I had been trying to think up a way to present a post about a cluster of players the Chargers could be targeting when I found an article on draft tiers Todd McShay of ESPN's Scouts, Inc (subscription required). He broke down all the players from the top of the first round to the fringes of the third round. I want to look at the first two picks the Chargers have and what sort of value is present there. The Chargers first two picks fit into the following tiers as defined by McShay: Late First Round and Early-to-mid Second Round. The tiers helped me to form a cluster of players that could be targeted in the first and second round and sort coincides with how I looked at doing mock drafts this offseason. Think of it as a healthy mix of Scouts, Inc data/opinions, my opinions, some wishful thinking and common perceptions that helps from a somewhat informed preview of what's to come next week.
First Round Cluster:
| Player | Position | School | HT | WT | 40 | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Williams | DT | Tennessee | 6-2 | 307 | 5.27 | Top Half of First Round |
| Kareem Jackson | CB | Alabama | 5-10½ | 196 | 4.48 | Mid First Round |
| Kyle Wilson | CB | Boise State | 5-10 | 194 | 4.42 | Late First Round |
| Jared Odrick | DE | Penn State | 6-5 | 304 | 5.09 | Late First Round |
| Ryan Mathews | RB | Fresno State | 5-11⅝ | 218 | 4.45 | Late First Round |
| Charles Brown | OT | USC | 6-5⅜ | 303 | 5.23 | Late First Round |
| Devin McCourty | CB | Rutgers | 5-10¾ | 193 | 4.48 | Fringe First Rounder |
| Jahvid Best | RB | California | 5-10⅛ | 199 | 4.35 | Fringe First Rounder |
Second Round Cluster:
| Player | Position | School | HT | WT | 40 | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Mathews | RB | Fresno State | 5-11⅝ | 218 | 4.45 | Late First Round |
| Charles Brown | OT | USC | 6-5⅜ | 303 | 5.23 | Late First Round |
| Rodger Saffold | OT | Indiana | 6-4⅝ | 316 | 5.25 | Fringe First Rounder |
| Devin McCourty | CB | Rutgers | 5-10¾ | 193 | 4.48 | Fringe First Rounder |
| Jahvid Best | RB | California | 5-10⅛ | 199 | 4.35 | Fringe First Rounder |
| Tyson Alualu | DE | California | 6-2⅜ | 295 | 5.02 | Fringe First Rounder |
| Patrick Robinson | CB | Florida State | 5-11¼ | 190 | 4.50 | Fringe First Rounder |
| Lamarr Houston | DE | Texas | 6-2¾ | 305 | 4.89 | Fringe First Rounder |
| Arrelious Benn | WR | Illinois | 6-1 | 219 | 4.59 | Fringe First Rounder |
| Terrence Cody | NT | Alabama | 6-3⅝ | 354 | 5.71 | Early to Mid Second Round |
| Linval Joseph | NT/DE | East Carolina | 6-4½ | 328 | 5.10 | Early to Mid Second Round |
| Nate Allen | FS | South Florida | 6-0½ | 207 | 4.51 | Early to Mid Second Round |
Here's a break down of some of the tiers that I was looking at. You can use these to form your own opinions about who the Chargers could draft using your own opinions about needs and value.
The Late First Round Tier consists of:
| Player | Position | School | HT | WT | 40 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Wilson | CB | Boise State | 5-10 | 194 | 4.42 |
| Jared Odrick | DE | Penn State | 6-5 | 304 | 5.09 |
| Ryan Mathews | RB | Fresno State | 5-11⅝ | 218 | 4.45 |
| Everson Griffen | DE | USC | 6-3⅜ | 273 | 4.66 |
| Daryl Washington | OLB | TCU | 6-1¾ | 230 | 4.66 |
| Charles Brown | OT | USC | 6-5⅜ | 303 | 5.23 |
The Early-to-mid Second Round tier consists of:
| Player | Position | School | HT | WT | 40 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Lee | ILB | Penn State | 6-2⅛ | 236 | 4.80 |
| Golden Tate | WR | Notre Dame | 5-10¼ | 199 | 4.42 |
| Chris Cook | CB | Virginia | 6-2 | 212 | 4.46 |
| Jon Asamoah | OG | Illinois | 6-4 | 305 | 5.07 |
| Terrence Cody | DT | Alabama | 6-3⅝ | 354 | 5.71 |
| Navorro Bowman | OLB | Penn State | 6-0½ | 242 | 4.77 |
| Linval Joseph | DT | East Carolina | 6-4½ | 328 | 5.10 |
| Colt McCoy | QB | Texas | 6-1⅛ | 216 | 4.79 |
| Koa Misi | OLB | Utah | 6-2⅝ | 251 | 4.78 |
| Nate Allen | S | South Florida | 6-0½ | 207 | 4.51 |
There is a tier that sits in between these two called Fringe First Rounders. These players would have good value with our second round pick and would be minor reaches with our 1st round pick. In the last 3 drafts A.J. has dipped down into players that are in this tier (as defined by Scouts, Inc and Todd McShay) for Larry English, Antoine Cason and Buster Davis.
The Fringe First Rounders consist of:
| Player | Position | School | HT | WT | 40 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Weatherspoon | OLB | Missouri | 6-1¼ | 239 | 4.68 |
| Taylor Mays | S | USC | 6-3⅛ | 203 | 4.43 |
| Tyson Alualu | DT | California | 6-2⅜ | 295 | 5.02 |
| Rodger Saffold | OT | Indiana | 6-4⅝ | 316 | 5.25 |
| Devin McCourty | CB | Rutgers | 5-10¾ | 193 | 4.48 |
| Arrelious Benn | WR | Illinois | 6-1 | 219 | 4.59 |
| Lamarr Houston | DT | Texas | 6-2¾ | 305 | 4.89 |
| Jimmy Clausen | QB | Notre Dame | 6-2⅝ | 222 | 4.75 |
| Carlos Dunlap | DE | Florida | 6-5¾ | 277 | 4.71 |
| Patrick Robinson | CB | Florida State | 5-11¼ | 190 | 4.50 |
| Rob Gronkowski | TE | Arizona | 6-6¼ | 264 | 4.75 |
| Jahvid Best | RB | California | 5-10⅛ | 199 | 4.35 |
There is also an opportunity with the Chargers 1st round pick (#28 overall) to make a value pick if a player were to slip. In an effort not to keep up with the spirit of Mr. McShay's subscription-only work I'm not going to post any more of his work here. I will say that if you've heard other names associated with the Chargers first round pick (i.e. Dan Williams, Rolando McClain, Brandon Graham, etc.) then they are probably guys that would be steals if they fell to the Chargers. Similarly, there are players that aren't on these lists that may have been mentioned as Chargers second round picks that according this tiering system would reaches of varying degrees (i.e. Ben Tate, Toby Gerhart, Cam Thomas, Dominique Franks, Perrish Cox, etc).