Now that the offseason is here and the San Diego Chargers have much rebuilding to do many mock drafts are to follow. I keep coming across the same question over and over from people, “How do you come up with mock drafts?” While the answer can be simple I figured I could explain it better for fans through an article. I will be taking you through step by step of my process and what goes into my mock draft analyzation.

What are the needs of the team: The first thing you should do is understand what the team needs to do to improve themselves. Thoroughly look at every position and see which one drives you nuts. keep going down in order from there.

Projection: San Diego has a long wish list this year. In my mind the list should look something like this, Offensive line, Corner Back, Linebacker, Strong Safety, Running Back, Wide Receiver, Quarterback, Defensive Line, Free Safety.

Locate Free Agents that have a chance of leaving: Every team will have a list of people who will choose to leave or stay with the present team. While we can only predict what will happen, for an accurate mock draft you will have to assume where the team will go with the Free Agents they have. San Diego has a list of 24 free agents (20 unrestricted and 4 restricted).

Unrestricted means they may sign with any club, with no compensation owed to his old club, through the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp (usually late July). At that point, his rights revert to his old club if it made a “tender” offer to him by June. His old club then has until the Tuesday after the 10th week of the season to re-sign him. If he does NOT sign by then, he must sit out the season.

A restricted free agent is a player who has received a “qualifying” offer (negotiated in the CBA) from his old club, but is free to negotiate with any club through the free agent signing period. If he accepts an offer from a new club, his old club can match the offer and retain him, or not match the offer and possibly receive draft-choice compensation depending on the amount of its qualifying offer.

Projection: With some key Free Agent signings San Diego can be competitive again, I also take in the tight cap situation. I think that the Chargers can wait out Philips and get a decent price tag on him. While they will almost have to be forced to make a decision between Cason and Jammer. When all the smoke clears I feel as if some of the holes that San Diego will fill is corner back and outside linebacker.

What will teams do before the Chargers: So now comes the difficult part, What will picks 1-10 do. With this part just take a look at the big board and draft till the 11th pick. This years order starts with the Chiefs and so forth. If you lack a little knowledge of what a team needs, or aren’t up to date, ESPN always has mock drafts as well as other websites that can give you an idea. Also don’t forget to watch the Combine due to the fact that you can get a lot of information on what makes a “player,” at the respected positions.

Projection: With the big position the Chargers are looking at is Offensive Line. I can’t see the Chiefs not going quarterback here. Another possibility is for them to go Defensive Tackle. The pick the Chiefs make will determine how the Chargers first round pick will go. The Eagles are bound to go offensive line. So that takes Luke Joeckle off the board. You can almost never project what teams will do on draft day. So don’t take it out on yourself.

Make your pick: So now that you decided where you think your team will go it is time to make a pick based on the information that you have gathered. Everything you have studied and read about comes down to this one moment. for a minute you get to be the General Manager of your team! Pick wisely!

Projection: With the 11th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft the San Diego Chargers select… Eric Fisher, Offensive Tackle, Central Michigan.

Support your thinking: You will have haters but it’s up to you, as it is Tom Telesco, to defend your selection.

Projection: You can’t hide the fact that San Diego needs help on the line. They need to get some rocks in front of Rivers and Fisher is a great pick. He wouldn’t be a bad selection at all. Fisher is big, strong, and ready to go. He is a player that can make an impact right away. I just don’t see offensive linemen lasting too long in this years draft. You’ll see them fly off the board after this point. I don’t think they should take a chance waiting for a Kyle Long type from Oregon due to the fact that he just might not fall to the Chargers in the second.

Remember this, you are not finished! You need to update and keep people on their toes. They need to say, “I wonder who they projected this week.” Keep them coming back for more. As for the rest of the draft? Start out by looking at a full 7 round draft and judge by that with you’re own pick. You might not agree with everyone but the more and more you get experience the further and further you can go on your own. So who do you think the Chargers will draft?

GOOD LUCK AND BOLT PRIDE!

-Joey Nicks

While the San Diego Chargers have hired their General Manager (Tom Telesco) and Head Coach (Mike McCoy) they had a block of “Swiss Cheese,” awaiting them. When a team doesn’t make the playoffs they always have a ton of room for improvement. So what do the Chargers need to address? What can take them to the next level? Most importantly how should they address these issues?

Cornerback- It is a must in the NFL, especially when your two lead guys are on the free agent market. The Chargers have some young talent but it still remains to be seen if they have enough young talent to lose both Quentin Jammer and Antoine Cason. Between Cason and Jammer San Diego might be able to let one walk and make a signing. If that is the case Cason states a case as to why he should be the guy. He’s young, he still shows room for improvement, and the experience is there for consistency. The only problem is that his price may be a little high, so signing Jammer and drafting a Cornerback in the first round isn’t a horrible idea.

Prediction: I think the team will bring Jammer back and draft a nice young Corner for him to teach. Seems like it makes the most sense, and the cheapest.

Offensive line- Some have said this was the biggest problem with the Chargers this year. O-line is never an easy fix in the past. It seems like now a days more and more Offensive linemen are coming out and working hard to improve their game. San Diego has a lot of options with this spot. The only player safe is Nick Hardwick. The Left Tackle slot is WIDE OPEN. With that being said, The Broncos Left Tackle Ryan Clady will be a free agent and San Diego has the power with Mike McCoy to sign him. Drafting a Left Tackle makes sense because of the position of the draft that San Diego has this year. San Diego could also sign a Guard like Levitre and draft Eric Fisher out of Central Michigan. Don’t stop thinking about Luke Jockel as the Bolts might feel the need to make the trade.

Prediction: I have a very strong feeling that San Diego will sign a Left Tackle like Clady or on his level. Jake Long is a possibility as well.

Outside Linebacker/DE- The Chargers defense looked nice in 2012 with one problem. They weren’t sacking the quarterback. They were always just a hair too late and with Dwight Freeney on the free agent market who can’t help but entertain the idea that he could be wearing a different shade of blue next year? Even with Tom Telesco in San Diego maybe he has a little edge in luring him away from Indy for the right price. He is also athletic enough to line up at linebacker so we can put that to rest. Kendall Reyes has proved he can be a starter no questions asked. Corey Liuget has proven me wrong and came out to play (I eat my words Booga). I wouldn’t count Shaun Phillips out of San diego just yet. San Diego should make some improvement here to create a better pass rush.

Prediction: San Diego signs Freeney at a less sexy price due to his age and injury issues while retaining Shaun Phillips. It just makes sense.

Wide Receiver- Why do I think this is a hole? It’s due to the fact that M-80 just couldn’t carry the load in 2012. Alexander played well down the stretch but that knee will always be sitting in the back of my head. Meach didn’t work out as well as the Chargers had hoped, but they are going to need to find a way to make it work. Vincent Browns coming out party was postponed but, with number one potential, they have to be thinking about his ankle and if it can hold up. With all this being said San Diego doesn’t have one Wide Out that is a RELIABLE number 1, and with Dwayne Bowe looking for a new home with a reliable quarterback. Who better to fit his need? Rivers is a big selling point for players on offense as well.

Prediction: In all reality the Chargers do have bigger fish to fry other than a number 1 Wide Out, but it should be sitting in the middle of their minds. They might try to make do making some minor moves here.

San Diego has a lot of work to do but the smaller pieces need to be put in place to win. While all these moves may seem like “sexy moves,” remember players get older and skills wear and tear. For instance the Dwight Freeney signing only holds value of veteran ship, leadership and gives the young guys Corey and Kendell someone who they can really learn from. San Diego will need to fill the holes in their, “Swiss Cheese,” and make a solid block of sharp edgy, “Cheddar.”

Bolt Pride!

-Joey Nicks

Norv may have swung and missed, AJ may have set us back, but San Diego has 0 reasoning to not be a contender next year. Majority of people think that teams have windows, I am not one of those people. A perfect example is the Indianapolis Colts. Last year they were certainly down. The organization made the right decisions and now find themselves in the playoffs. The Chargers can certainly be no different in 2013. While I send my Happy New Years out to all of the readers and fellow San Diego fans in internet world I stand before you and say confidently the 2013 San Diego Chargers CAN compete next year. With the 11th overall pick if the Chargers make 2 good decisions they can find this draft really paying off for them. With all that being said here are my top 5 GM’s for the San Diego Chargers position that is currently open.

5 Jimmy Raye Director of Player Personnel, San Diego Chargers- I honestly don’t really like this pick. It’s more a of a respect thing. While the Chargers should make sure they don’t lose Raye it really isn’t his time right now. I feel as if the Chargers need new blood and bring someone in who has was with a successful team. Jimmy has had success in the past though. Helping draft players up to this year like Kendell Reyes. He also helped draft players like Eric Weddle and Donald Butler. I just feel as if the Chargers need new blood. San Diego hasn’t been successful in a long time and some of AJ’s bad habits may have rubbed off on Jimmy. Still he has had success drafting players for the Chargers and should still at least be considered.

4 Dave Caldwell Director of Personnel, Atlanta Falcons- This is Caldwell’s first season as Director of Personnel, the last 4 seasons before that his title was Director of College Scouting. The Falcons are another team that is on the brink of winning a Championship. It’s no secret that Atlanta has one of the most potent offenses in the NFL. Players he has taken a part in include Sean Weatherspoon, Matt Ryan, and Julio Jones. Those players have yet to win a playoff game but they are all very young and very talented. Caldwell wouldn’t be a terrible choice and could very well put the Bolts on a competitive status as soon as next year.

3 Omar Khan Chief Contract Negotiator, Pittsburgh Steelers- While I don’t like numbers guys as a GM, Omar Khan has been reported to be extremely smart when it comes to contracts. Khan has been able to talk to the toughest of agents and build relationships with them. Khan can also clean up our books a little bit and has reported to be, “Smart enough to know what he doesn’t know.” -Jason La Confora. Which essentially means Khan knows what he can and can not handle. You won’t see him in the office watching film trying to make a decision by himself. This would be a great hire if you were looking at a head coach like Jon Gruden, who is someone who might want some control of scouting and personnel. We always know as well that the Steelers are competitive year in and year out.

2 Tom Gamble Director of Player Personnel, San Francisco 49ers- Gamble is a very hot commodity. He knows how to keep a well maintained roster and stay competitive. Gamble also worked with the Colts from 98-’04 as a member of the scouting team. The Colts first round draft picks are as follows: ’98 Peyton Manning, ’99 Edgerrin James, ’01 Reggie Wayne, ’02 Dwight Freeney, ’03 Dallas Clark. As if that isn’t impressive enough, the 49ers draft picks since he has been their (2005) Vernon Davis, Aldon Smith, Patrick Willis, Anthony Davis just to name a few. The proof has been in the pudding and with the 49ers on the brink of winning a championship it goes without saying that Gamble would be a great GM. With San Diego not too far from San Francisco it could make the Chargers more appealing as well.

1 Marc Ross Director of College Scouting, New York Giants- Marc Ross has been with the Giants for sometime now and has proven to know what he has been talking about. Being a big part of two Super Bowl Championship teams means a lot. Ross knows what needs to be done and and can put the pieces in place for this team to be successful. Ross also helped make decisions on players such as Hakeem Nicks and Jason Pierre-Paul. His experience is definitely there. I would rather have a personnel guy than a numbers guy in the front office due to the fact that the numbers game can always be handed off and be dealt with having an assistant. It takes something extra to know great talent, and if they know he can be a vital part of the team they can make the numbers happen.

San Diego has a big task in front of them this year. It will be extremely interesting to see the next step because the next step will play a role in the step after that, which would be hiring a head coach. The right decision could put San Diego back in the saddle for next year.

Bolt Pride!

-Joey Nicks