Bolt-Load of Links: 5/2 Chargers Links

Gee, last night was crazy, wasn't it?  I don't know about you guys (and gals), but I was glued to my TV all night long. I was hanging on every word, anxious to see what they would say next. Information was coming out at breakneck speed and I just couldn't believe what I was actually hearing.

I'll tell you, ESPN surely does go all out with their post-draft coverage.  Oh yeah, and Osama bin Laden is dead (not sure if you'd heard that yet).

Today, talk around the water cooler will likely be dominated by bin Laden, and then probably transition into the Draft.  There might even be a little talk about the lockout and CBA. What makes the draft sexier though is that it's a sense of "normalcy" in football. We all know the draft is supposed to happen. And when it does, the creatures of habit that we are, we revel in the normalcy.

Anyway, I'm doing links a little bit differently today. I'm actually grouping things together by general topics.  Enough blabbering, onto the links.

• Osama bin Laden killed in U.S. raid in Pakistan - CBS News
  After 10 years of hunting, team of CIA officers, Navy SEALs kill bin Laden in firefight near Pakistani capital.
• NFL draft takes backseat to Osama bin Laden's death - Peter King - SI.com
  Had he been there at pick number 36, Cincinnati likely would have taken him. But Brees got drafted by the Chargers on the first pick of round two. The Bengals with the 36th pick instead chose Chad Johnson, receiver, Oregon State ... And now you know the rest of the story.

Chargers Draft Coverage

• When it comes to the draft, the draftniks know squat - SignOnSanDiego.com
  The NFL draft at once has to double as the most hilarious and frustrating exercise exercised on American soil. Everyone who has watched a football game, everyone who has played football, everyone who hasn’t played football and everyone with Internet access knows more than those doing the actual drafting.
• Like everyone else, Bolts have to wait to see draft fruit - SignOnSanDiego.com
  Despite our need to assign instantaneous grades to drafts, it will take months and even years to truly see the realized potential of the eight players the Chargers added over the past three days.
• Chargers complete special draft - SignOnSanDiego.com
  An obscure linebacker from Missouri put an exclamation point on a Chargers draft that majored in defense and minored in special teams.
• Draft emphasizes defense, special teams - Chargers.com
  The Chargers went for volume at the top of the draft while collecting several fast players that should contribute in the kicking game.
• CHARGERS: Smith still on hunt for outside linebacker | North County Times
  There was one box left unchecked. The Chargers didn't get a much-needed pass-rushing outside linebacker to complement the overworked Shaun Phillips.
• Inside the Draft Room - Chargers.com
  Ever wonder what it’s like inside the Chargers’ draft room? Though hundreds of man hours distill into three days of harvest, San Diego’s preparation allows the decision-makers in the room to monitor the picks with a certain level of satisfaction.

AFC West Draft Coverage

• 2011 NFL Draft Grades Vary For Kansas City Chiefs - Arrowhead Pride
  There are lots of varying opinions on the Kansas City Chiefs 2011 NFL draft class ranging from great upside to head scratcher. I've been calling the class a B at this point (with the caveat that you can't truly grade a class 24 hours after the draft is over).

• 2011 NFL Draft Grades: What the Experts Think of the Oakland Raiders Draft - Silver And Black Pride
  A look at the draft grades for the Oakland Raiders as assigned by the prestigious members of the media.

• 2011 NFL Draft Grades: Denver Broncos Draft Grades From Around The Web - Mile High Report
  Reaction and Draft Grades from around the web on the Denver Broncos 2011 NFL Draft.

• Broncos hope Julius Thomas can box out Antonio Gates — The Denver Post
  The Broncos may have finally found a solution: If you can’t beat him, box him out.

• AFC West draft analysis - ESPN
  There weren’t any stunning picks in the AFC West, but I think the Chargers’ selection of Illinois defensive lineman Corey Liuget at No. 18 surprised some.

• Where they stand review - ESPN
  The Chargers prepared for the likely free-agent departure of Sproles by taking Connecticut running back Jordan Todman and Clemson defensive back Marcus Gilchrist. Todman is considered a change-of-pace back and a dynamic returner. Gilchrist is also a returner. It sure seems San Diego is ready to move away from Sproles.

NFL Draft Coverage

• What a mock draft misses | National Football Post
  Yes, all of the draft experts have done their research. They’ve evaluated players on their football talent as well as their off the field actions. They’ve ranked them in order of ability, size, and strength. But, what aspects of a player does a mock draft miss?

• 2012 NFL Mock Draft: Who Goes After Stanford Quarterback Andrew Luck? - SBNation.com
  It's never too early to look ahead to the next NFL Draft. In 2012, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck will be the most coveted prospect in years, but where will he land -- and will he have any competition for the top spot?

• Ryan Leaf looks back on the draft: I should have stayed in school | ProFootballTalk
  Every year at NFL draft time, Ryan Leaf’s name comes up as the example of the greatest bust the league has ever seen. Thursday, Leaf said on the Dan Patrick Show that when he looks back on his draft experience, his greatest regret is that he decided to leave Washington State after his junior year.

• Tomlinson Safe in New York | FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS
  Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that despite the selection of Louisville running back Bilal Powell in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, the New York Jets will not be parting ways with veteran running back.

Labor Negotiations

• NFL files brief, uses players’ words on lockout against them | ProFootballTalk
  Ray Lewis’ comment that he’s "never had a summer to myself" was used in the briefing to show that players aren’t suffering harm. Wes Welker’s sarcastic joke that the league should do a "lockout every year" was also thrown in the mix.

• Five need-to-knows about the 8th Circuit's pending ruling | NFL.com
  If the 8th Circuit grants the league the full stay it desires, its right to lock out players will be preserved until an appeal is heard. That likely won't be done until the summer, so offseason programs for teams could be completely lost.

• Chargers back to work, but only briefly - SignOnSanDiego.com
  About a dozen Chargers players showed up at Chargers Park on Friday, allowed to work out at the facility for the first time since early March. No one knows the next time they’ll be allowed back.