For the most part, LA Chargers general manager Tom Telesco has had a good track record when it comes to early picks in the NFL Draft. It is the later rounds where he has struggled to build out consistent depth for the franchise.
That being said, a late-round pick cannot be considered a bust as the expectations are naturally lower. It is not unheard of for a third-round pick not to pan out, it is just unfortunate how often that seems to happen with Telesco's picks.
Thus, his list of draft busts is not as prominent as some of his biggest naysayers may think. But there certainly are players that he has drafted in his decade with the team that have earned that label.
Biggest Chargers draft busts under Tom Telesco:
5. Manti Te'o, 38th pick in 2013
The second player that Telesco ever drafted with the Chargers was Manti Te'o, the standout Notre Dame linebacker who was in the news for being catfished before catfished was part of our culture's vernacular.
Te'o was by no means horrible during his tenure in San Diego. He was a starting-caliber linebacker for several seasons and was serviceable. Was he worth the 38th overall pick in the draft? Absolutely not. If Telesco didn't save this draft with Keenan Allen in round three then it would have looked really bad.
The Chargers picked Te'o far earlier than most analysts were expecting in this draft and it may have been a case of a new GM looking to make a splashy move. The Bolts were definitely hoping to get much more than they actualy got out of Te'o.
Biggest Chargers draft busts under Tom Telesco: 4. Jeremiah Attaochu, 50th pick in 2014
Tom Telesco's first two second-round picks as the general manager left more to be desired. In the first round of this very same draft the team selected cornerback Jason Verrett, who some may consider to be a member of this list. Injuries certainly held Verrett back but he at least made a Pro Bowl in LA, so there was something there.
Instead, the bust from the 2014 draft is Jeremiah Attaochu, who the team selected with the 50th overall pick in the draft. Obviously, second-round picks have far different expectations than first-round picks but you are still looking to get an impact player out of someone picked in the top 50.
The Chargers didn't really get that with Attaochu. While he made an impact on special teams, he never really had the impact on the defensive side of the ball that the team likely imagined.
Attaochu only started 13 games in his first four seasons for the Chargers, recording a grand total of 10 sacks. That is far from the production you want out of pick 50. He then left the team before eventually returning in 2022 as a depth signing in-season that played in two games.
If Attaochu was a day-three pick it would be understandable but the fact that he was the 50th pick in the draft makes his Chargers career look worse.
Biggest Chargers draft busts under Tom Telesco: 3. Kenneth Murray, 23rd pick in 2020
Kenneth Murray is easily the most unpopular player currently on the LA Chargers. Murray has struggled to acclimate himself to the NFL and while he has shown flashes of something special here and there, his overall career has been underwhelming.
Murray was so bad in his second season that the Chargers tried him out as an edge rusher and that was even worse. When Kyzir White left in free agency, it opened the door for Murray to be full-time at inside linebacker next to Drue Tranquill. The results were better but still not great.
What makes the Murray selection even worse is what the Chargers did to take him in the 2020 NFL Draft. After making the most franchise-altering pick at sixth overall with Justin Herbert, the Bolts decided to trade their second and third-round pick to move back into the first to draft Murray.
You really have to live up to expectations if a team is trading two day-two picks to move into the first round to pick you, especially as a linebacker. Murray has not done that thus far and it seems unlikely that the team will even pick up his fifth-year option.
He ranks third on this list as he still has a chance to right the ship in his fourth year in the league. The Chargers have had back-to-back breakout seasons at linebacker so maybe Murray will be next.
Biggest Chargers draft busts under Tom Telesco: 2. Forrest Lamp, 38th pick in 2017
The 2017 NFL Draft looked to be Tom Telesco's best shortly after the final pick was announced. Quite frankly, of all the draft classes under Telesco, this year's draft received the most praise directly after as it appeared that the team truly landed some standout players later than they were expected to go.
Don't get it wrong, fans always tend to overrate draft classes immediately in the aftermath and 2017 was no different. That being said, this draft looked to be legitimately special and landing Forrest Lamp with the 38th overall pick was the main reason why.
Lamp was projected by just about every draft analyst to be a first-round pick. Heck, ESPN's Jeff Legwold ranked Lamp as the eighth-best prospect in the entire draft. Landing someone who people believe to be a top-10 prospect in the second round is incredible work.
Unfortunately, injuries and a move inside to guard derailed Lamp's career before it could ever get started. He did not play at all in his rookie year, played just two games in year two and played seven games in year three. After three seasons in the league, Lamp had only two starts under his belt.
He was finally healthy in 2020 with a chance to earn his spot in the NFL, starting all 16 games for the Bolts in Herbert's rookie year. Lamp was a big part of the team's offensive line woes that season, performing like one of the worst guards in the league.
He signed with the Saints as a depth piece in 2021, got hurt again before the 2022 season, and is currently without a team.
Biggest Chargers draft busts under Tom Telesco: 1. Jerry Tillery, 28th pick in 2019
Not every first-round pick has the same expectations. Someone picked in the late 20s is not expected to have the same impact as someone picked in the top 10. Traditionally, there are about 15-20 elite prospects in the draft and then the board opens up after that.
That being said, it would be a lie if we said that Jerry Tillery wasn't extremely disappointing during his tenure with the Bolts. Selected as the 28th pick after Telesco's best year since joining the team, Tillery never made the impact he was expected to make and was the most hated player on the Chargers before he was eventually let go.
It was so bad for Tillery that the team not only declined his fifth-year option, but they were unable to find any trade partners for him during the 2022 season. The Bolts were okay with outright releasing the former first-round pick before his rookie deal was even up. That is about as bad as it gets.
It ended up working out perfectly, though, as Tillery joined the Las Vegas Raiders to give Chargers fans the opportunity to continue to root against him. Not only did the Raiders bring him in on a flier in 2022 but they re-signed him and are paying him more in 2023 than the Chargers are paying Morgan Fox.
The Chargers are back picking in the 20s for the first time since selecting Tillery in the 2023 NFL Draft. Hopefully, Telesco does not mess up the pick yet again.