BTSC Mock Draft - Pick #27 by San Diego Chargers: Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College

by Blitzburgh on Apr 22, 2008 10:42 AM EDT in News

TheMostViolentTeam presents the San Diego Chargers pick at #27. Clearly we're not going to be going past Round 1 in the inaugural BTSC Mock Draft. That's fine, we'll get things started earlier next year. TMVT found a way to get his selection in despite being preoccupied with part one of multiple hurdles he's trying to cross in order to become a NAVY SEAL. Thanks for fitting us in! Next up? Terry, selecting for the Cowboys at #28.

The Chargers are a team that over the past few years has been a lot like the Steelers, from a front-office point of view. Shrewd moves, smart trades, and excellent drafting by GM AJ Smith have left the Chargers with the most talented roster in football. I mean that, more talent than the Pats, Colts, Steelers, Jags, Cowboys. This roster has it all. There are no glaring needs, however, there are areas that can be shored up. I rank their needs as following:

Defensive Back:

With Quentin Jammer and Antonio Cromartie they have two excellent corners. Both are #1 caliber CBs for most teams in the league. So why is this a need? Depth. The `Bolts lost Drayton Florence in free agency, and teams really require three solid cover men these days. Had one of the top 4 CBs fallen, the Chargers would definitely scoop one of them up, however, they are all off the board in our scenario. Brandon Flowers can probably be had in the 2nd round. Safety depth is also a concern, unfortunately Kenny Phillips is already off the board so the Chargers will go to their 2nd biggest need....

Offensive Line:

Shane Olivea lost his starting job at RT late in the season, and definitely needs to be pushed for starting job. Gosder Cherilus is available in this scenario and the Chargers will take him. While Cherilus struggled a tic at left tackle in his final season at BC, he was an absolute beast at RT, in both the run and pass game. I for one am a big believer that the RT position is WAY underrated. Yes, the LT has to protect the QB's blindside, but the RT has to protect his equally important frontside, and if he gets beat, sure the QB can see the defensive end coming, but most QBs (outside of Ben and Romo) are going to have an extremely hard time eluding the 6'6 280 lb monster flying straight at their face. Cherilus has the ability, and work ethic to start right away for the Chargers on the right side, and restore San Diego to having one of the best lines in football. Paired with the underrated guard Mike Goff, San Diego's right line will now rival the left side pairing of Dielman and McNeil. More options for LT to run behind, and better pass protection for Rivers could be a big boost to an already solid offense.

Actual 2008 NFL Draft commentary for SD:

Directions the Chargers will certainly look in the (real) draft, are to trade down and get some more picks in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, as many of the players they are targeting can most likely be found there. If Jonathan Stewart were to fall to them in the first however, I could easily see them grabbing him to back up LT, and possibly be the future starter, as LT has 3-4 good years left max. Like Pittsburgh they need a future Nose Tackle, but as we've discussed on BTSC, there are no first round NT's, and the Chargers will look in the later rounds for a Frank Okam or Red Bryant type player they can develop behind Jamal Williams.

BTSC Mock Draft Team Selections

#1 - Miami Dolphins, Darren Mcfadden
#2 - St. Louis Rams, Chris Long
#3 - Atlanta Falcons, Sedrick Ellis
#4 - Oakland Raiders, Vernon Gholston
#5 - Kansas City Chiefs, Jake Long
#6 - New York Jets, Glen Dorsey
#7 - New England Patriots, Dominique Rodger-Cromartie
#8 - Baltimore Ravens, Jerod Mayo
#9 - Cincinnati Bengals, Keith Rivers
#10 - New Orleans Saints, Aqib Talib
#11 - Buffalo Bills, Malcom Kelly
#12 - Denver Broncos, Ryan Clady
#13 - Carolina Panthers, Chris Williams
#14 - Chicago Bears, Brandon Albert
#15 - Detroit Lions, Leodis McKelvin
#16 - Arizona Cardinals, Jeff Otah
#17 - Minnesota Vikings, Derrick Harvey
#18 - Houston Texans, Rashard Mendenhall
#19 - Philadelphia Eagles, Jonathan Stewart
#20 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Limas Sweed
#21 - Washington Redskins, Mike Jenkins
#22 - Dallas Cowboys, Felix Jones
#23 - Pittsburgh Steelers, Kentwan Balmer
#24 - Tennessee Titans, Devin Thomas
#25 - Seattle Seahawks, Kenny Phillips
#26 - Jacksonville Jaguars, Phillip Merling

0 recs | Comment 27 comments

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Comments

great pick that would solidify

one of the best o lines in football. Dielman was close to being the "faneca of 2007"--could have left on the heels of the big signings given to Steinbach and Dockery, but satyed. Olivea was banged up a bit last year I believe.

So in our draft Matt ryan is the guy sitting in the green room with the cameras on him I suppose

by nerves of steel on Apr 22, 2008 11:05 AM EDT 0 recs

hehe

Pretty ridiculous he's still available but what the hey! We're doing this for fun, not to merely emulate and regurgitate everything we've heard/read from 'experts'.

But as I said, I'm the one to blame. Everyone else has made solid picks and assesments. I bypassed him at #8 for the Ravens. Honestly, I don't like him too much as a player, but I dont think thats realistic.

by Blitzburgh on Apr 22, 2008 11:28 AM EDT up 0 recs

but...

I would still think if he was available that the Bucs, Panthers, Bears, and Lions would all have to take a hard look at him. Even the Vikings and Seahawks could think about drafting him. But if he really was available at 25 I would think teams like the Raves would be foaming at the mouth to trade up.

by frankrmineo on Apr 22, 2008 11:47 AM EDT up 0 recs

Yeah

Hard to see Ryan getting past all of those teams. I could see the Panthers passing on him, because they have Delhomme, but none of the rest would be likely. Even the Panthers would have to start thinking about his replacement.

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Apr 22, 2008 11:53 AM EDT up 0 recs

Looking back

Yeah, I had some blinders on too for the Bears. I really don't want to see a first round pick on a QB again as I'm not convinced by Ryan, but if he falls to them, there's little chance they'll bypass him.

by Chicago Steeler on Apr 22, 2008 12:44 PM EDT up 0 recs

my only disagreement

Is with the assertion AJ Smith belongs in the same class as Bill Polian, the Pats FO, or Kevin Colbert and the Rooneys.

Smith has gotten fairly lucky in several instances: one, LT fell in his lap; two, Antonio Gates became an All-World TE despite never having played. Sure you could say thats just good scouting. Bah, perhaps a bit, but it's still quite lucky he's been THIS good.

I do give him enormous credit for the defensive talent he's been able to draft, and also on the offensive line.

However, I still think he's a boneheaded idiot for booting Marty Schottenheimer and Drew Brees. They may be the most talented, but it seems like their chemistry is absolutely awful, particularly between LT and Rivers.

Also, I don't like what they've done at the WR position. Vincent Jackson has shown flashes, but McCardell, Reche Caldwell, David Boston, Tim Dwight, Kasim Osgood, the list goes on and on of the mediocre WRs they've tried to get by with in the past five years.

by Blitzburgh on Apr 22, 2008 11:36 AM EDT 0 recs

agree

with you on many points. losing Schottenheimer was dumb, although, the team is so talented, i think they'd make the playoffs with me coaching. Smith has gotten lucky but he also made good moves to put him in a position to get lucky. the chemistry on the team is definitely a problem, San Diego to me seems like the Phoenix Suns or the Dallas Mavericks. All the pieces on paper but something is just missing.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Apr 22, 2008 11:40 AM EDT 0 recs

yea

I think that they can break through and win it all in the next couple of years if they catch a few breaks health wise.

I really think theyd win it all if they had Brees ( I know I'm partial to him, you can surmise that by now), but the offensive line was nowhere near as good when he was there as it is now. Same with the defense. I think his leadership would help get them over the top. Now that he's a bit older and more experienced, he's eliminated some of the mistakes he was making earlier in his career in SD, which is part of the reason why I think they thought they could just rotate in Rivers with no glitches. In many ways, they have been just fine with him, but I wonder if he'll be able to get it done in the clutch in a tough situation against a great team like JAX, INDY, PIT, etc.

by Blitzburgh on Apr 22, 2008 11:48 AM EDT up 0 recs

Few players

can really step up and deliver consistently in the clutch. I would be more willing to agree on Brees if he hadn't had such up and downs in each of the last four years. They drafted Rivers, then he breaks out and they make the playoffs, then the team struggles the next year. After going to the Saints, he lights it up the first year, then the team struggles the next. I know those alternating year struggles are not all on him, but it's a wierd pattern emerging.

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Apr 22, 2008 11:58 AM EDT up 0 recs

good pt

But in addition to watching all the Steelers games, I watch most all of the NOs game and SD games when he was there. No denying he struggled in his final year in SD when he was franchised.

But last year in NO, I believe he had like 8 or 9 picks in the first 3-5 games. Only two or three of those were on him. The rest were drops or bobbled balls by his WRs that got picked. Couple that fact with Sean Payton's ridiculous play calling last year and it seemed he was down a bit. But still, he set an NFL record for attempts and completions and again posted a completion % well above 60% with absolutely NO running game and a #2 WR of Devry Henderson and crappy TEs.

by Blitzburgh on Apr 22, 2008 12:03 PM EDT up 0 recs

True

It wasn't his fault that the team got hit with injuries. But, I don't know. I wonder if he is the current version of Trent Green. Green had about 4 or 5 years there at KC where he was putting up great fantasy numbers (over 4000 yards, 25-30 TDs, 10 or fewer INTs). I guess we'll see over the next few years. I like Brees, and hope he does well, except playing the Steelers (and Falcons, to a lesser degree).

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Apr 22, 2008 2:05 PM EDT up 0 recs

hmmm

I got really worried during the first few losing games for the Bolts that after two years they'd be looking for a coach and pick up Cowher. I imagine Cowher with that player pool would be ridiculous. Seriously, I would be hardpressed to think of a better combination of team to head coach.

by Chicago Steeler on Apr 22, 2008 12:47 PM EDT up 0 recs

but

Cowher is great friends with Marty, and might not take the job just out of respect for how Marty was treated. I doubt Marty has anything nice to say on the golf course about AJ Smith.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Apr 22, 2008 12:56 PM EDT up 0 recs

true

But I'd imagine in this business that feelings only run so deep. That paycheck plus the opportunity to win Super Bowls might mean Cowher had no choice but to accept, provided he was eager to come back and had no other intriguing offers.

That is a good point you bring up though. Who knows, you may be right. Especially since Cowher HAS won a ring and doesnt really need one for his 'legacy' like Marty does.

by Blitzburgh on Apr 22, 2008 1:24 PM EDT up 0 recs

Time

As more time goes by, I would think Cowher would be more open to the idea. He certainly wouldn't have replaced Marty, but he might replace Norv. I still think Cowher's going to the Redskins or Panthers. Why else would Snyder hire Jim Zorn?

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Apr 22, 2008 2:07 PM EDT up 0 recs

lol

Interesting hypothesis. 1 and done for Zorn? Could be. Snyder could justify it if they missed the playoffs after making it in 07.

by Blitzburgh on Apr 22, 2008 2:07 PM EDT up 0 recs

Either that or

Zorn surprises us all and turns into a great coach. But, little risk for Snyder, considering they haven't been really good since he bought them.

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Apr 22, 2008 2:09 PM EDT up 0 recs

i like that football team

I personally think Zorn will do very well. They lost a number of really close games last year yet still made the playoffs in that tough division. Leron Landry's a stud at safety, theyve got a pass rush, a solid offensive line, a fantastic TE, a couple receiving threats (though they could stand to get one more), and a QB that's gotten plenty of experience for being so young.

I think Zorn will do great. He can take the good from Holmgren's philosophy and operational style, and add his own new twists, which might be needed since Holmgren's kinda hit a wall this past 5 years getting his teams over the hump.

by Blitzburgh on Apr 22, 2008 2:20 PM EDT up 0 recs

From what I've heard of Zorn

he seems like a good guy, and I have generally liked the 'skins myself. I loved Art Monk. If I could point to one type of receiver that I'd love to have, it would be him. He always seemed to be able to get open on 3rd down, and I can't remember seeing him drop a pass. And, he was never a showboat, just doing his job.

My main concern about Zorn is that he's never been a coordinator. But, that doesn't mean he can't do it.

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Apr 22, 2008 3:20 PM EDT up 0 recs

Navy SEAL

TMVT, my level of respect for you just went up, not that it was low before. But, I have heard of the requirements to become a SEAL. I'm impressed!

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Apr 22, 2008 11:48 AM EDT 0 recs

Thanks!

Been a dream of mine since as long as I can remember (literally, at like age 4). Just doing paperwork to apply for Officer School right now, but in mid or late May I'll be taking a physical test of sorts that will be the key factor in whether I can get a spot in SEAL training (called BUD/s) after completing officer school.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Apr 22, 2008 11:58 AM EDT up 0 recs