San Diego Chargers Daily Links: February 27, 2013

Chargers' can't afford projects - Kevin Acee (paywall)
Actually, there was a surprising amount of praise for the Chargers’ drafts the past two years. The big criticism -- both internally and from outside – is how the Chargers have let so many good players go. But the fact is that the team under A.J. Smith for several years drafted a disproportionate number of players that were projects.

Helix's Jamar Taylor builds buzz at combine - Michael Gehlken (paywall)
Taylor created a stir, and more importantly, the ex-Boise State cornerback strengthened his draft portfolio, solidifying the case for his name to be called no later than April 26, the second day of the NFL Draft.

McCoy Answers Fan Questions on Combine, Coaching and Chargers - Chargers.com
Well, what we’ll have here are system definitions for each position. We know what we’re looking for at each position, and each coach and coordinator is working to define what that will be. We then tell our scouts what it is we’re looking for at the position and they go out and find the best people to fit in our schemes. The scouts will then have write ups on each player that tell us about them and what type of player they are in games and in practice. Every player is different, but we try to find their strengths and weaknesses. Part of my job as a coach that I find important is to turn their weaknesses into a strength through coaching.

NFL Combine: Scouting the Defensive Backs - Chargers.com
I was only able to watch the first of the two secondary groups going today as I needed to catch my flight back to San Diego, but I was impressed by a number of players. One guy who I was interested in seeing out on the field was troubled LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu. This kid hasn’t been on the football field in a year after being kicked off the team, but I thought he showed little to no rust in drills.

Stat IDs Knile Davis as a gem - Danny Tuccitto (Insider)
Turning to more heralded running backs in this draft class, consensus No. 1 back Eddie Lacy (Alabama) did not participate because of a hamstring injury, and Speed Scores shouldn't affect the rankings much for those who did participate. Michigan State's Le'Veon Bell (102.7) and UCLA's Johnathan Franklin (100.9) were the only ones to break 100, albeit barely, and the worst result among potential Day 1 or Day 2 selections was the 83.4 Speed Score posted by Stanford's Stepfan Taylor.

The Best On-Field RB Prospect No One is Talking About - Matt Waldman
It’s late and I have to write about this prospect because he’s one of the few that generated that "wow" factor for me. Understand, the "wow" factor for me has included players ranging from Matt Forte, Ray Rice, Russell Wilson, and Ahmad Bradshaw to Cedric Peerman, Nate Davis, Trent Edwards, and Bilal Powell. Even if I have defensible rationale for the last four, my inner compass may point true north but I don’t always find a way to navigate through the wilderness unscathed.