The San Diego Chargers made an impact on Thursday night, selecting Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa with the No. 3 overall pick. Though some saw this as a surprise—ESPN’s Mel Kiper sure seemed surprised—it was a move that others lauded Tom Telesco and company for.
Bosa Grade: A. Love it.
— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) April 29, 2016
With a solid start to the draft, how will the Chargers navigate through the remainder of it? Let’s take a look at how the next two rounds—which will play out in prime time on Friday night—could look for them.
Round 2, Pick No. 35: Vonn Bell, S, Ohio State
There are some great players still on the board and much like the first round, the Chargers will have a wide variety of solid directions to go in. Myles Jack, A’Shawn Robinson, Jarran Reed and Reggie Ragland, players who many had first-round grades on, are still out there.
The Chargers will strongly consider taking Cody Whitehair out of Kansas State with this selection, but they’ll settle on Vonn Bell, who they will pin their hopes on that he can be the replacement for the departed Eric Weddle.
Bell shows good reactionary mechanics and is a solid in pass coverage. In 28 starts at Ohio State, he had 22 passes defensed to go with nine interceptions. That’s exactly what the Chargers need—a ballhawking safety. He shows good footwork in playing the pass and has the range in the backfield to make plays.
Though he shows the willingness to come up and make tackles on the ball carrier, he needs to refine his tackling ability. Still, this would be an excellent pick for the team.
In the offseason, the Chargers lost one of the best defensive players and leaders in team history in Weddle. Though Dwight Lowery was brought in through free agency, he is not the answer as far as replacing him goes.
Bell has the physical traits to be a long-term starter in the league and he will be tough to pass on when the Chargers go on the clock in round two.
Feb 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive lineman Nick Martin speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Round 3, Pick No. 66: Nick Martin, C, Notre Dame
When the Indianapolis Colts took Ryan Kelly with the No. 18 pick in the first round, many Chargers fans were likely disappointed. Though it was a long shot that he would have fallen to the second round, it would have been nice for the team to be able to grab him.
That doesn’t change the fact that the team needs a center, and both Nick Martin and Max Tuerk will be options at this point in the draft. Martin is the better prospect.
A strong, nasty blocker up front, Martin plays the game very physically and is everything you want in a center. A team captain while at Notre Dame, Martin would be productive in both pass protection as a key cog in reigniting the running game. Regardless of what Telesco says about Chris Watt, this guy would come in and take his job almost immediately.
Neither Bell nor Martin will be the “sexiest” picks when they are made, but they both fill needs and will be solid choices if the team chooses to make them.