2014 Draft Do Over

[Steve]

It was also easier to have those sort of amazing drafts back then, because you were drafting a lot more guys. Our last pick in 1975 was the 17th round. Now that the draft is down to 7 rounds (8 rounds worth of guys), it is a lot tougher, just because you have so many fewer picks.

And back then some teams didn't even really have more then a couple of professional scouts, besides the GM. They either relied on the services and then supplemented their much smaller (then now) coaching staff (they have about doubled as well).

http://www.footballdb.com/teams/nfl/san-diego-chargers/draft/1975

http://www.footballdb.com/teams/nfl/san-diego-chargers/draft/2004

[Panama]

Only looking at first year returns, this year's draft produced more. But that seems irrelevant because I know how the 2004 draft class turned out and can see what it would take the 2013 draft class to do to get to that point.

It's kind of like if we were to go back to November 12, 2006 when we played at Cincinnati. At the half, we had 7 points. There were other teams that had more than 7 points at the half that day and if that were all I knew about the games that day, then I could easily conclude that one of those other teams might score more than we did that day.

However, I just happen to know that we scored 42 points in the second half of that game and finished with 49 points. Without knowing what any other team did in the second half of their games, I have a pretty good idea that we scored the most points overall on that day not because I know what the other teams did, but because I know what we did.

Returning to the drafts we are discussing, our 2004 draft got pretty darn amazing a little later in the game. It's going to take a lot to beat that draft, even from a draft that has gotten off to a good start. In looking at the apparent talent involved with our 2013 draft class, I do not see 5 Pro Bowlers. I can easily see Fluker and Allen as Pro Bowlers. I could even believe that Te'o and S. Williams could make a Pro Bowl once they fully develop. I believe that much in S. Williams' potential. Of course, just because those things could happen does not mean that they will.

But where the possibility gets derailed is with the notion that either T. Williams or Sorenson is going to be a Pro Bowler. I think those two are counting their blessings that they are even in the league. They are not without talent, but they are back end of the roster type guys. I think I would sooner get struck by lightning than that either of them would make a Pro Bowl. And that doesn't even get us to the solid contributions made by Olshansky to our team.

So I do not see the 2013 draft class being at the level of the 2004 draft class notwithstanding the comparatively favorable start of the 2013 draft class when compared to the 2004 draft class.

I just learned a valuable lesson tonight: Do not attempt to read a Yuba post when you've been out getting drunk off your ass with other opera singers. My head hurts now. Maybe if I'd done recreational drugs -- liquor alone is not enough!

[Panama]

Wouldn't you want your shooting to be on the charts?

I prefer when I manage to shoot it right in her eye.

[blahblahblah]

Guys, stop being unreasonable.

[6025]

I prefer the 2004 draft, but it's close in my view. I used the 2004 draft as my gold standard because it has greater player name recognition than the 1975 draft does for younger posters.

Say what? You're using so-called perceptions of a demographic to label one a Gold Standard over the other? How scientific of you.

[thelightningwill]

Not even remotely close to what I said.

For your sake, I said that the 2004 and 1975 drafts were great drafts. Between those two drafts, I selected the 2004 draft as the gold standard by which to judge our drafts going forward. I referred to the 2005 draft as the silver standard.

The ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR wants to get into a debate about the 1975 draft being better than the 2004 draft. I don't care about that. Both were great drafts. I prefer the 2004 draft, but it's close in my view. I used the 2004 draft as my gold standard because it has greater player name recognition than the 1975 draft does for younger posters. Also, it occurs to me that the 1975 draft involved a substantially different format (many more draft rounds) than the current draft.

What I said reasonable minds couldn't reasonably disagree over was that the 2013 draft was not equal to the 2004 draft. Yes, it is very early and we do not have the final results in terms of the player development of the 2013 draftees, but I do not see 5 Pro Bowlers and two other solid players, do you? That's what it will take to equal the 2004 draft. Are you going to take the position that the 2013 draft is reasonably expected to produce that? Is anyone? Hopefully not. So...no controversy, nothing to see here, let's move it along folks.

Do younger Chargers fans really not know who Big Hands and Louie Kelcher were? Lame.

[Yubaking]

Say what? You're using so-called perceptions of a demographic to label one a Gold Standard over the other? How scientific of you.

It wasn't meant to be scientific in that sense. It was meant to provide a context as to why I do not think the 2013 draft was a "great draft" at this point. I consider the 2004 draft and the 1975 draft to be great drafts and said so. I could have used either as my example of "great". Both qualify. I just happened to choose the one that I thought more posters would be familiar with. I only needed one to place my comments into context.

The discussion was never about 2004 versus 1975. It still isn't. I don't care what anyone's opinion on that subject is. I have my preference, but can easily understand if others have a different preference. That's something over which reasonable minds could easily disagree. I get where those that favor the 1975 draft are coming from.

The point of mentioning either draft (1975 or 2004) was to show that this year's draft is not likely to achieve those heights. Of course, it can't be 100% ruled out because that history has yet to unfold, but there is enough there to make some reasonably safe projections about which draft will be the "winning draft" between the two.

[Yubaking]

Wouldn't you want your shooting to be on the charts?

I think the answer is that if I am talking about shooting targets as charts, you are right, but if I am using "off the charts" as an expression of how incredibly good something was/is, then I am right.

[Yubaking]

Do younger Chargers fans really not know who Big Hands and Louie Kelcher were? Lame.

I was thinking more about players like Rickey Young, Mike Williams, Mike Fuller or Billy Shields. Again, the decision regarding which to use as a frame of reference was arbitrary as between the two great drafts.