Before getting to this week's games let's bring back the team needs chart. Last week I had some people who were asking for something like that who must have missed it the first time around. Plus, I had said that it would return and possibly get updated.
| Team Needs | |||
| Starter | Starter Competition | Depth | Projects |
| Current starter is FA next year and has no surefire understudy | Current starter is FA next year and has understudy or current starter is inexperienced | One or more backups are FAs next year | May need a new starter or backup after 2012 season |
| S, FB, C, DT | S, ILB, WR, C, DT | S, ILB, WR, RB | QB, K, OG, OLB, DT, DE |
There's not much to change here, but I do have some notes from the first couple weeks of Chargers games. At ILB the Chargers are hurting a big. Stephen Cooper and Na'il Diggs are considered temporary depth and couple be replaced next year by younger players. Jonas Mouton has now been put on IR and won't get to develop much this year. Takeo Spikes isn't young. Donald Butler, while looking good so far, is not a sure thing. The Chargers will need help at ILB in the future. A safety Bob Sanders had a tough week, plus some dings and nicks, and if that continues the Chargers may not bring him back next year. Or at the very least will need to start grooming a replacement.
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This game has local interest as the Aztecs travel to Ann Arbor to take on their former Head Coach Brady Hoke. Judging from last year there are plenty of Chargers fans who also follow the Aztecs, so this year I'll get their scouting reports out early. This isn't a great game for scouting purposes, but these are both teams the Chargers did draft from last year (Vincent Brown and Jonas Mouton) and the Aztecs are a team that the Chargers have gotten players from plenty of times (Antwan Applewhite, Kassim Osgood and Brandyn Dombrowski in the past decade). The Aztecs also have a QB, Ryan Lindley, that could potentially face the Chargers some day as he's sure to get drafted next April. On the other side Michigan has a QB, Denard Robinson, that is a bit of a wild card. He's a runner with some passing talent that no one is sure what the NFL will do with him. |
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We've talked about this plenty, but one of the positions where the future is uncertain is WR. This game features two of college's best. Oklahoma St. has the highly touted Justin Blackmon, who is considered a sure-fire first round pick assuming that he declares this year. He was draft eligible last year, but chose to stay. He's still just a junior, but is expected to come out. The other, Jeff Fuller, plays for Texas A&M and at times has been thought of as a first rounder, but currently carries a slightly lower grade. Oklahoma St. also has a safety, Markelle Martin, that carries a second round grade and could draw Charger interest. Both teams feature QBs that could hear their names called in April 2012. |
| BFTB Scouting Targets: | |||||
| Player | School | Pos. | Class | Height | Weight |
| Justin Blackmon |
Oklahoma St. |
WR | Jr. | 6'1 | 211 lbs |
| To be the perfect WR prospect he'd have to be a little taller, but his leaping ability does a lot to make up for that. He's a smart player and works hard, but his 2010 DUI would tell you his judgment isn't perfect. He's not going to wow anyone at the combine in the non-football drills, but he can run routes, fool defenders, beat defenders one-on-one and his hands and body control are near perfect. I haven't heard this comp before, but maybe a Reggie Wayne one fits. (1st round) |
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| Jeff Fuller |
Texas A&M |
WR | Sr. | 6'3 | 217 lbs |
| Fuller has more of the height you are looking for in the position, but his football IQ isn't as high as Blackmon and the same goes for his route running. Although he can run those go and fade routes like few others can. He's strong catching the bad and has good body control. He's not a burner, but his long strides can take him places. He has an arrest from 2010 on his record for consumption of alcohol by a minor. (2nd Round) |
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| Markelle Martin |
Oklahoma St. | S |
Sr. | 6'0 | 202 lbs |
| A safety with good size, very good speed and a pension for getting injured. He'll try to finally stay healthy this year as he shows of his awareness and diagnostic abilities from the safety position. He's not a big hitter, but he's an aggressive player and his capable of knocking balls loose. He's shown that he's rangy and can cover as well or better than any college safety can. It'll be interesting to see him have to take on Fuller at times. (2nd round) |
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| Mike Martin | Michigan | DT | Sr. | 6'2 | 297 lbs |
| Martin's build is similar to that of Corey Liuget, but obviously judging by his draft grade he's not the athlete or playmaker that the Chargers DE is. His skill set (or lack thereof) as a pass rusher will scare away some 4-3 teams, but the Chargers could probably use him for depth at DE. (4th round) |
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| David Molk | Michigan | C | Sr. | 6'2 | 287 lbs |
| The Chargers have to figure out their Nick Hardwick situation and if they choose to draft his replacement in the mid rounds this is a guy with some of the same qualities. He's a vocal leader and smart player. He's not a mauler, but a guy who can pick up blitzes and stunts and use leverage to make plays. Has upside since he needs help with his footwork. (4th round) |
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| Junior Hemingway | Michigan | WR | Sr. | 6'1 | 227 lbs |
| Bulky, injury prone and fiery WR. As with most mid round prospects he has his flaws. A little inconsistent catching the ball. His size is an advantage along with his speed and he can be a downfield threat by getting past a jam and quickly getting deep. (4th round) |
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| NFL Prospects: | |||||
| Player | School | Pos. | Class | Height | Weight |
| Levy Adcock | Oklahoma St. | OT | Sr. | 6'6 | 322 lbs |
| Big, tough, hard nosed, run blocking specialist OT who has that means streak that scouts look for. No character issues, very durable. Will have trouble with speed rushers in the NFL. (2nd round) | |||||
| Coryell Judie | Texas A&M | CB | Sr. | 5'11 | 187 lbs |
| An okay cover corner with great ball skills and excels with the football in his hands. He'll return kicks for someone in the NFL and perhaps develop into a decent CB as well. (2nd round) | |||||
| Cyrus Gray | Texas A&M | RB | Sr. | 5'10 | 202 lbs |
| High character, durable RB who could be a decent scat back in the NFL. Has kick return experience. Lots of catches out of the backfield. Not going to be hurting people by running up the middle. (3rd round) | |||||
| Ryan Tannehill | Texas A&M | QB | Sr. | 6'4 | 222 lbs |
| Athletic QB that stepped in and won games last year after their starter struggled, which showed good leadership. Skills are raw. (3rd round) | |||||
| Ryan Lindley | San Diego St. | QB | Sr. | 6'3 | 232 lbs |
| Has pro-style offense familiarity. Great arm strength. Not the most accurate. He's a tough competitor, but some questions about whether he can come through in the clutch. Has a little bit of a gunslinger label. (3rd round) | |||||
| Brandon Weeden | Oklahoma St. | QB | Sr. | 6'3 | 217 lbs |
| Kind of a lean QB. Tough though and played through a ruptured tendon in the thumb of his throwing hand last year. He's spread QB that also has a gunslinger label. He's pretty raw, but athletic. Throws a little sidearmed, kind of like a SS in baseball, which makes sense because he's played a lot of baseball. (5th round) | |||||
| Sleepers: | |||||
| Player | School | Pos. | Class | Height | Weight |
| Daryl Stonum | Michigan | WR | Sr. | 6'2 | 197 lbs |
| Has character issues and has trouble catching the ball, but apparently there's some upside with him. Possibly a future possession receiver who can also return kicks. (Late Rounds) | |||||
| Miles Burris | San Diego St. | OLB | Sr. | 6'2 | 241 lbs |
| Senior leader that has the build of an ILB for the Chargers. (UDFA) | |||||
| Garrick Williams | Texas A&M | OLB | Sr. | 6'2 | 237 lbs |
| Another OLB that could be looked at as a 3-4 ILB. (UDFA) | |||||
| Tony Jerod-eddie | Texas A&M | DT | Sr. | 6'5 | 300 lbs |
| Nice build for a run-stopping 3-4 DE. (UDFA) | |||||
| Troy Woolfork | Michigan | S | Sr. | 5'11 | 198 lbs |
| Longtime contributor to Wolverines D that's seen stock go steadily down. Maybe he can bounce back. (UDFA) | |||||