2011 NFL Draft: San Diego Chargers Full Mock Draft 3.0 (With Video)
The collegiate season and NFL Scouting Combine are both over, which means the next step of the offseason is the NFL draft.
The old CBA has expired, which in turn means there cannot be any trades of players or picks until the new one exists. That means in this Chargers' mock draft there will be no trades involved, just selections based on player value and position need.
The San Diego Chargers have a great amount of talent on the roster, but seem to be several pieces short of making a legitimate Super Bowl run. In this year's draft, Chargers general manager A.J. Smith will need to fill holes and add depth at the DE, OLB, WR, ILB, CB, OL, RB, and QB positions.
All of which can be done through this draft. San Diego owns the picks No. 18, 50, 61, 82 and 89 all of which in the first three rounds.
This is a very deep draft class and Smith cannot afford to make mistakes with his selections or it will negatively impact the Chargers next season.
With the 18th Pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the San Diego Chargers Select...
1 of 9J.J. Watt, defensive end out of the University of Wisconsin.
Defensive ends Jacques Cesaire and Travis Johnson are now free agents, but with no CBA in place they cannot sign with a different team. Last week, Head Coach Norv Turner made it known that the Chargers will be looking for a top-notch defensive end in the draft to replace Cesaire. With the possibility that Watt will be around at pick No. 18, the Chargers will pick up the lineman they need in San Diego.
The 6'6", 292-pound body on Watt is an ideal size for a 3-4 defensive end. Even with his big body, Watt has a very good burst off the line and has an impressive non-stop motor. He has the ability to stuff the offensive line and force double teams from the offensive lineman. That quality in Watt can also create plays for others, while also making plays on his own.
Watt finished the 2010 season with 62 total tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. His numbers show that he is a force that is difficult to block, and he is, but what is less-mentioned about Watt is his ability to get his hands up to knock down the football. Watt blocked three kicks and batted down seven passes last year.
The Chargers should definitely begin their 2011 draft with a lineman, and J.J. Watt is a very good fit for San Diego's defense.
San Diego Chargers 2nd-Round Pick (50): DE/OLB Sam Acho (Texas)
2 of 9Sam Acho may be undersized to play defensive end in the National Football League, but he is 6'3", 260 pounds, and is the perfect size to be an outside linebacker. Regardless of how you think Larry English will play in the upcoming season, Acho would be a nice add in the second round.
Manusky's "new" system will be aggressive to say the least. The plan is to put a ton of pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and having a player like Acho who can get in the backfield would be a great weapon.
While Acho hasn't played much, if at all at the OLB position, he is an exceptional athlete that could make the transition easily. The only areas he would need to work on are coverage and reading plays from a standing position. He displays good speed and quickness on the field that would play in his favor in converting to OLB.
Acho recorded 60 total tackles, eight sacks and three forced fumbles in his senior year.
Acho looks to be a Brian Orakpo/Shawne Merriman type player and would be the force on the opposite side of Shaun Phillips the Chargers have been lacking.
San Diego Chargers 2nd-Round Pick (from NYJ, 61): OG/C John Moffitt (Wisc.)
3 of 9When most people think of a hard-nosed and tough offensive lineman, they are subconsciously thinking about John Moffitt. Moffitt is a beast of a lineman as he's listed at 6'4"-319 lbs. His primary position is offensive guard while he has also taken snaps at center in his career.
Moffitt was a first-team All-American and a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection in his senior season last year.
He is a strong guy with long arms which makes it very difficult for defenders to get off his blocks. Moffitt is a dominate run blocker as he and expected first round pick Gabe Carimi formed a strong left side of the line that allowed Wisconsin's running game to thrive. While Moffitt won't outrun anyone anytime soon, he is a mobile offensive lineman with quick feet and good footwork which should allow him to have a successful career in the NFL.
San Diego's Pro Bowl guard Kris Dielman is getting older, and though it hasn't showed on the field yet, the Chargers should draft a quality future replacement like Moffitt to eventually take over for him. Moffitt and Marcus McNeill would form a left side that the team could count on and make Philip Rivers and Ryan Mathews' job much more easy in the future.
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San Diego Chargers 3rd-Round Pick (82): WR Edmond Gates (Abilene Christian)
4 of 9Edmund Gates is a potential superstar wide receiver in the NFL. If it weren't for the weak teams that Abilene Christian played, Gates would have easily been considered as a first-round talent. That's not the case though and the Chargers may finally find that speed demon receiver they have been without for some time now.
Gates is 6'0", 192 lbs with explosive speed and acceleration. He impressed multiple scouts at the NFL Combine by posting a 4.37 40-yard dash time and then running the same time at his school's pro day. Gates put up ridiculous numbers in the 2010 collegiate season. He caught 66 balls, had 1,182 receiving yards, and scored 13 touchdowns. Gates was most definitely the play-maker on Abilene Christian's offense in his career.
Gates runs very good routes utilizing his speed and quickness whenever he possibly can. He has large and strong hands that reel in most passes in his direction. On any given play, whether it be on a pass or a return, he has the ability to score a touchdown in a matter of moments.
Pro Bowl receiver Vincent Jackson would have been hit with the franchise tag, but unfortunately the CBA has expired and it's still unsure if that will be an option in the new CBA. With the draft being today, Malcolm Floyd being a free agent and Legedu Naanee not returning to the team next year, the Chargers will look to draft a wide receiver within the first three rounds of the draft.
Gates is a hidden gem in the 2011 NFL Draft and all Charger fans can hope is that A.J. Smith uncovers him and brings this offensive threat to San Diego.
San Diego Chargers 3rd-Round Pick (From SEA, 89): CB Buster Skrine (UTC)
5 of 9Buster Skrine will be overlooked today multiple times by multiple teams, mainly due to him playing at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga over the course of his career. What did not get overlooked though, was his impressive NFL Combine showing where he posted the fastest 40-yard dash time out of every player with an unofficial 4.29.
Skrine definitely has the speed and acceleration to be a cornerback at the next level, but he also has the ball skills and anticipation to be a good one at that. He is a tremendous open-field tackler and can either take the offensive player's legs out or wrap him up and wrestle him down. He is somewhat small for the position though, as he's listed at 5'10"-185 lbs., but he makes up for it with his leaping ability, speed and quickness.
The Chargers will be drafting a cornerback to add depth at the position, but to also find a nickelback. Skrine fits the bill. What makes Skrine even more attractive as a pick is that he could contribute to the special teams unit immediately as a returner and on the coverage team.
San Diego Chargers 6th Round Pick (183): RB Chad Spann (NIU)
6 of 9Chad Spann is the type of player that could have been more than what he was in college and could be more than what's expected of him in the NFL. Spann is not on every team's radar, but he is for sure on A.J. Smith's. Smith visited Spann for Northern Illinois' Pro Day and watched him in his workouts. Smith has drafted a NIU runningback before as he did it in 2004 when he selected Michael Turner.
Spann brings the total package to his game. He can outrun defenders using his speed or he can get low to the ground and run people over. He has decent hands and can catch balls out of the backfield and also block in the backfield. He's nothing incredibly special at the moment, but he would be a very useful back to have on the Chargers roster.
Spann is short for a running back at 5'9", but he is definitely solid at 198 lbs. He ran a 4.52 40-yard dash at his pro day, but he is one of the players that have much faster game speed. Last year, some thought Spann might turn in an All-American type year due to him having the skills to do so. He ran for 1,388 yards while scoring 22 touchdowns in a great season for the 22-year-old senior.
The Chargers will be needing to replace Sproles on the depth chart this offseason and using a late round pick would be the best way to do it. Sproles will be leaving as a free agent and drafting Spann in the sixth round would be a very good value pick.
San Diego Chargers 6th-Round Pick (201): ILB Nate Irving (N.C. State)
7 of 9Nate Irving was the starting inside linebacker for three of his possible four years at N.C. State. He missed the entire 2009 season due to a car accident that left him with a collapsed lung, broken ribs, a separated shoulder and a compound fracture in his leg. He returned to the football field in 2010 strong and performed well totaling 89 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks and three forced fumbles.
Irving is somewhat undersized for an inside linebacker at 6'1", 235 lbs. He isn't the most powerful of linebackers, but he is a very good sideline-to-sideline defender and has the ability to get in the backfield to make plays. He struggles at times in playing coverage when he's matched up with an elite tight end or running back. He also needs to work on zone coverage.
Contrary to what many say, San Diego does not need to draft an inside linebacker with a pick in the first three rounds. A.J. Smith will most definitely bring Kevin Burnett back and he will make the decision to either keep Brandon Siler or sign a different veteran linebacker. Not to mention Donald Butler, who was the Chargers third round pick last year, should be healthy after recovering from an Achilles injury that caused him to miss the entire season last year.
Irving would be a good selection in the late rounds as he would add depth to the linebacker position while also being able to produce on special teams.
San Diego Chargers 7th-Round Pick: QB T.J. Yates (North Carolina)
8 of 9T.J. Yates is a player that shouldn't be getting drafted in the seventh round, since he plays better than that, but due to the amount of worthy quarterbacks this year, he will be selected at the end of the draft.
Yates showed some major growth from his junior season to his senior season. In 2009, he threw for a not so impressive 2,136 yards, 14 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. For whatever reason though, it finally clicked for Yates as he came back the next year to throw for 3,418 yards, 19 touchdowns and only nine interceptions.
Yates doesn't have a rocket for an arm or the ability to drop passes exactly where they need to be, but he just gets the job done. Yates seems to always give his receivers a chance to make a play on the ball. In his senior season, he showed that he is a good decision maker with the ball in his hands.
San Diego has only one quarterback on the roster as of now, that being Philip Rivers. Last offseason, the Chargers traded third-string quarterback Charlie Whitehurst to Seattle for a third-round pick in this year's draft. Billy Volek is a free agent this offseason and it's unclear if the Chargers can retain him or if he will leave for a different team. A.J. Smith will most likely sign a veteran to be the second string QB, while having Yates as the third-string QB.
Other San Diego Chargers Links
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- "2011 NFL Draft: San Diego Chargers Full Mock Draft 1.0"
- "2011 NFL Draft: San Diego Chargers Full Mock Draft 2.0"
- "San Diego Chargers 2011 Offseason: Which of Their Free Agents Will Be Back?"
- "2011 NFL Trade Rumors: San Diego Chargers Possible Deals and Free Agent Moves"
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