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Like last year, I am not a reporter. I have no interest in breaking news. Like last year, you don’t have to believe me. If I’m wrong, whatever. Here’s what I have as of now:
Roquan Smith out of Georiga is the number one player on their board. They covet him. That’s also a pipe dream. They’re aware he’s not going to be there. He’s going to go as high as 6 with his absolute floor being 10. They aren’t going to trade up for him and sacrifice a potential starter in round 2.
The number 2 player on their board is Minkah Fitzpatrick. He has Harrison Smith type instincts but to me, plays like Byron Jones of the Cowboys today. He’s that good.
Minkah Fitzpatrick, *to me*, reminds me of Byron Jones today
— KP (@KP_Show) February 6, 2018
not a unicorn athlete but he should wow. Ability to recover is rare. Instincts/ability to read well beyond Jones as a prospect
Like Jones, his aggressiveness/recklessness can get him in trouble
5 plays of Fitzpatrick pic.twitter.com/A40I4iZYL3
I don’t think they’d limit him to free safety, though. He’d play in the slot, play that dime linebacker like Adrian Phillips did. Just move him all over. If he falls to pick 15, they are prepared to move up for him. So buckle up.
The team is all in on front 7 defenders. That wasn’t the case until just a month ago. Notre Dame offensive tackle Mike Mcglinchey was the favorite. Then, they interviewed him. I don’t have specifics on what was said but whatever it was turned the team off. They also got more info about some unknown injuries and that sealed the deal.
Recently, there was some news involving Baker Mayfield and the Chargers.
Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield then: "I didn’t look at (the Chargers) playbook as much as a I should have. It could have gone a little bit better . . . but at the same time, I’m prioritizing which playbooks I’m going to learn. No offense to them, but I’ve got a lot on my plate.”
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) April 23, 2018
LA @Chargers GM Tom Telesco was asked in his annual predraft presser today about Baker Mayfield’s comments and lack of preparation for his interview with LA:
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) April 23, 2018
“I’m probably not prepared to comment on that. My plate’s pretty full.”
He, then, added, “No offense.”
Telesco!
Telesco being petty. Love it.
The interest was strong there, I’m told. The team really liked Mayfield and even considered moving up if he fell. Once Baker came out and said that, forget about it. He is the #2 QB on the board. Number one? Sam Darnold.
The signing of Mike Pouncey has made it easier and eliminated some names for them. They’re excited about Pouncey. They should be. He’s a good player. There may or may not have been some jabs at some lineman that are no longer on the team.
Okay, so back to defense and the front 7. “The emphasis will be on the front 7 on defense, mainly the interior. We need help inside and at linebacker. We need to add some meat.” He also referenced how they were last in the league against the run. Listening to the press conferences from Telesco, Lynn, and Bradley, this isn’t a surprise.
As of this very moment, it’s down to 5 players and neither of them have been mentioned. The good news is Telesco said they have 18 1st round picks in his pre-draft press conference. So they’ll get a player they covet. 3 defensive tackles, 1 linebacker, 1 safety. That’s who it’s between. The safety is Florida State’s Derwin James. That’d be great. He’s not falling, though. He’s expected to go in the top 10. None of these names are too surprising, like last year when the pick was potentially Garrett Bolles.
Unlike last year, there isn’t a universal fit that that you see in every mock draft. 9 out of 10 mocks had Malik Hooker going to the Chargers. This year you are seeing a ton of names. At 17, that’s expected. Hell NFL Network had Maryland’s wide receiver D.J. Moore at 17 the other day. I’m not going to say the pick. It makes sense, though. The player complements the defense quite well. Think about what they need and what type of players they gravitate too on this side of the ball. Each of the 5 players were in my top 50, though that’s not much of a surprise. If all 5 players are on the board, they have their guy. They expect him to be there. I think they’d even take him over James. That’s the vibe I got.
With more options this year, they didn’t zone in on a player like they did Bosa a couple years ago. I don’t think there will be a change of heart like last year and Bolles, either. The pick seems pretty clean from everything that I’ve gathered. Even mentioning the Baker and Minkah trades, they’re not expecting to make a move. The plan is to stay at 17 at this very moment and get “their guy.”
Tonight will be fun just because there is a chance 5 quarterback will be selected before the Chargers pick. Which means pushing premium talent down the board. A player might be there that wasn’t expected and could change all of this. They’re in a good position to get a player that can help right away without being too much of a reach. I’ll let you know if anything changes.