2017 Official Draft Thread - Round 1

[X-man]

I honestly think the offense is patchwork right now. The oline needs significant improvement to be mediocre. Our WR's are ok to avg especially if Keenan goes down. We don't have a woody replacement on the roster either. Being a strong/deep defensive draft may be more incentive to take best Offensive prospects early and get defense later since there's depth.

I think the chargers offense is better then average but has been snake bitten with injuries (mainly Allen and woodhead) the past couple seasons...but couple that with backup rbs, tes, and onlineman going down and to me the chargers really haven't seen the best they have to offer on offense. Yet despite all that, Rivers has still thrived enough and made legitimate players out of Tyrell Williams, Inman, and other skilled position players.

One could argue that you could add depth any where on this team and that would be true...but the chargers have a QB who has shown he can get the best out of basically anybody lined up at the skills positions. Rivers, though, not being a very mobile Qb (and never really has been)... would seem to indicate that real need is for the OL is the best place to build up. Only thing is that this years crop of OL is generally regarded from a lot of experts as not being very strong. So to me it would be like trying to force a square shape in a rectangular hole...you need it to work...and it's close enough...but in then end, it isn't the best choice...but you did it out of need.

Become more run-oriented (here's where the new coach hopefully becomes really effective) and make Rivers feel like he doesn't have to put the team on his back all the time because of a shutdown dominant defense...and good things could still very much happen.

Even telesco admits this draft is more defensive talent laden then vice versa...so then he has to ask himself if he will draft for need or for BPA. If last year was any indication...then telesco will likely go BPA vs need (otherwise chargers would've likely gone for a Tunsil or Stanley vs ending up with the stud that Bosa became.) Of course it takes a lil luck (injury wise & scheme wise to see if the player you pick helps ascends your overall team...which it clearly did with most of the picks last year) but for it to continue this year imho I think telesco will have to do the same this year. At where chargers currently stand at #7...BPA should likely be a defensive player...but we will see if telesco really believed in his most recent statement come tomorrow. Draft is known as a crapshoot for a reason...so many things can end up making a team fall back on a contingency vs getting what they really had hoped for.

This team is seemingly a couple players away from becoming a dominant defense...injuries also hit them hard last year...but the unit as a whole still showed some very intriguinging promise. You hit on another Bosa-esque player on the Dl or add a stud S that helps the secondary become more shut down...and the chargers defense could really be something special imho.

[chargerkdb]

Can't win the Super Bowl having the most talented IR. Our RB position is one deep with a guy that almost had 1 1,000 yd season. We have 1.5 TE's. Our best offensive lineman was probably not in top 20 in league at his position. Our #1 WR looks great on sideline, the others show promise. I think we have a top 10 Defense now. Rivers is making Offense tick over but we aren't closing out games and he's starting season like MVP and forcing turnovers like Cutler down the stretch.

[X-man]

Can't win the Super Bowl having the most talented IR. Our RB position is one deep with a guy that almost had 1 1,000 yd season. We have 1.5 TE's. Our best offensive lineman was probably not in top 20 in league at his position. Our #1 WR looks great on sideline, the others show promise. I think we have a top 10 Defense now. Rivers is making Offense tick over but we aren't closing out games and he's starting season like MVP and forcing turnovers like Cutler down the stretch.

I concur about this team having a roster full of promising looking players but that end up getting hurt all too often...but while that can't be controlled by any team...a decent coach and his staff can put his players in better situations to succeed. Teams not being able to close is a big reflection on coaching as much as it is the players. Not to excuse players miscues, but Mike McCoy for better and worse just didn't have it (maybe he gets another chance down the road and learns from his mistakes ala Bill Belichick...or maybe not.)

Enter Anthony Lynn...who will be learning how to impose his own coaching style. Lynn talks a good game, but if we havent already learned that talk is cheap, we may never. Hopefully Lynn shows better in game management capabilities then MCCoy and that players respond better to him so that some of those would be losses end up becoming "W's" Lynn will be learning as he goes but his advantage over MCCoy is that he does have two former HCs to fall back on for advice. It's Lynn's job to learn from those two but be strong enough to incorporate his own style to hopefully breed a strong overall team. Only time will tell.

Dominant defense to me is top 3-5...ala Denver, who has had crappy QB and inconsistent oline play for the past two seasons... yet they were in every game. Make the chargers a top 3 dominant defense...and let rivers know he can fall back on his running game...and I'll say it again...imho, good things will happen.

[Attack]

I concur about this team having a roster full of promising looking players but that end up getting hurt all too often...but while that can't be controlled by any team...a decent coach and his staff can put his players in better situations to succeed. Teams not being able to close is a big reflection on coaching as much as it is the players. Not to excuse players miscues, but Mike McCoy for better and worse just didn't have it (maybe he gets another chance down the road and learns from his mistakes ala Bill Belichick...or maybe not.)

Enter Anthony Lynn...who will be learning how to impose his own coaching style. Lynn talks a good game, but if we havent already learned that talk is cheap, we may never. Hopefully Lynn shows better in game management capabilities then MCCoy and that players respond better to him so that some of those would be losses end up becoming "W's" Lynn will be learning as he goes but his advantage over MCCoy is that he does have two former HCs to fall back on for advice. It's Lynn's job to learn from those two but be strong enough to incorporate his own style to hopefully breed a strong overall team. Only time will tell.

Dominant defense to me is top 3-5...ala Denver, who has had crappy QB and inconsistent online play for the past two seasons... yet they were in every game. Make the chargers a top 3 dominant defense...and let rivers know he can fall back on his running game...and I'll say it again...imho, good things will happen.

Agree. Continue to build up the defense. We've been there and done that with having a top tier offense over the past decades and a porous defense, and it hasn't worked getting deep in the playoffs consistently. Let's try a top defense and a mid-level offense for a change, where Rivers doesn't feel like he has the weight of the team on him to win. The best talent in this draft is on defense, so why not draft a stud defensive player? And, please, not McCaffrey at #7. If McCaffrey would put us over the top, then I could see it.

[bolts4lyfe]

Forest Lamp is another one, doubt we take him, but he's the only one reported to have gone to dinner with Chargers, as well as meeting him at the senior bowl

Mike Williams combine and private workout

Allen I think was combine and private interview

[Formula 21]

10. David Njoku before Derek Barnett: This one would surprise people, but many teams see Barnett as a solid player rather than a special one, while Njoku is viewed as having a massive upside. It wouldn't surprise me if a team made a move up the board to snare Njoku before Barnett hears his name called.

Follow Lance Zierlein on Twitter @LanceZierlein.

[X-man]

Agree. Continue to build up the defense. We've been there and done that with having a top tier offense over the past decades and a porous defense, and it hasn't worked getting deep in the playoffs consistently. Let's try a top defense and a mid-level offense for a change, where Rivers doesn't feel like he has the weight of the team on him to win. The best talent in this draft is on defense, so why not draft a stud defensive player? And, please, not McCaffrey at #7. If McCaffrey would put us over the top, then I could see it.

And equally...your last line sums it up for me regarding offense players...if we were like pats that are 1-2 two key players away on offense...then I'm all for it. I'm just more geared towards seeing Rivers with a more dominant defense and run game to see if his team in these last couple years for him might actually have a legit SB chance...because like you said, I'm past the way it's been done in the past.

[Attack]

Liking Mayock's mock. Has Thomas to Bolts at 7.

[Millionaire Wussy]

Mayock doing his 1st round mock on NFL Network. Has us drafting Solomon Thomas at #7. Interestingly, Mayock has Jonathan Allen as his 2nd ranked player in this entire draft but pegged him at #9 for the first round.

[Fleet]

Yeah Thomas is my guy. If we ended up with him it would be 3 years in a row i get my crush. Id be so happy.

I wonder if he wil be honest about Hooker and be critical about his shortcomings. Hes far from a perfect player. There are some CBs in this draft i think could play single high safety. And are much better all around players. I like Hooker a lot but he sure is getting hyped up.

Id love to hear how Hooker has done in interviews. I would not be shocked if he struggled with the chalk board. He just seems to be an athletic freak who can cover a lot of ground with the ball in the air. He wont slide into the slot and cover. He wont line up outside. Hes just a centerfielder. I bet Verrett could play that position. And is a better open field tackler. Problem is he probably gets hurt. So you have one guy that is a risk of getting hurt tackling players in the open field vs another guy who misses those players in the open field. lol

Kevin King would be the ideal single high safety imo.

[Attack]

Yeah Thomas is my guy. If we ended up with him it would be 3 years in a row i get my crush. Id be so happy.

I wonder if he wil be honest about Hooker and be critical about his shortcomings. Hes far from a perfect player. There are some CBs in this draft i think could play single high safety. And are much better all around players. I like Hooker a lot but he sure is getting hyped up.

Adding Thomas at 7 and the DL/pass rush is looking very good. Then, add a S like Marcus Williams in the 2nd (or name another S), and go offense for the rest of the draft, and let's get ready for the season!

[chargerkdb]

Yeah Thomas is my guy. If we ended up with him it would be 3 years in a row i get my crush. Id be so happy.

I wonder if he wil be honest about Hooker and be critical about his shortcomings. Hes far from a perfect player. There are some CBs in this draft i think could play single high safety. And are much better all around players. I like Hooker a lot but he sure is getting hyped up.

Id love to hear how Hooker has done in interviews. I would not be shocked if he struggled with the chalk board. He just seems to be an athletic freak who can cover a lot of ground with the ball in the air. He wont slide into the slot and cover. He wont line up outside. Hes just a centerfielder. I bet Verrett could play that position. And is a better open field tackler. Problem is he probably gets hurt. So you have one guy that is a risk of getting hurt tackling players in the open field vs another guy who misses those players in the open field. lol

Kevin King would be the ideal single high safety imo.

We went to Kevin King's Pro day. King, Bolles, and Lamp are guys we've met that don't fit 7 cluster. Trade up or down targets?