Chargers 2012 Draft Thread
 

Discuss the Chargers upcoming draft.

#18
 

I am hoping one of the top Tackles drop to #18 (Looks like Martin & Adams might), I would feel better about covering Rivers' backside with a stud than with Gaither, who was playing for his livelihood. If AJ pays him, he will become ordinary, its why Newsome never paid him.

The two edge rushers (Ingram and Upshaw) prolly won't be there.

AJ could always surprise with his belived Corner in the first, as Dre Kirkpatrick could fall, and you gotta love his size and pedigree.

You guys in the hunt for a Center or do you think Hardwick is coming back?

Hardwick & Dielman are both back.

With all of the holes that we have, BPA makes good sense.

Personally, I want to see us draft heavy again on defense, regardless of what happens with Jackson.

I'm working on a pre-Combine cluster & will post in the next few days.

IIII findddd youuuu!!! haha

Well, due to having to much work to do on the farm, didn't get a pre-Combine cluster done.

Guess it will have to be post-Combine now.

Chargers draft needs.
 

With the 18th pick. The San Diego Chargers select KEVIN ZEITLER, OG, WISCONSIN.

Zeitler is a manimal and will bring the pain on a unsuspecting LB.
Just look at his in game highlights. Plus I love Wisconsin running game which would be awesome for Matthews.

I'd be happy with a OG or a OLB with the 1st pick

So no chance for a WR(Michael Floyd) now with the recent Meachem signing? He's exactly the type of WR's they like to draft, and I honestly don't see a #1 WR on that roster.

A OLB or DE are also possible picks IMO, Mercilus or Brockers/Cox would fit as well.

Just posted in AntoineCD's mock thread.

AJ isn't taking anything on the offensive side of the ball, I am almost for certain about that.

I really think he's targeting Mercilus and Ingram as far as pass rushers, and I could also see him having a hard on for Poe/Cox/Brockers. Our d front is where its at.


On the offensive side, Gaither/Green/Hardwick/Vasquez/Clary looked like the best starting 5 we've had in years. They meshed well, only allowing 1 single sack from when Gaither stepped in, and there was actually a tad bid of running room for RM. I would THINK about DeCastro if he was there @18, but I honestly don't think AJ would do it unless the pass rushers and 34big boys were completely picked over.

Get yer butt back to smm. :banana:

Nick Perry!
 

I Think the fact his former coach is on our staff now will tell us if they thinki he can turn into a Monster pss rusher...so I am hoping we take him at #18, thus improving our secondary immediately as well!

If Barron was available at #18 that would be his only competition.

2012 cluster - 6/round, 7 in the 1st - added Barron for AJ jic. No particular order of preference.


Round 1 - Pick #18
David DeCastro
Luke Kuechly
Donta Hightower
Fletcher Cox
Dre Kirkpatrick
Courtney Upshaw
Mark Barron (this one is for AJ, not me)

Round Two - Pick #49
Harrison Smith
Kendall Reyes
Dwight Allen
Stephon Gilmore
LaVonte David
Andre Branch

3rd Round - Pick #78
Josh Chapman
Kevin Zeitler
Jonathan Massaquoi
Chandler Jones
Stephen Hill
Brandon Thompson

4th Round - Pick #110
Juron Criner
Ronnell Lewis
Chase Minnifield
Isaiah Pead
LaDarius Green
Brandon Mosley

5th Round - Pick #150
Akiem Hicks
Audie Cole
Terrance Ganaway
Levy Adcock
Marvin Jones
Bruce Irvin

6th Round - Pick #183
Jake Bequette
Adrian Hamilton
Dwight Jones
Brandon Marshall
James Hannah
Lucas Nix

7th Round - Pick #226
Cordarrow Law
Brian Quick
Micah Pellerin
Nicolas Jean-Baptiste
Donnie Fletcher
Ryan Steed

7th Round Comp (250), UDFA's
Brett Roy
Coty Sensabaugh
Tank Carder
Eddie Whitley
Duke Ihenacho
Hebron Fangupo
Rokevious Watkins
Jarrett Boykin
Josh Oglesby
Blake DeChristopher
Tim Fugger
Dale Moss
Rico Wallace
Chris Greenwood

Shea McClellin and Harrison Smith will be the guys targeted. Some maneuvering might be required. The team drooled over them at the Senior Bowl and they both meet the "AJ just watched 'Rudy' again" reach factor.

Just kill me now. :lynched:

Called Ingram to Chargers in mock submitted for contest here.

I like the pick a LOT. Upshaw but quicker.

Hooray Ingram, what a steal, love love love it. You really get the sense AJ had to fight his nature of trying to outsmart the NFL and went with the really obvious, awesome pick. Everything else in this draft is gravy.

Really like Kendall Reyes for us. He's a stud and we've assembled a nice DL rotation with 4 promising young guys. Hopefully competition for Liuget makes him better.

Also obviously Ingram was the right pick but I would prefer he drop some weight if he's to be a full time OLB.

The thing I really like about this draft, is that in reality the needs that wasn't addressed this year, was addressed last year. We needed a play-making WR, back-up running back, depth and competition on the o-line and TE positions, depth at d-line, pass rush, depth at linebacker, depth and competition at cornerback and a starter at safety.

In this draft we got o-line depth (Troutman and Molk), d-line competition (Reyes), pass rush (Ingram FTW), a possible starter at safety and good value backups at TE and RB. I really don't think we could have done any better.

But adding to that, last year we picked Corey Liuget, who was forced into action a little bit too much last year. We also got Marcus Ghilchrist, who was in a similar situation. They should be able to take the next step and Ghilchrist should compete for a starting job in training camp. Then we have Jonas Mouton, who despite everything was a 2nd round pick at a position where we really need a young, talented player to come in and spell Takeo Spikes. I'm hoping he can make me forget us passing on Mason Foster and Kelvin Sheppard. Finally AJ drafted Vincent Brown, who I think we all saw can play, and Shareece Wright, adding depth at cornerback.

When you look at the Chargers roster, there should be no doubt that it is way better than going into last year, at least the depth is on a whole different level. There are also a lot of question marks: Can we get by without having that #1 guy in our solid receiving core? Gates, V. Brown, Meachem and Floyd all have that potential, but they must overcome either injury or production issues. Will the o-line hold up like it did last December? Can we avoid injuries to Gates and Mathews? Will anybody besides Weddle step up on defense this year?

However, every team has these kinds of questions, and I think AJ over the last two off-seasons has done a good job answering them. Now its time to show up on the field and win games.

FWIW, I called 3 of the first 4 picks to us .... Ingram, Reyes, & Green.

Good job this year by our scouts & FO.

Happy with everything except Taylor. Would have rather of seen Chapman or Ta'amu then grab someone like Iloka or Martin in the 5th

I agree with most, except I really do believe Floyd is #1 material, its just a matter of staying healthy. He makes freakish grabs, has speed to stretch and obviously has that height/leaping ability. He just gets hurt at the thought of pads clacking.

I agree, what I tried to write was that I think we have four targets who can step up and be a # 1 guy. Gates has obviously been that target before, and he could be it again. You are correct about Floyd, while Meachem certainly has the tools to be a #1. However, he hasn't produced much in New Orleans, and it remains to be seen whether that was because of a crowded and very talented receiving corps, or because he just wasn't good enough. Finally Vincent Brown showed some MAJOR playmaking ability last year, but lack of speed and height might limit him to be a solid nr. 2.

One thing that has to be said is that AJ Smith actually have been drafting pretty well since 2009. Larry English obviously has disappointed, but other than that most players chosen have gone on to show some ability to at least be solid backups. I think the underwhelming season this year was due to the 06-08 drafts being pretty much lost (Eric Weddle the exception), but just looking at the roster it actually looks ready to break out this year. Tyronne Green, Vincent Brown, Ryan Mathews, Jared Gaither, Vaughn Martin, Cam Thomas, Donald Butler, Ghilchrist, Corey Liuget and Jonas Mouton should all take a step this year, while veterans like Shaun Phillips and Quinton Jammer certainly can't play much worse without losing their starting jobs.

Meachem will produce with Rivers throwing him the ball. Green is also going to provide another big target with exceptional speed for a TE.

Our passing game,provided they can keep Rivers upright & relatively unhurried, is the least of my worries. Far more concerned about secondary & OL.

Vincent Brown has shown some great abilities I'm not too worried about our WR core right now.

Draft wise I loved our draft especially the Ingram pick, is it August yet?