Los Angeles Chargers: Yet again, the Chargers drafted great
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Chargers have quietly churned out great draft after great draft and have done so yet again in the 2019 NFL Draft.
The Los Angeles Chargers often do not get the credit nor the coverage that they deserve, in large part due to the team being the fourth-most popular team in Los Angeles with little fan support at home.
But Charger fans like it that way. The Chargers took the league by storm in 2018 and finished with the joint-best record in the AFC at 12-4. With most of the roster returning for 2019, the Chargers look primed for another great season.
If the Chargers knocked the 2019 NFL Draft out of the park then they certainly would seem like a lock for the playoffs. That is exactly what the team did as the Chargers had yet another great showing in the draft, something that has quietly been their identity the last few years.
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Just look at the best players on the Chargers are they are all great selections in recent drafts: Melvin Ingram, Melvin Gordon, Joey Bosa, Derwin James, Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, Desmond King; the list goes on and on.
The Chargers have a good chance of continuing their first-round pick luck as well after selecting defensive tackle Jerry Tillery with the 28th overall pick. Tillery was a guy that was one of the best in the country at his best but would have a tendency to disappear in certain games.
On the Chargers defensive line, Tillery’s ceiling not only rises but his floor rises as well. With so much emphasis on Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, the chances of Tillery having these unimpactful stretches seem slim to none.
It was the Chargers’ second-round pick that was the team’s best pick in the draft. Los Angeles selected Delaware safety Nasir Adderley in the second round, who looked like a fringe first-round pick heading into the draft.
On paper, Adderley literally fits perfectly alongside Derwin James in the defense. If Adderley is just 80 percent of what he could be in this defense, the Los Angeles Chargers might just have the best safety unit for the next five or so years.
Los Angeles then went with offensive tackle Trey Pipkins in the third round. This is where criticism for the Chargers is born as some believe that the team ignored the need at offensive tackle and did not get a surefire tackle, which is what the team needed.
Pipkins is a developmental talent that does have great upside but could also disappoint as well. However, Russell Okung and Sam Tevi are decent enough for the time being with the major improvements needed in the interior line.
If Forrest Lamp can finally get healthy and Dan Feeney can play as he did in his rookie season then the Chargers’ offensive line might not be as bad as people think. It is a gamble to take but making the defense even better only increases their Super Bowl odds.
The Chargers also added depth at linebacker and defensive tackle later in the draft that was much-needed, so it is hard to complain about that. The other notable pick came in the fifth round as the Chargers selected quarterback Easton Stick.
There is a road in which Stick develops nicely and is the successor to Philip Rivers. However, I wouldn’t bank on that and if anything this proves that Philip Rivers might have more gas in the tank than we anticipate.
dark. Next. Toughest games of the 2019 season
Either way, the Los Angeles Chargers knocked the draft out of the park and an already scary defense is going to get even better in 2019.