What Recent History Suggests About San Diego Chargers' 2015 NFL Draft Plan

Tom Telesco said it from day one when he was appointed general manager of the San Diego Chargers in 2013: "We're going to be a draft-driven organization. That’s going to be our main focus."

And since then, that philosophy has held true. Of the 12 players Telesco has drafted in the previous two years, 10 are still with the organization, and seven have started at least one game for the Chargers.

After setting the bar so high in the early stages, though, Telesco has placed an enormous amount of pressure on himself to deliver yet another strong batch of prospects at the end of this month. So whom might the Bolts target this year?

Let's examine some of the trends and habits of the Chargers GM to get an idea.

Drafting for Need in Round 1

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

The plan in the first round has been pretty straightforward the past two years, with the Chargers addressing their biggest need leading up to the draft. In 2013, it was the offensive line after Philip Rivers was sacked 49 times in the regular season. That prompted the pick of Alabama tackle D.J. Fluker, who started every game he played in as a rookie.

Elsa/Getty Images

The following year, San Diego possessed one of the league's worst secondaries after allowing close to 260 yards passing per game. That in turn produced TCU cornerback Jason Verrett with the team's first pick in 2014.

Based on that trend, the Chargers will select a running back or defensive tackle on April 30, as they finished with the third-worst rushing attack and ranked 26th in stopping the run.

Movin' On Up in Round 2

Telesco has traded a fourth-round pick in each of the last two drafts to move up in the second. He did it in 2013 to select Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o and again in 2014 with Georgia Tech linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu. The only thing possibly standing in the way of another Day 2 trade could be the fact that San Diego has just six picks to utilize in 2015. When the Chargers acquired Sean Lissemore from the Dallas Cowboys in 2013, it cost them a seventh-round draft choice this year.

Still, it might be difficult for Telesco to resist the urge if a player he values begins to fall.

The Power Five

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Under Telesco's reign, the Chargers have drafted players from four of the Power Five conferences. The only exception has been the Big Ten. There's a strong possibility that streak ends in 2015, though, as more than a few of the top running backs balled out in the Big Ten last season, including Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin), Tevin Coleman (Indiana) and Ameer Abdullah (Nebraska).