What the draft!?

As a wannabe draft guru in the Todd McShay mold with Mel Kiper Jr.’s hair, the draft really has me jazzed up and wondering which direction A.J. Smith is going to go with our first round selection.
The consensus seems to point towards running back but I am hesitant to jump on board with that train of thought as it really doesn’t seem to be the primary need for a team that went 8-8 and for much of the year looked relatively lost on the defensive side of the ball sans Shawne Merriman. Of course Merriman will be back in ‘09 and presumably at full strength ready to get back to his old sack master ways, but the loss of Igor Olshansky in free agency seems to have been taken a bit too lightly by many fans.

Olshansky was certainly not the prettiest player and during the game broadcasts you wouldn’t hear his number called more than a few times, but sometimes silence is a good thing. In the 3-4 scheme that we run it is imperative that the defensive line remains stout against the run allowing the linebackers the freedom to roam and clean up on any plays that may get beyond the line of scrimmage. Outside of Luis Castillo’s dominance over the last two seasons, we really have lacked that plug in our defensive line that gives the linebackers confidence to stalk ball carriers and corral them to the turf.

Jamal Williams has been a consummate pro during his career all of which has been spent with the Chargers organization, but it has become evident that especially last season he began to slow down a bit as the year wore on and he was hampered by nagging injuries for the duration of the 2008 campaign as well.

This brings me to my roundabout way of getting to the fact that our biggest need is not running back, or safety, or even corner as many pundits seem to suggest as well. The defensive line has to be a primary focus of A.J. Smith’s this offseason and since we never make much of a splash via free agency the draft will ultimately be where we make our money.

With Jamal approaching the ripe old age of 33 just days after the draft concludes, perhaps we could look at paying up and moving into the top 10 for a kid like B.J. Raji. The Boston College product has been ridiculed a ton in the media most of which has been unjust as the rumor of a positive drug test at the combine was false. Character is something that the organization prides itself on by bringing in high character guys that gel together well forming a well oiled machine in the locker room.

Raji’s on the field talents cannot be disputed however as he was absolute dominant in Senior Bowl practices tossing linemen aside like ragdolls and bull rushing when necessary as well using proper leverage techniques to get underneath the opposing lineman and move him into the backfield. With the size and strength of a five year vet in the NFL, Raji could be a potential plug and play guy in the 2009 season and a great player to groom behind Jamal while simultaneously deepening our defensive line corps.

As the past has proven however, A.J.’s track record assumes that he is more likely to trade down rather than up in the draft so Raji may be a bit out of reach.

If that is in fact the case all is not lost because LSU’s Tyson Jackson fits the mold of a 3-4 defensive end perfectly and reminds many (including myself) of current New England Patriot Ty Warren as far as size and talent are concerned. Jackson was used more as a pass rusher for the Tigers throughout his career in Baton Rogue, but his discipline allowed him to always stay in position and still drag down plenty of ball carriers in the backfield during his stay in the SEC. Opposite of a beast like Luis Castillo he could make an immediate positive impact as well on our front seven.

On that note consider the discussion open and all opinions are certainly welcome. This draft could very well determine the direction of our franchise this season as deep playoff runs have become common place. Hopefully the banging of our collective heads against the wall part of the program has concluded and we are ready to break through it in 2009.

Tags: 2009 NFL Draft, A.J. Smith, B.J. Raji, Jamal Williams, Luis Castillo, Mel Kiper Jr., San Diego Chargers, Todd McShay, Tyson Jackson