Senior Bowl practice comment

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

Senior Bowl practice comment

Senior Bowl practice comment

Senior Bowl Game

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

Senior Bowl practice comment

C

2009 COLLEGE DRAFT REPORT CARD

by Jay Goldberg

The first three players chosen by San Diego were higher on their board than on mine.  In addition, for the second year in a row the Chargers went running back in the middle of the draft, and for the second year in a row I predict a swing and a miss.  When the Chargers selected both Turner and Sproles I said they were good picks (read below) so I wonder if A. J. Smith is trying to be too much of a know-it-all with his running back selections.  The Chargers did add one of my favorite and higher-rated college street free agents in linebacker Derry Beckwith.

DRAFT PICKS

I like Larry English's potential as a pass rusher, but (1) he is changing positions from defensive end, (2) he didn't play consistently against top competition at Northern Illinois; (3) he didn't jump out for me as mush as he did for some from what I saw during Senior Bowl week (although he showed promise); and (4) his workout numbers were okay but not top tier.  I had a second round grade on English.  With this very likely being both LT's and Sproles last years with the Chargers, Beanie Wells would have been my pick.  At 3-4 outside linebacker, I like the upside of Barwin better than English; I like the probability of success of Matthews better than English; and I it wouldn't surprise me if Veikune becomes a better NFL player than English.

I understand the Chargers selection of Vasquez one round ahead of where I had him graded.  He is a physical freak with great strength, quick feet and good athleticism.  He isn't there yet, but could develop into a top starter.  However, my top-rated guard Urbik was still available.  He doesn't have Vasquez' numbers, but gets it done on the field and will be a solid starter for years in the league.  Don't get me wrong, Vasquez could be better, but he could also be worse.

Martin is another tremendous physical specimen.  At 335 pounds, the kid ran a 5.07 forty and an eye-opening 4.31 short shuttle.  He is also very strong.  So he has size and strength to play the nose, and the speed and quickness to play end in the Chargers' 3-4 defense.  Having played college ball in Canada, this is all I know about the kid.  But sight unseen I gave him a fifth round grade just based on his workout.

In my opinion drafting Vasquez over Urbik meant that the Chargers had to back up their selection with Green.  Green is the opposite of Vasquez.  He is a technician and is better on the field than working out.  With a need at right guard, Green is more ready to start than Vasquez today, but will be best served long term as a quality backup.

I do not agree with the selection of Johnson in round five.  Here is a kid who looked very strong with decent speed on film.  But that was because of the competition he played against.  As a pure running back with toughness and quickness, the Chargers missed the boat by not drafting Ringer here.  If they wanted a player to share the load with Sproles down the line who could also get the tough yards inside now, I would have gone with Peerman over Johnson.  However, if I wanted the power-runner with decent speed that Johnson appears to be on film, I would have gone with strong safety here and running back Javarris Williams in round six.

Hughes went where I had him graded, he has very good speed and is a top athlete, but will need to add strength to so he can be a plus on special teams to make the team.  Personally, I liked Macho Harris at this spot more.

The way the draft unfolded, the Chargers selection of Ellison was fine.  He is one of the strongest safeties to ever enter the league, and if he was drafted by a 4-3 team, he could have been moved to SAM.  At safety his speed is suspect, at SAM his speed is okay.  However, I like the combination of Hamlin and Williams (see prior comment) better than Johnson and Ellison.

Bryd was well worth a seventh round pick.  He is relatively new to football, has excellent speed, and is still developing.  He is ideal for San Diego's development squad.

COLLEGE STREET FREE AGENTS

Beckwith was one of the best college street free agent signings by any team.  He is a better player on the field than workout warrior.  He is a heady player, who is a sure tackler and would fit nicely next to Cooper, allowing him to take some chances on making big plays.

Carr is a receiver with good size who was considered a late round prospect with potential until he had a poor week of practice at the Senior Bowl after being called on at the last minute as an injury replacement.  He's certainly worth looking at in camp.

Childs is a receiver with good hands and quickness.  While not a burner, Childs showed more speed running his forty (4.47) than expected.  He could find a spot on the Chargers' development squad.

Felder is a strong kid whose best NFL position will be inside in the 3-4 defense.  However, unless the Chargers move a player like Wilhelm, he will have a tough time making the club.

Gay has big frame but needs to get stronger.  He is another candidate for San Diego's development squad.

Holt is a very quick outside linebacker who may get a look at strong safety with San Diego.  If he beats the odds and sticks, he will be a very good special teams player.

Osaisai's chances of making the team are directly related to how he performs on special teams.  He is a good athlete, is a potential gunner and can also return kicks.

Sperry is a player I like more than many.  He is a natural athlete with good hands and quickness.  He is not much of a blocker at this point but has the frame to add bulk and strength.  Down the line he could be a contributor on offense as a pass catching tight end.

After the selection of Cason in round one, I didn't particularly like the Chargers' draft.  They also didn't add any players as college street free agents that made me say, "Wow".

DRAFT PICKS

Cason was an excellent pick in round one.  He has good size and quickness, is a good athlete, has enough speed, a nose for the ball and plays smart.  He will replace Florence as the nickel and, long term, be an upgrade.

Hester is a okay as a backup running back, and okay as a backup fullback.  I believe he was over-drafted in round three.  He is not as good a runner as Turner, and as a fullback, is more of a west coast fullback than a blocking back.  As Chrissie Hynde might say (sing), "Don't Get Me Wrong", he will be a valuable backup, but he will not be able to step in as a full time starter shout LT go down with an injury.  My pick here would have been Tashard Choice.  He is more Michael-Turner-like and could be a good NFL starter.

As a backup running back Thomas is more Jacob Hester than Michael Turner.  He does run hard and could be a good short-yardage and goal-line back.  If I were the Charger GM, I would have drafted Choice in round three and then grabbed defensive tackle Rubin here.  Rubin is a strong kid who I predict will develop into a great run-stuffer.  He would have apprenticed behind Williams and been the Chargers' best option should Williams, a key to their defense, missed any significant time.

Tribble looked intriguing on tape, but had a poor showing during Senior Bowl practices and followed that up with workout numbers that verified why he struggled in the post season.  Tribble does have good ball skills, so free safety could be his best NFL position.

The fact that Corey Clark had a nice workout was not surprising.  He has the rep of not playing up to his athletic ability.  As a seventh round pick he makes a lot of sense since the Chargers' coaching staff  can make a decision on whether or not he is worth developing, and if not, there is no major investment in him if he gets cut.  He has the physical skills, it will be interesting to see if he can be developed.

COLLEGE STREET FREE AGENTS

Pittman was a productive receiver at Texas but may not have the speed or quickness to transfer those skills to the NFL.

Bonner could be a surprise in camp.  He can play the run and the pass and will excel on special teams.  He also is a very good punt returner.  I look for him to grab one of the last spots since he can backup both safety spots and provide relief for Sproles in the return game should LT get injured.  Despite drafting Hester and Thomas, Sproles is the best backup running back on San Diego's roster.