San Diego Chargers: Tom Telesco’s Draft Strategy
As the general manager of the San Diego Chargers, Tom Telesco has stressed that he wants to build the team through the draft.
This may seem like the correct tactic among NFL general managers, but only if the drafting is done correctly. Telesco likes to employ a “best player available” mindset when drafting and it has shown throughout his three drafts as the Chargers general manager.
Likewise, the three-year general manager has not shied away from trading up for picks either (Telesco has not traded down, yet).
Of course, with past experience in the war room besides the tenure with the Chargers (Telesco spent 19 years in the Colts organization), Telesco has learned a thing or two about drafting; respectively, this does not leave him without weakness.
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In the 2013 NFL draft, Telesco’s first as a general manager, the Chargers used their first round pick on an offensive tackle out of Alabama, D.J. Fluker.
In hindsight, the team could have drafted a better talent or even traded down; the Chargers graded Fluker as the best player available, but college tape and combine results distinctly showed the tackle’s ineffectiveness in some aspects (short burst agility, heavy feet).
Other teams later on in the first round selected Sheldon Richardson, Eric Reid, Desmond Trufant and Travis Frederick; these players were all needs for the Chargers at the time and have all made the Pro-Bowl at some point in their young careers. In this, we find a problem when Telesco implements his “best player available” strategy instead of looking at positional needs.
Furthering this idea of examining the “best player available”, if Telesco makes the decision to trade up in the draft, he must make sure that whichever player that the team picks is talented enough to warrant both the pick and the most likely additional pick that is being given up. Indeed, in all three of Telesco’s drafts, the Chargers have traded up to get desired players on their draft board. Consequently, these players (Manti Teo, Jerry Attaochu, and Melvin Gordon) have not lived up to expectations.
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Teo has been improving but it has been at a slow pace; the team hopes the addition of Denzel Perryman will help advance Teo’s development.
Attaochu is an oft-injured edge rusher that has garnered only eight sacks in his two seasons; still, the Georgia Tech did show potential last year when healthy.
Finally, the uber-hyped Gordon rushed for less than 650 yards while totaling no touchdowns and having six fumbles; nonetheless, the reacquisition of Ken Whisenhunt as offensive coordinator should help Gordon fulfill some of his potential as a dynamic runner.
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Having the third overall pick in the draft this year, the Chargers cannot afford to make a mistake after going 4-12 last season. If they do decide to trade down, this would not be the worst idea for the team to pursue. The Chargers have gained the likes of LaDainian Tomlinson, Philip Rivers, and Shawne Merriman with trading down in previous drafts. With such a high overall pick, the “best available player” strategy is the correct method to employ.
If the Chargers elect to stay with their given pick, Telesco must make sure that the player who is selected will positively impact the team for years to come.