LA Chargers: Tom Telesco’s best draft picks as general manager
By Jason Reed
LA Chargers general manager Tom Telesco has been getting a lot of attention this offseason for how he has improved his team’s roster. After Tom Brady made his decision to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Telesco went to work and has brought in several great signings to fill out the roster.
The attention has now turned to the 2020 NFL Draft, which is an important one for the Chargers as they are likely going to draft the quarterback of the future. Fans are expecting another good showing from the Chargers, as Telesco has been great this offseason and is usually pretty good with who he selects as well.
Telesco took over as the Chargers GM in January 2013 and since then, four of the Chargers’ seven first-round picks were Pro Bowlers at least once. His good decisions run deeper than just the first round, however. Here are Telesco’s five-best draft picks as general manager of the LA Chargers.
Tom Telesco’s fifth-best draft pick for the LA Chargers: Joey Bosa, first round, 2016
This is not simply a list of the outright best players that Telesco has drafted with the LA Chargers, because if it was, Joey Bosa would be higher up on the list. We are also valuing things such as draft position and how well the player exceeded expectations.
However, Bosa is so talented that he still has to be included on this list. Even if he was the third overall pick in 2016, the Chargers easily could have messed this selection up and they didn’t. They drafted one of the best edge-rushers in the entire NFL.
The entire top of the 2016 NFL Draft is pretty stacked and the first seven picks have all made a Pro Bowl, making Telesco’s job a bit easier.
However, he made the right pick. He easily could have gone with Jalen Ramsey and DeForest Buckner, who are both solid players in their own right but instead selected someone who has fit this defense like a glove in Bosa.