Draft Grades: Chargers

The Chargers had very few needs entering this year's draft, allowing them to simply target the best available players. That philosophy was made clear in the 1st round with the selection of Larry English, who will move to outside linebacker in their 3-4 system. Its a curious move, considering that Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips are the starting jobs locked down. It makes me wonder if they're comfortable with Merriman's healthy. This could be an insurance policy after seeing how their defense suffered without him last season.

I love the selection of Louis Vasquez. He had good value in the 3rd round and he's the type big, physical offensive lineman that the Chargers like. He could compete with Kynan Forney for a starting job.

They reached for Vaughn Martin, but he's a rare athlete that could play end or tackle in the 3-4. That type of versatility added to his value.

Gartrell Johnson is a perfect fit for the Chargers. He'll be the short-yardage back behind Tomlinson and Spriles.

Brandon Hughes had great value in the 5th round. I felt as though he could have come off the board as high as the 3rd round. He'll add some nice depth to the Chargers secondary. Kevin Ellison will do the same. He should be able to win the backup strong safety job behind Clinton Hart.

Demetrius Byrd is somewhat of a longshot to make the team. The Chargers are already very deep at receiver and Byrd's recent car accident makes it unlikely that he'll be healthy enough and ready to win a job this summer. He may stick around on the practice squad, but nothing more.

The Chargers did a decent job identifying the best available player with each pick and sticking to guys that fit their system. The one minor need they have, however, went unaddressed. They could have used an inside linebacker fairly early in the draft to compete with Matt Wilhem and Kevin Burnett for the starting job opposite Stephen Cooper. Aside from that oversight, it was a very solid draft.

Grade: B