LA Chargers: Tom Telesco’s best draft picks as general manager
By Jason Reed
Tom Telesco’s second-best draft pick for the LA Chargers: Desmond King, fifth round, 2017
Desmond King‘s breakout season in 2018 was a big reason why the Chargers went 12-4. Not only did King play great defensively and was named an All-Pro for his efforts, but he also returned a huge punt for a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers that eventually lead to that great come-from-behind victory.
King has not been able to reproduce that season in any of his other seasons with the Chargers, but that does not mean that 2018 was a complete aberration. He is still talented and his potential role of taking over Adrian Phillips’s role in the defense should suit him well this season.
Despite taking a step back in 2019, Charger fans still should be tremendously proud of the selection that the team made in the fifth round of the 2017 draft. Even if he doesn’t ever regain Pro Bowl-caliber form, King has already done more than most fifth-round picks ever do in the league.
In fact, there are only four players that were selected in the fifth round or later in the 2010s to be named an All-Pro: Desmond King, Michael Dickson, Jamal Agnew and George Kittle.
He might be the least talented overall of any player on this list, but he is still a very impactful player who was an excellent pick considering the round.