Three Years Later: Reviewing the Chargers 2014 Draft Class

Tom Telesco has held the reigns of the Chargers roster for the last 4 seasons. Going into his 5th draft as GM for the Chargers, we figured it would be the appropriate time to check out how the players he drafted have panned out. Immediate reactions to the draft in 2014 are here in the form of an article entitled 2014 NFL Draft Grades: San Diego Chargers by John Gennaro.

Round 1, Pick 25 (25th overall): Jason Verrett, CB

Back in 2014, I wrote this:

Since then, he’s unfortunately only played in 24 games (out of a possible 48). He has yet to play a full season, and he’s reminding me a lot of Ryan Mathews. When he’s on the field, he’s a damn near elite corner, and he made the pro bowl one season too. The only problem is, he’s only played in 50% of the games during his career. It’s a disappointment, but if Verrett doesn’t play a full 16 games this season, I doubt he’ll be back in the blue and gold for 2018.

Grade: B+

Who would have been an A: incomplete

Round 2, Pick 18 (50th overall): Jeremiah Attaochu, OLB

Via NFL.com

Once again, the Chargers traded up in the 2nd round to grab a linebacker. They traded the 57th and 125th (4th rd) picks to the Dolphins to move up 7 spots. Since then, Attaochu has had 2 poor seasons, and one solid season, and through three years has 76 tackles, 10 sacks, and 3 FFs. He’s played in 34 out of a possible 48 games which isn’t ideal, and he looks to have been beaten on the depth chart by Kyle Emanuel, who racked up a whopping .5 sacks this season in 16 games. Let’s hope Gus Bradley lets him out of the dog house, because he’s shown that he has the talent to be a solid starter. Carlos Hyde was picked by the Dolphins with the 57th pick, and Walt Aikens was picked with the 125th pick.

Grade: B

Who would have been an A in round 2: Allen Robinson, Jarvis Landry

Who would have been an A in round 4: No one

Round 3, Pick 25 (89th Overall): Chris Watt, OG

Touted as the successor to Nick Hardwick at C, Tom Telesco was nothing but smiles after drafting Watt. Unfortunately for Telesco, Watt was injury prone, and had never played center. Add that to the fact that most draft “experts,” projected Watt to go in the 5th round, Telesco reached for someone who didn’t even play the entirety of his contract.

Grade: F+

Who would have been an A: Trai Turner, John Brown

Round 5, Pick 25 (165th Overall): Ryan Carrethers, NT

Came from a smaller school and beat up smaller school guys. Was one of the strongest guys in the draft, repping 225 thirty-two times. Based on his draft profile on NFL.com, he was a short, stocky guy with good leverage, effort, and character. His hand use, stamina, and balance needed work. While a lot of us thought he could come in and challenge for the starting role, he’s only played in 24 games over the 3 seasons, and started 3. He has yet to record a sack, and has spent time on the practice squad, the active roster, and waivers.

Grade: C-

Who would have been an A: N/A

Round 6, Pick 25 (201st Overall): Marion Grice, RB

From ASU, this back had caught my eye as a UCLA alum. He looked like a perfect back to take over for 3rd down duties when Woodhead either retired or didn’t re-sign. The Chargers didn’t think anyone would sign him, so they stashed him on their practice squad, where Arizona signed him 3 weeks later. Since then, he has rushed for 41 yards on 15 carries, with 1 TD. He has also added 7 receptions for 29 yards. He didn’t have the breakaway speed running a 4.67 to last in the NFL.

Grade: D

Who would have been an A: N/A

Round 7, Pick 25 (240th Overall): Tevin Reese, WR

Tom Telesco’s idea was to bring a fast, small receiver to take the top off of defenses. Unfortunately, he was 5’10” and weighed 163 pounds, which was the lightest of any combine participant. Obviously didn’t have the toughness to play over the middle, and wasn’t able to play on the outside. If anything, he’d be mainly a gimmick player. For someone projected to go in the 5-6 round range, he fell a bit, and it looked to be a good pickup by Telesco. He was waived by the Chargers on August 29, 2014, and spent a year on the Bengals practice squad before being released on August 31, 2015. He has yet to play in an NFL game.

Grade: F

Who would have been an A: Chandler Catanzaro, Zach Orr, Corey Brown, Andrew Norwell, Isaiah Crowell, Willie Snead, Cody Parkey, Malcolm Butler, Cameron Brate

Notable undrafted free agent pickups by the Chargers:

Tyreek Burwell - I mean, he’s played in 14 games, and he’s stuck on the roster. That’s gotta count for something?

Grade: B+

Nick Dzubnar - Led the team with 13 special team tackles in 2015, and was on IR for 2016. He should still make an impact on special teams.

Grade: A-

Josh Lambo - Lambo beat out incumbent Nick Novak in camp, and made 26/32 field goals last season, and the exact same the season before. He hasn’t been phenomenal, but he’s been consistently very solid, and sits around the middle of the pack for kickers in the NFL. Hard to knock that.

Grade: A

Tyrell Williams - Showed tantalizing skill in two preseasons, before being nicknamed “Tyrell Moss,” around here. While he still drops too many balls, and runs hot and cold, Tyrell Williams ended last season with 1059 yards on 69 receptions, along with 7 TDs. When free agent addition Travis Benjamin disappointing, along with Keenan Allen and Stevie Johnson injuries, Williams stepped up big time to fill some big shoes.

Grade: A+