A.J's early draft picks.
by Adriel Bergman on Apr 12, 2010 8:38 PM PDT
Email
PrintIn this post I will take a look at the last 4 of Aj's 1st rounders and see how good they are looking.
2006: Antonio Cromartie: Hmmm. Well at first he looked great with that huge 10 interception season, but slowly got worse because of his injury or because of his wussy attitude. Upside: Very athletic, fast and is very good on man to man. Downside: He can't tackle a turtle, and off field issues. Conclusion: Chargers got sick of him, and traded him for a greater value they thought they would get for him. IMO he will do very well in coverage because of the jets defensive scheme, and who knows maybe Rex will get him to tackle someone once every 10 times.
2007: Craig "Buster" Davis: Maybe his nickname says it all maybe he is a bust, but I am a very optimistic person who thinks that this will be his breakout year. Yes you obviously expect your 1st rounder to make an impact in his 1st 3 years, but now that he is fully healthy he has a chance to make an impact. One thing I've thought a lot about is maybe the chargers discovered he used steroids and instead of making it public they made him stop and that's why he got injured so much, but hey that's just a thought. Upside: In the minutes I saw against the Redskins I saw a guy with very good hands, who will get his last chance this season and probably in the first 4 games since VJ will be suspended. Downside: INJURIES.
2008: Antoine Cason: Definitely the most confusing one. Cason was a big surprise to be drafted. He has athleticism and a lot of heart but so far he hasn't shown to much skill. He started this year off good but later got pulled and the chargers won 11 straight with him of the field. He is training hard to make an impact this year and lets hope he can do exactly that. Upside: He is young and has the desire to be the best. Downside: He may only be able to play one position on the field.
2009: Larry English: Hasn't made an impact yet. Kevin Acee has said a lot that Larry English was a step away from making that big play, and that experience and training will help. Upside: Very young and has great players to grow under. Always is a step from making the big play, and can learn to make them. Good tackler. Downside: Maybe he is a player that will always be a step away.
Conclusion: A.J Smith has always surprised with his first rounder. This will probably be the year in which we will see how good Buster, Cason and English really are. A.J actually is really good in the later rounds, but it's frustrating to see how we can miss out on great players in the 1st round. Out of the 22 starters only 5 are first rounders: Rivers, Jammer, Cason, Merriman and Castillo. At RT: we have Clary who was a 6th rounder or Dombrowski who was undrafted. At RG: We have Louis Vasquez who was a 3rd rounder, he looks to be a very good player. At C we have Nick Hardwick a 3rd rounder. At LG we have Kris Dielman a undrafted free agent. At LT Marcus McNeill who was the highest pick at 2nd round. Dont get me wrong other than RT I really like the OL but this proves the point that A.J is great in later rounds. Gates: Undrafted free agent, VJ: 2nd round, Floyd: Undrafted, Weddle 2nd round, Phillips: 4th round and Siler: 7th round.
As you can see A.J Smith is very good in later rounds but he leaves a lot to wish for in 1st rounds, hopefully those 3 first rounders prove me wrong and prove A.J did a great job.
This FanPost was written by a member of the Bolts From The Blue community and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Bolts From The Blue editors or SB Nation.
23 comments
|
1 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
CB
2006, 2008, 2010….
Just saying AJ loves CBs like I do. Now I dont think CB will be the pick but it could happen. For three years in a row I have at least guessed the position correctly.
This year I think it will be a DE, but I reserve my right to change my mind prior to the draft. This draft really has so much talent we might just have to pick whoever slips, almost regardless of the position.
IMO
Yes AJ does love CBs, this year he might surprise us going with Taylor Mays if he is available. Once again in no means is this post to criticize AJ.
by Adriel Bergman on Apr 13, 2010 8:15 AM PDT up reply actions
His Peers
To judge his position he should be compared to his peers. There was a very informative article I believe on his website that shows he is actually an elite GM. 1st round success or not.
"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken"- Colonel Sanders
I am not saying he is a bad GM, actually I think he is very good but I am evaluating his first round succes. I love how he can find so much talent in later rounds. This post has no intentions criticizing him.
by Adriel Bergman on Apr 13, 2010 8:14 AM PDT up reply actions
AJ does better
when he gambles or finds value instead of reaching.
by Bluelightning on Apr 13, 2010 9:06 AM PDT up reply actions
Wouldn't be suprised...
To see us draft a DT and DE with our first 2 picks, i get the feeling AJ will use the 3rd on a running back as this is a deep RB class.
This wouldn't shock me if a couple guys slipped.
It would be strange to be so fortunate to get, say, Williams and Odrick, but if it happened, then I couldn’t imagine AJ passing it up.
For my money, though, I don’t think we need any more DEs. We have a lot of guys with more potential than trade value, and I hope they try to see if our starters for years to come are already on the roster.
What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the cheerleaders!
by Neoplatonist Bolthead on Apr 13, 2010 9:45 AM PDT up reply actions
Dude knows talent
Cromartie was a risky pick, and even though it didn’t work out in the end I think it took some balls to pull the trigger on that one. The dude has all the tools from the neck down, but if he interviewed like his twitter feed I don’t see how you could want this idiot on your team.
It’s an interesting take, but I’m not buying into the steroid theory on Buster. AJ has been honest about missing on some picks over the past few drafts, and I’m sure that his first round WR contributing only 30 Rec for 299 yards and a TD in three years is one of those picks he’s talking about.
I’m a little confused on Cason as well. When we drafted him, the scouting reports I read graded him as possibly the highest character prospect in the draft. But now I’m reading about how he’s working out on his own, still pissed at the coaches for benching him, and I watched him get torched for some ugly plays last season. I guess we’ll find out a lot more about this guy this year.
Too early to judge on English, but I’m very optimistic about the upside you mentioned.
You’re spot on with the “AJ Smith has always surprised with his first rounder” take. I really don’t know what to expect next week, but I know that I’m expecting a lot more than I was back in the Beathard days, when the only first rounder we had from 94-00 was the-quarterback-who-must-not-be-named. And I know that every pick AJ makes, and every UDFA he signs has potential because he’s proven that he and his staff know how to evaluate talent.
Insert advanced emoticon here >:-)
It's too early to judge the Cason and English picks
AJ really only had one first round bust thus far, I think we are expecting him to pull off a Phillip Rivers esc deal every year….
2004 – Rivers, and Keading (AJ got the pick he drafted Keading with in the Manning deal) + 2005 1st round pick – I would give AJ an A+ for this draft
2005 – Merriman and Castillo – 2005 was probably AJ’s best draft and he picked a probowler and a starter in the first round so you have to give him an A.
2006 – Cromarte – AJ took a risk with Cro and it somewhat paid off… B (C+ if the bolts end up getting a 3rd round pick for Cro from the jets)
2007 – Buster was a bust….F
2008 – Cason look promising and if he can start this year this will be a solid pick
2009 – English – too early to tell.
I agree with your grades
But let’s also consider that over the last several years, we haven’t truly had a GLARING need like we do this year. RB and NT are our 2 biggest needs whereas last year we drafted English to provide depth and only act as a starter if we lost Merriman. Cason was picked because AJ likes CB’s, Buster was picked because we needed WR help, and he turned out to be a bust on the field, but has the talent to produce if he can stay helathy. Cro, Merriman, Rivers were all solid picks (regardless of the off-field issues with Cro and Merriman).
So to say that he has ‘missed’ with his early picks is ridiculous, because he didn’t have any true needs to fill until this year. When we did have the need, I say he’s 1 for 2 (QB was a need when we had Brees so he traded for Rivers, and WR was a need when he missed on Buster).
I honestly have no idea how this draft will unfold because we have a few glaring needs (RB, NT, RT), and a couple of ’it’d be nice to haves’ (safety, corner, future ILB’s etc.) so I’m glad we have AJ, because nobody knows who he’s going to take!
by Christopher Hernandez on Apr 13, 2010 10:42 AM PDT up reply actions
I disagree slightly with the statement
“But let’s also consider that over the last several years, we haven’t truly had a GLARING need”…. Defining “GLARING” is not necessarily all that obvious. What does it mean Glaring meaning if we are relying on the draft to ensure that we have a winning record or contend for the division championship? If that’s the case then yeah, we haven’t had a glaring need.
However I think we need also consider that at some point you are going to have to address that “hump” (as in getting over the hump to the championship). The question is have we done that? I don’t think we have. Going back to the 2006 season we have always had a problem with pass-coverage. When you are at the level we are, and the level that we have been, your draft’s or your FA pickups, should be people that are going to get you over that hump….. we have yet to acquire that person – or those people – to do that in my opinion. Yeah we have bee good for the last 5 or so years, almost great. But we have never won the championship, and I think that we were worthy of at least 2.
It is a perspective issue
So to say that he has ‘missed’ with his early picks is ridiculous
To me it seems like AJ has had average success with his top picks. He has just done so darn good with the late picks and the UDFAs. I think it draws attention to his earlier choices.
by Trendsearcher on Apr 15, 2010 9:47 AM PDT up reply actions
AJ's first rounders are depth players as rookies
Buster Davis wasn’t ready to contribute as a rookie, so he had to get in line. Cason and English had no shot at starting; Cason will enter the starting lineup this year. Cromartie was just about exactly worth what we paid. Merriman, Castillo and Rivers were all big hits. The only bona fide bust of the bunch has been Sammy Davis.
What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the cheerleaders!
by Neoplatonist Bolthead on Apr 15, 2010 1:48 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Craig Davis healthy?
I thought Acee had that twitter feed that Buster was going in for a pedicure last week?
Doesn’t that mean he’ll be out for the rest of the 2010 season?
Although Buster does have a hard time staying healthy
thats not the only reason he was inactive in games last season. You can only have 45 players dress on gameday, which means 8 players from your 53 man roster will not dress.
With as deep as the Chargers are at WR they kept Buster inactive on gameday so we can activate a few extra D-lineman to rotate in at NT.
The point is that Buster was not inactive on gameday exclusively due to injuries and if we really needed him to play he would’ve played.
Buster was not inactive on gameday exclusively due to injuries
which is another way of saying that he was inactive sometimes due to the fact that he was the most useless receiver on the roster.
Insert advanced emoticon here >:-)
by theGEN3RAL on Apr 13, 2010 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I don't know about that
He only has 30 regular season receptions since being drafted, but there’s got to be a reason he’s still on the roster right? The guys only 24 years old. Now that he’s had 3 years to develop , give him a chance to actually get on the field before labelling him “worthless.”
by SoCalBoltFan on Apr 13, 2010 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions
correction
“useless” same difference though : )
by SoCalBoltFan on Apr 13, 2010 2:37 PM PDT up reply actions
They started the year with 5 receivers on the roster
Jackson, Chambers, Floyd, Naanee, Osgood. Osgod just for Special teams. Buster was healthy last year and when Chambers was cut it was thought he would go on active roster. But due to injuries at other positions they had an extra lineman on active roster I think and Buster missed his chance until the Washington game when guys were rested.
Next year he will be on the active gameday roster IMO and I think he has a reasonable season.
by Aussiecharger on Apr 13, 2010 5:05 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
Rec'd
That’s exactly what i was trying to say up above. You actually worded it a lot better though.
by SoCalBoltFan on Apr 13, 2010 5:45 PM PDT up reply actions
I didn’t label the guy useless or worthless, because if that was the case he wouldn’t be on the roster at all.
The thrust of my comment was:
he was inactive sometimes due to the fact that he was the most useless receiver on the roster
Notice that I am speaking comparatively, saying that compared to the other receivers on the roster (Jackson, Chambers, Floyd, Naanee, Osgood), Buster has the highest degree of uselessness :-)
I’m hoping that he reduces his uselessness this season and has the reasonable season that Aussiecharger is predicting
Insert advanced emoticon here >:-)
You can't coach tall or fast
… and Buster is not getting any more of either of these two skills.
At LSU he was part of something really special. In San Diego he just hasn’t been able to move up the depth chart in the past. I assume he will not have the stuff to move up in the future either.
AJ is gonna bring in someone that will eat Buster’s lunch.
by Trendsearcher on Apr 14, 2010 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bolts From The Blue
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
BFTB Apparel Store
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Ryan Tannehill won’t start right away, according to Dolphins’ owner
- Lions WR Titus Young barred from practice after starting fight with teammate
- Winslow move could be a costly one for Bucs in the short term
- Matthew Stafford spends $15,000 to win auction package, then gives it to a young fan’s family
- Tim Tebow allegedly asked Broadway actress to remove scantily clad Twitter photo
