2019 Draft Prospects To Keep An Eye On

[Lone Bolt]

Tillery seems like a boom or bust prospect...I would like it if we steer away from those...

[blueman]

Tillery seems like a boom or bust prospect...I would like it if we steer away from those...

If he's committed to playing football, he'd be in my cluster.

[21&500]

Only in a draft so deep with "safer" prospects could we be so lucky to have a talent like Tillery fall to us at 28.

It's an arms race in the NFL to be able to consistently get to the qb with 4 guys

Bosa, Mebane, Tillery and Ingram is my vote

[blueman]

Only in a draft so deep with "safer" prospects could we be so lucky to have a talent like Tillery fall to us at 28.

It's an arms race in the NFL to be able to consistently get to the qb with 4 guys

Bosa, Mebane, Tillery and Ingram is my vote

Would not suck.

[wu-dai clan]

Only in a draft so deep with "safer" prospects could we be so lucky to have a talent like Tillery fall to us at 28.

It's an arms race in the NFL to be able to consistently get to the qb with 4 guys

Bosa, Mebane, Tillery and Ingram is my vote

A man with a plan.

21 takes a stand.

[pigskin]

Any interest in Ben Bur-Kirven as a late round special teams ace/back up WILL? I love his 3 cone and 20 yard shuttle. They are close to DB #'s at 230 lbs. BEN BURR-KIRVEN

Prospect Info

COLLEGE
Washington
HOMETOWN
CLASS
Menlo Park, CA
Senior
HEIGHT 6'0"
WEIGHT 230 lbs
ARMS 31 7/8"

40 Yard Dash
4.56
SECONDS

Bench Press
21
REPS

Vertical Jump
34.5
INCHES

Broad Jump
121.0
INCHES

3 Cone Drill
6.85
SECONDS

20 Yd Shuttle
4.09
SECONDS

60 Yd Shuttle
11.43
SECONDS

[Lone Bolt]

Only in a draft so deep with "safer" prospects could we be so lucky to have a talent like Tillery fall to us at 28.

It's an arms race in the NFL to be able to consistently get to the qb with 4 guys

Bosa, Mebane, Tillery and Ingram is my vote

Tillery was far from consistent...of his 8 sacks, 4 came against Stanford....ranked 43rd out of 50 Division I teams in sacks allowed...actually tied with 4 other teams. Only 3 other schools gave up more sacks. Dremont Jones had 1 more sack, and a handful more tackles for loss, and they were spread throughout the season...

But thankfully we won't have to choose between them...I'm sure a more talented player will be available at 28, whether it's DT, Oline, DB.... Pass on Tillery...

[Lone Bolt]

Any interest in Ben Bur-Kirven as a late round special teams ace/back up WILL? I love his 3 cone and 20 yard shuttle. They are close to DB #'s at 230 lbs. BEN BURR-KIRVEN

Prospect Info

COLLEGE
Washington
HOMETOWN
CLASS
Menlo Park, CA
Senior
HEIGHT 6'0"
WEIGHT 230 lbs
ARMS 31 7/8"

40 Yard Dash
4.56
SECONDS

Bench Press
21
REPS

Vertical Jump
34.5
INCHES

Broad Jump
121.0
INCHES

3 Cone Drill
6.85
SECONDS

20 Yd Shuttle
4.09
SECONDS

60 Yd Shuttle
11.43
SECONDS

I like that prospect...but not as a Weakside...we have plenty of depth there...get him in a pro strength program while he sits on the depth chart and plays special teams, groom him up as an athletic Mike...depends on whether he has the frame to carry another 10-15 pounds? JMO...middle rounds, or maybe a late round steal in the 4th or 5th, like King?

[wu-dai clan]

I like that prospect...but not as a Weakside...we have plenty of depth there...get him in a pro strength program while he sits on the depth chart and plays special teams, groom him up as an athletic Mike...depends on whether he has the frame to carry another 10-15 pounds? JMO...middle rounds, or maybe a late round steal in the 4th or 5th, like King?

BBK led the nation in tackles.
His athletic measurables are elite, other than size.
However, as you state, we do not need a "run & hit" LB.
I like Coney as a SAM/MIKE.

[like54ninjas]

As we are just weeks away until the 2019 NFL draft, we are doing our final evaluations on prospects. With the Chargers having needs at various positions, we will do our best to evaluate the players that we feel fit the team precisely.

Today, we are taking a look at Northern Illinois offensive tackle Max Scharping.
Measurements

Height: 6-6

Weight: 327 Honors and Awards

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Football Writers' Association of America's Freshman All-American (2015)

First-Team All-Mac (2016, 2017, 2018)

Second-Team Academic All-American (2017)

William V. Campbell Trophy (2018) Strengths

• NFL frame with ideal length and mass in his upper and lower half.
• Gets off the snap well and uses his girth and strong hands to move edge rushers off the ball.
• Locks down pass rushers once he gets his hands on.
• Anchors well and it is like trying to move a boulder with his stout trunk.
• Gives good effort, hustles to push defenders around the pocket and works to sustain throughout the play to prevent secondary rushes.
• Doesn't give up much ground on bull rushes.
• Generates movement in the run game, clearing run room.
• Competitive profile required for NFL trench warfare.
• Started every game the last four years, earning first-team honors as a sophomore, junior and senior.

Weaknesses

• Relies on hustle and strength rather than great recovery speed in pass protection.
• Lacks the foot quickness to cut off defenders.
• Wide hands due to his long arms. Erratic hand placement, creating awkward positioning.
• Plays a bit high and narrow at times, though he will widen when setting the anchor.
• Lunges or bends at the waist when engaged at times, can be ripped off by stronger defenders on occasion.

Summary

Standing at 6-foot-6 and 327 pounds with 33 5/8-inch arms and 10-inch hands, Scharping has the size and girth that immediately stand out on film. He is a player with power and stubborn hands to keep bull rushers tied up, finding proper position to stay between defender and the pocket.

Scharping flashes effort to push his opponent around the pocket and works to sustain throughout the play to prevent secondary rushes. He isn't an overpowering strength player, but he flashes violence with his punch and looks to win early in the rep.

At the next level, he will have to work on his footwork to stay more balanced, as speed rushers will beat him because of the deficiencies. Chargers Fit

For some, Scharping needs a year under his belt to fight for a starting job, but I believe he can try to earn it during Year 1 as a pro. Given the huge need at the right tackle position, Scharping has the ability to compete with Sam Tevi and beat him out for the starting role.

He's far from the perfect player, and isn't likely capable of shifting to the left side due to the lack of foot quickness. But the positives outweigh the negatives and Scharping has the makings of a 6-8 year starting right tackle.

[like54ninjas]

We are officially 17 days away from opening night of the 2019 NFL Draft and the speculation surrounding each team's motives are only going to get murkier and murkier with each new "source" or rumor that comes to light.

Until the picks are finally etched in stone, everything is up in the air, especially on day 3 when each pick isn't much better than throwing a dart at the wall.

However, as Chargers fans have come to realize over the last few seasons, the team's selections on day 3 have become essential parts in the team's recent success. Guys like running back Justin Jackson and defensive end Isaac Rochell were both selected in the seventh round over the last two seasons. Each has a start under their belt and were key contributors in 2018. After watching Coach Lynn talk the talk when it comes to "playing the best guy", it's not out of the blue to think the team's day 3 picks could be contributors sooner rather than later.

With this mind, I'm starting off this short series leading up to the draft with four selections in the seventh round that the Chargers should consider drafting. By April 25th, I will go round by round and throw out four names that I believe should be the team's biggest priorities on each day of the draft, all the way up through the first.

That being said, here are the first four guys that I believe will not only be available in the seventh, but also fit what the Chargers want to do on either side of the ball. DT Cortez Broughton - Cincinnati

After three underwhelming years for the Bearcats where Broughton only accounted for 3.5 sacks, he broke out in a big during his senior season to the tune of 7.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles-for-loss. He was rightfully named a First Team All-AAC selection alongside DT Ed Oliver, a potential top-5 pick in the draft.

Broughton shows a first-step quickness that can be so eye-popping at times that it makes you wonder how you haven't been hearing more about this guy until now. He is only listed at 6-foot-2 and 290-ish pounds but he can certainly play larger than those numbers. In the video above where Broughton bull-rushes the UCLA guard into the QB's lap, you can see how overwhelming he can be when he gets the jump on an unsuspecting linemen.

In contrast to his peaks as a pass-rusher, there are times where Broughton struggles to finish sacks that are so bad it makes you think he;s undraftable, like this example from The Draft Network's Ben Solak:

Day 3 guys are going to come with some major bumps and bruises in their game, but it's all about balancing the potential upside with fit and Broughton fits into the Bolts' mold of a pentrating 3-technique that only needs to worry about winning his gap and getting into the quarterback's face. CB Derrek Thomas - Baylor

If there is one thing that we can agree on when it comes to Gus Bradley when it comes to his cornerbacks, it's that he likes them long and tall.

If you look at the original members of Seattle's vaunted Legion of Boom, cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner were 6'3 and 6'4, respectively while safety Kam Chancellor was also 6'3. The shortest member was safety Earl Thomas at 5'11 but he's Earl flippin' Thomas so of course he's in it.

Ever since Bradley got hired as the team's defensive coordinator, he has yet to draft an outside cornerback, but the undrafted free agents they've brought in definitely fit that mold.

Michael Davis, Brandon Facyson, and Jeff Richards are all listed at 6'2. How tall do you guys think Thomas?

He's 6'3, according to his draft profile, and showed off some awesome explosiveness at the NFL combine when he jumped 39.5 in the vertical and 10'11 in the broad.

Thomas has only been a cornerback for three seasons, having switched from wide receiver before the 2016 season while he was still at Temple. He didn't rack up a ton of picks but it's hard to pass-up his physical traits at such a low price. The Chargers seem to always bring in a cornerback or two when they collect their UDFAs and Thomas may just be in that group if he isn't taken on day 3. LB Ty Summers - TCU

A guy I hadn't heard of much until recently, Summers is one of the twitchiest linebackers in the class who tested extremely well across his pro day and the NFL combine.

At 240 pounds, his 4.51 forty is extremely impressive when paired with his excellent explosion and agility numbers listed in the graphic below. His play strength is a common "plus" among his traits so the 27 reps on bench press, ranking 3rd among the position in Indy, is also no surprise.

There aren't really any thresholds to look at when it comes to predicting who the Chargers may draft when it comes to linebackers, but we know they like them xcrazy-athletic and versatile.

Jatavis Brown and Kyzir White both fit this mold and I believe Summers numbers speak for themselves. The speed of Summers shows up in coverage and when he is tasked with blitzing but it's his instincts that are getting dinged the most in the pre-draft process.

Here's what NFL analyst Lance Zierlein has to say about Summers: Inside linebacker possessing the physical qualities of an NFL player but lacking the necessary instincts and feel to make plays on his terms. While Summers won't always play to his top speed, he could very well run a pre-draft sub 4.6 40, which could make him a late-round target for teams who view him as back-end depth and a potential core special teamer.
But again, it's the seventh round, and I'll take Summers' physical traits every day with the 244th pick.
QB Jordan Ta'amu - Ole Miss

I mentioned Ta'amu before in one of my previous mock drafts and I'm sticking by him in this piece, as well.

Ta'amu was the luckiest quarterback in college football this past season. He not only threw to one, but two receivers that will likely go in the first round this year and a third that should get heavy consideration early on day 3.

Ta'amu played in a shotgun-heavy vertical passing scheme that bodes well for a smoother transition were he to get drafted by the Chargers. The Bolts were one of the best teams when it came to explosive passing plays (25+ yards) in the NFL last season and that shouldn't change, even with speedster Tyrell Williams now with the Raiders.

The former Rebel quarterback wasn't terribly prolific in school, throwing for just under 4,000 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2018. His mobility is a plus for me as he also ran for 342 yards and another six touchdowns on the ground.

The most scathing marks on Ta'amu's resume are going to be the fact that his offense ran maybe two dozens plays all year and his lack of productivity with such an explosive offense around him. His peaks throughout the season were admirable but his low-points against Alabama and LSU were really quite awful.

Alas, I cannot help but imagine what Ta'amu could do in the Chargers offense, given his propensity for the long-ball and Lynn's undying preference for a quarterback with some wiggle.

[Lone Bolt]

Good stuff Ninjas....keep em comin....and thanks!!:cheers: