Tom Telesco’s draft patterns over six years with the Chargers
By Tyler Schoon
Tom Telesco, after six drafts with the Chargers, has created a few patterns to note. How, if at all, do they help fans guess what he’ll do this year?
Under Tom Telesco, the Chargers have enjoyed recent success, with the veteran general manager entering his seventh draft with the team and finding a Pro-Bowl player in each of his first six classes. Now, he hopes to add a seventh (or more) starting this Thursday.
Draft history is always important to note when trying to make player projections or mock drafts. Does a general manager have a certain tendency in the first round? Are there any trends throughout later rounds? The goal here is to identify what patterns, if any, that Telesco has created with his six draft classes, as well as what popular draft theories they either support or work against. In honor of his six draft classes, here are six patterns:
Tom Telesco draft pattern: Selecting a different position in the first round in every draft
Theory it supports: Chargers could take IDL, OG, LB, FS at No. 28 (based on needs)
Theory it works against: Chargers could take OT, WR, CB at No. 28 (based on needs)
If one is of the mindset that since he will never take the same position in the first round again, then it leaves interior defensive line, offensive guard, linebacker, and free safety as the four remaining major needs, and that offensive tackle, wide receiver, and corner can be ruled out as potential candidates.
It’s not correct to assume Telesco will never draft a tackle, corner, running back, defensive end, wide receiver, or strong safety again in the first round again, but his pattern does show that he has no specific positional group of preference in the first round, at least from what his choices have conveyed. It’s an odd pattern, and purely out of chance (one should assume), but let’s see if the trend continues on Thursday.