Chargers vs. Niners: 4 Players for San Diego Fans to Watch

The San Diego Chargers' final preseason game is set to take place on Thursday, meaning it'll be the last chance for Chargers' fans and the coaching staff to measure the level of talent that the team has in place before the regular season begins. 

With more roster cuts on the way for the San Diego Chargers—they've already cut nine so far—this last game will be crucial to see which players should, and should not, make the final 53-man roster. 

There's still quite a few questions pending at certain positions for the San Diego Chargers (namely linebacker and running back), so it will be interesting to see which players make one last run for a spot on a professional football team and which will barely miss the cut. 

Here are four (that's one of my favorite numbers) San Diego Chargers that fans should keep their eye on against the San Francisco 49ers.

Carlos Sandoval is the head-dawg at NFL blog and weekly NFL podcast, the Pigeon Toe. Follow the Toe on Twitter: @ThePigeonToeNFL

LB Darryl Gamble

I know you guys keep hearing his name pop up, but Darryl Gamble is the talk of the San Diego Chargers' preseason. 

If you haven't been keeping up, Gamble has been animal-like in his appearances for the Chargers. Gamble is the team's second leading tackler so far this preseason, behind only fellow unsigned rookie Jonas Mouton. 

His presences goes far beyond his stat sheet, though; the dude's a consistent prat in the opponent's backfield, constantly shooting A-gaps (or the gaps between the centers and the guards, for you non-football dorks) and causing havoc for quarterbacks and running backs alike. 

He's pretty much going to make the roster, even if he's mediocre against the San Francisco 49ers' shoddy offensive line; of course, if he's injured, he (and Chargers' fans) is screwed. 

And even if he is a shoo-in? This kid's fun to watch. 

CB Marcus Gilchrist

Marcus Gilchrist is just one of the young rooks that the San Diego Chargers' acquired, and he has done relatively well this preseason. 

I'm going to be honest: I haven't watched much tape on Gilchrist. But from what I've heard on the Interwebs (as well as whatever tape [read: YouTube videos] I've checked out), the dude's a semi-gem. 

He's fast enough to keep up with a starting wide-out on any opposing team, although (like any good, rookie defensive back) his vision and sense of awareness need improvement. He isn't going to start over Antoine Cason or Quentin Jammer, but he's going to cover the slot position and even take some kick returns—both thanks to the fact that he utilizes his speed well. 

In terms of tackling, he's not terrible at all: he seems to wrap ball-carriers decently, and he even had nine tackles this preseason. 

Why should you watch since you already know draft picks don't get cut? Because it could be the last time you see this much of Gilchrist; if he gets beat out for the slot, you'll only see him on kick returns, and that's a shame. 

Let's pray this dude keeps it up against the Niners.

RB Jordan Todman

Running back Jordan Todman is expected to make the final 53-man roster, but it's not like he's making a lot of noise at RB. 

That's because Mike Tolbert and Ryan Mathews have been taking the majority of the ball carries, and though the latter has done relatively well, the former hasn't looked too awesome, while Todman has held his own. 

If Jordan Todman can breakout, there's a chance (albeit quite a small one) that Todman becomes the team's second option at RB. He's averaged 5.1 yards per carry, and while that's been against second- and third-string defenses, it's not like those kinds of numbers are easy to accumulate. 

So here's how it's broken down: Not only is Jordan Todman close to making the team, but he's closing to nailing a huge role in the Chargers' run game. He's out-performed Tolbert against worse defenses, and if he keeps this up through his limited role on the Chargers' offense in the regular season and a legitimate final preseason game, Todman could start seeping into our living rooms every Sunday. 

Not literally. That'd be gross.

LB Larry English

Larry English is finally making A.J. Smith look like a not idiot. 

When English was drafted a few years back, there were high expectations. English failed to meet such expectations, sucked, got buried in the roster, was nearly in danger of being cut and now is relentlessly trying to prove he deserves to be in San Diego. 

English is much healthier than he has been, and he's proved it: he's aggressive in his approach when he's on the field, and he's become a hell of a work-horse when games aren't being played.

He was already projected to start alongside Shaun Philips at outside linebacker, but his progress is going to be interesting to watch.