The time leading up to the draft is fun and frustrating for us at BFTB. We're rarely right about who the San Diego Chargers are going to select with their first-round draft pick, and this year probably will be no different. However, we've taken to thinking outside the box when it comes to positions A.J. Smith & Co. might be targeting.
Wonko and I were discussing this earlier today and figured that Offensive Tackle sounds like a spot that Smith might try to grab early.
With the news that Brandyn Dombrowski is competing for the vacant LG position with Tyronne Green, there's a hole left at backup OT behind Jared Gaither and Jeromey Clary. At the same time, Clary isn't exactly viewed as irreplaceable and Gaither's track record for laziness is far longer than his track record for success in the NFL.
Drafting someone that could either back those two up or force one of them to the bench seems only logical, since there's no great options left in free agency. The last thing the team needs is another situation where the LT is out and Philip Rivers is under attack. We've all seen how that movie ends.
Here are the names of the OT prospects expected to be selected in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft:
- Riley Reiff, Iowa
- Jonathan Martin, Stanford
- Cordy Glenn, Georgia
- Mike Adams, Ohio State