The 2014 NFL Draft was general manager Tom Telesco’s second with the Los Angeles Chargers and certainly was not his best showing.
To prepare for the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft, we have been taking a look back at the last 10 draft classes that the Los Angeles Chargers have selected. We have now reached the 2014 NFL Draft, which was Tom Telesco’s second draft as general manager of the Chargers.
For the most part, the Chargers have had some fairly decent showings in the NFL Draft. Not every pick has been a home run, as that is impossible, but the team has done a good job at drafting solid, productive talent in the first round.
This year is a little bit different, but it also has its own set of unique circumstances. Without further ado, here is our 2014 NFL Draft retrospective six years later.
Los Angeles 2014 NFL Draft Retrospective:
- Draft order location: 25th
- Selections: Six
- Pro Bowls: One
- All-Pros: Zero
- Trades: N/A
First-round selection: Jason Verrett, CB, TCU
Jason Verrett had all the talent in the world and was good enough to be a legitimate CB1 in the NFL for a long time if he could stay on the field. Unfortunately for both Verrett and the Chargers, he is one of the textbook examples of a promising player that could not stay healthy.
Verrett missed 10 games in his rookie season because of a torn labrum and rotator cuff, but at the time, we had no idea that this would become a trend. Verrett played 14 games in his second season and had three interceptions with 47 combined tackles. He was named a Pro Bowler.
That would be the peak of Verrett’s career. He missed time in each of the following seasons because of various injuries, often happening before the season began. He played four games in 2016, one game in 2017, missed all of 2018 and then played one game with the San Francisco 49ers in 2019.
Verrett had all the talent in the world, he was just a victim of circumstance.
- Grade: D
- Could have drafted: Jimmie Ward, Bradley Roby, DeMarcus Lawrence, Joel Bitonio