Pre-Combine Draft Rankings Collection: Safety

Some of the positions that we've looked at the rankings for had some complications to them, but at safety it's simple. There's only player in the 1st round conversation and even he is barely in it. Now, that's a crying shame because the Chargers could use a playmaker at safety. Last season, they had Eric Weddle, Steve Gregory and Paul Oliver. They also had a rookie in Darrell Stuckey, but he was injured all year and never got the experience to give you confidence that he can be a starter in 2011. As of right now, Eric Weddle and Paul Oliver do not have contracts with the Chargers. Pretty soon you'll probably hear that the Chargers have offered Weddle and Oliver Restricted Free Agent tenders, but a new CBA could undo all that and make them free agents. If that happens the Chargers will have to compete with other team for their services. That could mean big bucks being doled out and dealing with agents in power positions (not something that you associate with the Chargers Front Office). It'd be nice if you could look to the draft and see and a safety net (no pun intended) for the position. But, all there is is one guy....

I like Moore. He's going to be a starting safety in this league for years. However, it seems obvious that none of these prognosticators believe that he'll be a stud or an All Pro. Translated that means that they think he'll be drafted outside the top 20. The Chargers always have the option (although rarely taken) to trade down. Doing so would allow them a shot at a guy like Moore in a draft position fitting of his rankings in addition to some extra picks. It's a little too early for me to say that's what they should do, but I consider it a quality option given some of the other choices.