Chargers 2012 Draft

So here is a list of the players who the Chargers actually drafted in 2012
1) Melvin Ingram DE/OLB, USC- He is an absolute steal at #18.  Many project him to be the best pass rusher of the draft and he is incredibly versatile.  Ingram should have been picked in the top 10 and he can play about any position.  He can rush the passer, intercept passes, etc.  Ingram even ran a fake punt for a TD and caught a kickoff as part of the hands team.  I have never seen a defensive end on the hands team until I saw tape of Ingram.  An absolute steal!!
2)Kendall Reyes DT/DE, UConn- He was another steal in the 2nd round.  He should have gone in the late 1st round but landed to us in the 2nd round.  Will give Liuget some help on the D-Line.
3)Brandon Taylor SS, LSU- He looks solid at defending the run.  I am not sure how he is in pass coverage.  We needed a strong safety badly so this is a great pickup.
4) Ladarius Green TE, Louisiana Lafayette- Green is an excellent pass-catching TE with great speed and hands.  I see him as the successor to Antonio Gates.
5)Johnnie Troutman OG, Penn State- This was the one head-scratcher of the draft for me because of his history of a DUI and injuries.
7)David Molk C, Michigan- Molk was an absolute steal in the 7th round.  He won the Rimington award for best center of college football.  He had the 2nd best bench rep at the combine and he can play.  In addition, he is funny during interviews.  I see him as the successor to Nick Hardwick.
7) Edwin Baker RB, Michigan State- I don't know a lot other than he was a bargain to pick up in the 7th and we need a backup RB.  I bet we still sign a veteran backup RB but I'm optimistic about this pick.

I know I am usually a critic of AJ Smith but I think he did an amazing job in this year's draft and in signing free agents this offseason!!

Melvin Ingram

The Chargers were extremely lucky to land Melvin Ingram tonight in the first round of the NFL draft. He should have been selected in the top 10 but instead we lucked out with him landing to us at 18. Ingram is a DE out of South Carolina that will play ROLB for the Chargers next year. He can do everything though! He can rush the QB, stop the run, cover receivers, intercept balls. He even ran a fake punt for a touchdown against Georgia. In that same game South Carolina played him on the hands team for an onside kick and he recovered it. I have never seen a DE play on the hands team in my life but this guy has hands. Melvin can not only catch the ball but he can also throw it as he was a QB in high school and he has played some Tight End. I beleive he will play outside linebacker, a little defensive end, and some special teams next year in San Diego. I could not be happier with the pick and I cannot wait to see him devour quarterbacks next year for the Chargers.

Chargers' Mock Draft 2012

1)Courtney Upshaw OLB Bama 2)Harrison Smith SS Notre Dame 3) Lamichael James RB Oregon (the next Sproles hopefully) 4)Senio Kelemete LG Washington (make him compete with Tyronne Green for Dielman's replacement) 5)Blake DeChristopher OT Va Tech 6)Asa Jackson Cal Poly CB 7a)Mike Daniels DT Iowa 7b)Jarret Boykin WR Va Tech

Ryan Mathews

I am very excited about the Chargers drafting Ryan Mathews. He looks like the real deal as he lead the country in rushing both in college and high school. Mathews, a strong back who can run every down through the middle, makes a perfect tandem with Sproles, who is more of a 3rd down back used to run outside and catch screens. I was sad to see L.T. depart from the Chargers. But after going through the 5 stages of grieving, I could not be any more excited to see him be "replaced" by Mathews. LT is Mathew's idol growing up, which makes it even cooler. I hope Mathews revives the Chargers running game to make their offense unstoppable.

San Diego Chargers

I truly think this is the year San Diego finally capitalizes on all their talent and wins the Super Bowl. Watching the draft a few weeks ago made me pumped to see what happens in the upcoming NFL season. With Merriman and Cromartie healthy again, they will have a scary pass rush that forces tons of interceptions and turnovers to make the defense look like the mighty 2007 Chargers' defense instead of the sketchy 2008 Chargers' defense.
Of course, I am horribly biased about the fact that they are keeping LT. I think he is the foundation of the team and the reason they have soared to a super bowl contender in the last decade. AJ Smith finally made one smart move by not pissing off a superstar and getting rid of him for no reason. Sure LT is aging but you can't pull the "it makes business sense card" and get rid of the player who is most responsible for your team's current status as a football powerhouse. Keeping LT (and Sproles) is wise because they are proven running backs who are necessary to get to the super bowl and we saw what happened when the Chargers lost Michael Turner. I think AJ Smith actually made some decent moves for once this offseason. He also picked up Larry English, who will strengthen the pass rush and provide insurance if Merriman doesn't return to 100% or re-sign in one year. I think Martin could be a solid DE replacement for Olshansky and the two guards they signed will replace Goff and improve the weakened right side of the O-Line for LT to tear it up next season. Of course I like Gartrell Johnson cuz he has massive dreads. I would have liked the Chargers to draft Macho Harris for their Safety but you can't win everything. I am pumped for the upcoming season.