Combine day 1: Fat guys in spandex and Telesco stating the obvious

When I eat a pop tart, I like to get the gross part out of the way first.  So I start with the crust.  The NFL Scouting Combine is set up in the same way.  Day 1 started off with about 50 300+ pound men walking up on stage in nothing but spandex, in front of a room full of on-lookers.  Luckily for most of us however, we didn't have to watch it first hand and we can just read about it.

Here is a full list of the weigh in results for the offensive line.

Thoughts on the weigh in

• A guy I have been a fan of the past few weeks answered one of the biggest question marks on him at the weigh in.  DJ Humphries, OT Florida, had the unique criticism for an offensive tackle of weighing too little, listed between 285-290 pounds during his time at UF.  Today Humphries measured in at 6'5" and 307 lbs.  It will be important to watch how he moves and see if he can keep his excellent athleticism and movement skills after adding at least 17 lbs.  He has been flying up draft boards lately (including being mocked to the Chargers in the 1st by NFL network draft expert Daniel Jeremiah) and this will push him up even higher.
• Two other highly rated OT's, La'el Collins from LSU and TJ Clemmings from Pitt, made scouts happy by weighing in only 1 lb heavier than they were at the Senior Bowl.  This shows a lot of discipline to maintain a constant weight while preparing for an event like the combine, which in large part is mostly a track meet.
• Moving inside to OG, two other senior bowl participants did have large weight fluctuations (considering the senior bowl was only about 3 1/2 weeks ago) are FSU OG Tre Jackson and Alabama OG Arie Kouandjio.  Jackson has added 7 lbs up to 330, which is troubling as he was already being criticized for his "fluffy" body shape.  Kouandjio however, who has been touted for his good athleticism for his size, has dropped 8 lbs down to 310, which should help him to show off those movement skills.
• At the OC position, BFTB favorite Cameron Erving further solidified his position as the top player at that position with his weigh in.  Not only did he have great size at 6'4" and 314 lbs, but his arms were over an inch longer than any other OC at the combine, and his hands were also the largest.  Between his on field experience and now his measured size, he has also confirmed he could play any position along the line, although he really shines at OC.
• An OC who possibly lost a little money with his size numbers, at least for me, is Auburn C Reese Dismukes.  He was the lightest OC to weigh in, at 296 lbs, but more concerning for me was his hand size.  Every other OC at the draft had at least 10" hands, while Dismukes' hands are only 8 7/8".  I don't know about you, but I would want the only guy who touches the ball every single offensive play to have very large hands to secure that ball.

To be honest, I have not looked into the tight ends in this draft yet, as I would be surprised if we drafted one.  But for those interested, here is how that group measured in:

Tom Telesco says some things

While the media waited for the players to finish medical exams and get all measured up, they got to kill time listening in to 15 minute press conferences from coaches and general managers from multiple teams.  One of those GM's was the Chargers own Tom Telesco.  If you want to see the entire press conference by TT they have a video posted over on the Chargers official website.  However I wanted to take a look at a few specific things he said.

First, TT was asked about DJ Fluker and if the plan was to leave him at RT.  Here is what TT had to say:

"That's the plan right now. We think he has the ability to probably play a couple different spots. But right now, the plan is to leave him out there. He was a little uneven at times, I think early in the year. Not so much physical wise, but more technique. He had some games late in the year where he showed exactly what he can do, and that's pass protect on the right side. We know he's a great run blocker. He can move people, he's got great effort getting out to the second level. His enthusiasm in the run game, you can see that on tape and can see that live. In pass protection, he can do it out there, there's no doubt."

Someone then asked, if that is the plan now, how could that change?  TT's response:

"I guess the plan is right tackle right now. Things could change through March, April, May, June, July. It's not something that we're actively looking at right now as, 'Where are we going to put DJ?' Right now, DJ is our right tackle and we're pretty happy with him there."

Now before you grab that pen to write Fluker's name at RT, here is why you should take what Telesco said with a grain of salt.

1)The NFL is famous, or infamous depending on how you look at it, for their smoke and mirrors in the lead up to the draft.  Nobody wants to show their hand, and for good reason.  So it would be stupid of TT to come out and be specific, especially about a position that only has a few 1st round talents.

2)What else is he supposed to say? DJ Fluker is/was the only player on the team considered a starting quality RT.  So exactly like Telesco said "I guess the plan is right tackle right now. Things could change..."  If a starting quality RT is available, at the right price, in free agency...the plan could change.  If the Chargers are on the clock, and the highest player on their board is an OT they like at RT more than Fluker....the plan could change.

3)The Chargers have already arranged a meeting with La'el Collins, who is a 1st round lock at this point.  I am sure over the next few days we will also hear that they've met with more early round OT prospects.  Now this could also be more of those smoke and mirror tactics, however the teams are limited on their prospect meetings at the combine, so I am inclined to think that they wouldn't waste too many of these on "false" leads.

Now, I'm not by any means saying to ignore what Telesco said.  What I am saying, is that until FA and the Draft are over, nobody will even have a good idea of where Fluker will start next year.

The other question that I know everyone will be interested in, is when Telesco was asked about the plan with Ryan Mathews.

"It's really about the same as its been the last time I talked. Ryan is a talented foottball player and as everyone can probably see, we're a different team with him on the field, with his speed and physicality and his talent level. We're still discussing some things. We'll meet with his agent again here at the combine and see where that leads us."

Basically, there is nothing really to read in to here other than the fact that they are indeed going to speak to his agent.

That about wraps up the first day.  Check back tonight for a day 2 wrap up including (hopefully) a list of players the Chargers have started meeting with.