LA Chargers: The most successful draft order locations in team history

2. The 12th overall pick

• Players drafted at 12: Jim Lachey (1985), Shawne Merriman (2005), Ryan Mathewsma (2010)

Jim Lachey is the best of the three players that the Chargers have selected with the 15th overall pick, it is just a shame that his best days in the NFL came away from the team that drafted him.

After three really solid seasons with the Chargers that included a Pro Bowl season in year three, Lachey demanded a trade and was sent in a rare in-division trade to the Los Angeles Raiders. After just one game with the Raiders, Lachey was traded to the Washington Redskins.

Lachey had three more Pro Bowl seasons with the Redskins including two All-Pro seasons. At least the Chargers still got three solid years and a Pro Bowl year.

Shawne Merriman is the best of the bunch as he was a three-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro during his tenure with the Chargers. Lights out was one of the most menacing pass-rushers in the league, recording a league-leading 17 sacks in his lone All-Pro season in 2006.

Merriman was never the same after his first three years after the injury bug struck, but he was historically great in his first three years. Only four players in NFL history have more sacks in their first three seasons than Merriman had.

The Chargers selected another Pro Bowler with their latest 12th overall pick by way of Ryan Mathews. Mathews never hit his full potential with the Chargers but had two seasons with 1,000 rushing yards and was a Pro Bowler in 2011.