Tom Telesco Has Been Magical Bringing in Rookie Talent
By Ernie Padaon
Oct 12, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers cornerback
Jason Verrett(22) intercepts the ball against Oakland Raiders wide receiver
Brice Butler(12) during the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The San Diego Chargers defeated the Oakland Raiders 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Tom Telesco has showed off his magic in the NFL Draft again this season. He brought in some nice talent last season with D.J. Fluker, Manti Te’o, Jahleel Addae and Keenan Allen. This season he already looks like he has struck gold with Jason Verrett, Branden Oliver and Jerry Attaochu. The season is still early, but the talent looks promising for the future.
More from LA Chargers News
- LA Chargers: 3 early takeaways from 2021 minicamp thus far
- LA Chargers: Drue Tranquill takes a jab at Gus Bradley’s defense
- LA Chargers second-year players: Nothing to lose and a lot to gain
- LA Chargers: Why running back could be a big issue for the Bolts
- LA Chargers: Chris Rumph’s upside is Melvin Ingram-like, but better
This is the reason why the Chargers are competing so quickly. This is the reason why the Chargers are going to make it into the playoffs this season and will be battling with the Denver Broncos for the AFC. Tom Telesco has been hitting on his early draft picks. At the top of the draft, he has brought in good talent that is able to help immediately.
This is how A.J. Smith got the Chargers to compete when he was the GM of the team. I know there are a lot of AJ haters around, but his first few drafts were epic! There was an abundance of talent on the roster and then AJ Smith thought he could get fancy with his picks. AJ’s biggest failure was being able to keep his own players on the roster.
We are going to learn real quick on if Tom Telesco will be able to keep his own talent. He was able to keep Donald Butler last offseason and kept some of the offensive linemen on the roster for another season. What will he be able to do this offseason when players like Brandon Flowers, Shareece Wright, Eddie Royal, Marcus Gilchrist, Dwight Freeney, King Dunlap and Ryan Mathews hit the market. That is some talent that the Chargers will have to find a way to lock up.
I am sure there is a game plan for that. We have a lot of money under the cap and a lot of our talent will still be under rookie contracts. We won’t be able to keep everyone. Some of those players will have to be replaced on the roster by a Tom Telesco rookie gem.