan it is that predicting their first round pick is a futile and useless exercise. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, bam – Larry English or Buster Davis.
One would think that there is a glaring hole that needs to be filled, say nose tackle or running back.
Smart money is on running back, of course, with the impending departure of Ladanian Tomlinson. The Chargers need a back that can create space for themselves. They love a back that can catch and run routes, but a north/south bruiser who can pick up tough yards and break for an occasional long run is something they have not had since Michael Turner.
Conversely Ron Rivera scrambled after Jamal Williams went down, and while he should be back from IR this year, the need to address the most critical role in the Chargers 3-4 defense is clear. The Chargers had players who admirably stepped in to platoon at the position, but that was patch work at best, not lasting solution. Williams won’t play forever and players like him don’ t grow on trees. That said, he was not a first round pick. He was picked up in the 2nd round of the supplemental draft.
Think they won’t gamble on a later round pick for such a glaring need? The Chargers entered the draft with no starting right guard last year when Mike Goff was not re-signed. They waited until the third round to fill that need. That’s a bit misleading because he was their second pick of the draft (they didn’t have a 2nd round selection last year), but still they didn’t trade up or use a first round selection for such a glaring need.
The Chargers also started the draft minus a defensive end, when Igor Olshansky walked. So what did they do? They picked an athlete who was new to American football.
I’m not second guessing A.J. Smith at all. The job he did last year, finding bodies to fill holes among the wreckage of injuries, was masterful. It’s not talked about nearly enough. Look at the NT position alone . If far too early to know how good the 2009 draft was for the Chargers. The Louis Vasquez pick looks brilliant. So does Kevin Ellison. All I’m saying is that if someone tells you they know who the Chargers are going to pick number one? They don’t know nothin’.
