FanPost

Wide Receiver a Need for the Chargers? Me Thinks Not!

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Some publications and/or football websites insist that Wide Receiver is a need for the Chargers in the upcoming draft. Why is this? I'm not sure. The Chargers got good production from the current crop of Wide Receivers on the roster (and the one RFA), but for some reason, the national media insists that one of the Charger's needs this off-season is Wide Receiver.

For example:

ESPN’s 2013 Chargers NFL draft guide:

Personnel needs:

OL, CB/S, WR, RB

WalterFootball.com’s 2013 NFL Offseason: San Diego Chargers:

Wide Receiver: Danario Alexander is a solid starting receiver when healthy, but he's very injury-prone. Malcom Floyd, meanwhile, epitomizes mediocrity. The Chargers have to find an alternative option at receiver for Rivers.

ESPN’s Bill Williamson in regards to WR Ryan Swope:

They need a receiver, and a player of Swope’s skill set would greatly help. With other pressing needs, taking Swope in the middle rounds makes sense for San Diego.

ProFootballTalk’s Mock Draft 2:

11. Chargers: WR Keenan Allen, California.

Why do all of these people think that the Chargers are in desperate need of help at the Wide Receiver position? Maybe this is because the national media only sees the loss of Vincent Jackson with the addition of Robert Meachem and the respective production (or, in Meachem's case, lack thereof). This would be a misnomer, though. Danario Alexander played in only 10 games for the Chargers and he registered catches in all but 2 of the games--his first with the club and the game against the Panthers (a game in which Rivers only threw for 121 yards). Also, Malcolm Floyd had his second most productive year as a professional last year. They might be skimming the surface and can’t actually see what production the Chargers got out of their pass catchers last year.

Player

Rec

Yds

Yds/Rec

Long

TD

Malcom Floyd

56

814

14.5

39

5

Antonio Gates

49

538

11

34

7

Ronnie Brown

49

371

7.6

25

0

Ryan Mathews

39

252

6.5

24

0

Danario Alexander

37

658

17.8

80

7

Eddie Royal

23

234

10.2

31

1

Jackie Battle

15

108

7.2

18

1

Robert Meachem

14

207

14.8

46

2

Curtis Brinkley

12

77

6.4

12

0

Dante Rosario

10

95

9.5

18

3

Micheal Spurlock

9

79

8.8

13

0

Randy McMichael

9

51

5.7

13

0

Le'Ron McClain

8

29

3.6

12

0

Ladarius Green

4

56

14

31

0

Seyi Ajirotutu

3

45

15

28

0

Jeromey Clary

1

-8

-8

-8

0

Yes, no single receiver had gaudy numbers (aside from Alexander in a smaller sample size), but there was players who produced. No, Eddie Royal and Robert Meachem didn’t produce as was hoped by the previous regime, which is probably a main ingredient as to why they are the previous regime. Aside from Clary’s clear lack of production as a pass catcher, as a whole, this was a pretty solid year for the receiving core, and with exception from a horrendous drop and lack of chemistry with the quarterback from the aforementioned Meachem.

Also, what the national media seems to forget is that Vincent Brown will be back on the field next year. Brown showed flashes in 2011 and most Charger fans were extremely optimistic about his production in 2012. This optimism was bolstered by his first pre-season game in 2012, and part of the second one, too, until he was injured. There’s no credible reason to believe that Brown can’t pick up where he left off.


Currently, here’s the who’s who of the Chargers Wide Receivers:

Mike Willie, Robert Meachem, Vincent Brown, Deon Butler, Eddie Royal, Dan DePalma, Malcom Floyd, Richard Goodman, and the RFA Danario Alexander.

Now, that’s not an impressive list of names, but a team does not need an impressive list of names to play the position. A team needs production and having an impressive name doesn’t necessarily equate to producing.

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.