1. Eli Manning/QB Ole Miss Despite his insistence that the Chargers not select him with the #1 overall pick in the draft, Eli Manning was the property of
the Chargers for about 1/2 an hour. Then along came Ernie Accorsi, determined to make up for the pain he felt when Robert Ursay traded his 1983 out
from under him while he was GM of the Colts--a would-be Hall of Famer, John Elway. Accorsi, in what will go down as perhaps the best trade in
Chargers history gave up his own #1 pick and 4th overall in Phillip Rivers, as well as #3 in 04 (which became Nate Kaeding), a #5 in 05 (which was part
of the deal used to acquire Keenan McKardell) and a #1 in 05, which has resulted in this year's 12th overall pick. Now that's what I call a trade. So off
goes Manning and in comes Rivers.
1. Phillip Rivers/QB NC State Personally, I don't have an enormous issue with Drew Brees, so I'm not completely sold on this pick from a position
standpoint. I would have gone with Robert Gallery myself--the Offensive Line is just horrid. And Rivers isn't even my second rated Quarterback--I would
have gone with Ben Roethlisberger--the guys has everything you're looking for except big college experience. But Schottenheimer coached Rivers in the
Senior Bowl and thinks he's a real gamer, and it's hard to argue with him. Rivers has a knack for coming up big in big games and was the MVP of all
four bowl games he appeared in during college, as well as the aforementioned Senior Bowl. I'll make a leap and trust Marty on this one. But the bottom
line is that they probably could have traded down again and still ended up with either Rivers or Roethlisberger and felt assured that they were getting a
top shelf QB. I'll give the trade an A++ but the pick just a B.
2. Igor Olshansky/DT Oregon A bit of a late blooming workout warrior, Igor is a DE/DT tweener who is about was probably the strongest player available
in the draft. He's a Russian immigrant who just started playing football a few years ago, so he's got tons of upside. The Chargers probably reached a
bit for him this early, but I like the pick. I'll give it a B.
3. Nate Kaeding/K Iowa This was the #3 that came over from the Giants, so consider it a freebie pick. Normally, it's a no-no to burn a first day pick on
either a kicker or punter but this guy is different. Much like Jason Elam when he came out, he was consistently good in college for 3+ years. And he has
a very strong leg. This pick should fill a huge whole on the Chargers team, so I like this pick. I'll give it a B+.
3. Nick Hardwick/C Purdue Can play both Center and Guard, so he give the Bolts some flexibility along the line. Hardwick is a very hardworking but a
tad undersized player. Like Olshansky, he's just learning the game. I'd have preferred that they chose a Tackle, but at least the took an offensive
lineman before the first day ended. Solid but not spectacular pick. I'll give it a C+.
4. Shaun Phillips/LB Purdue The Bolts opened the start of the 2nd day with a great pick when they grabbed their second Boilermaker of this draft.
Phillips played DE in college but he'll stand up in San Diego's new 3-4 defense. And with his speed, he'll be a valuable weapon against the opposing
quarterback. I wouldn't be surprised to see Phillips have a big impact early. Very good pick, so I'll give it an A-.
5. Dave Ball/DE UCLA Although the pickings start getting a bit slim at this point, this is another solid pick. Ball is the kind of guy who just plays hard every
down and he had the production at UCLA to prove it. Plus, whenever he gets to the quarterback, we can all look at each other and smugly comment on
what a fine "Ball Sack" that was. He won't be a stud but he'll get in the rotation and probably contribute on special teams. Solid pick and another B.
5. Michael Turner/RB No. Illinois Man, this is a very good draft. Here's a guy who was looking like a possible first rounder before the season. He looks
a little bottom heavy and slow live but he had some pretty speedy workouts at the combine. He'll make the team for sure. I'll give it an A-.
6. Ryan Krause/TE Nebraska-Omaha Don't know much about this guy. Played WR at a small college in Nebraska but because of his size and lack of
great wheels, he'll probably come in as a backup TE. The Bolts have a lot of depth at this position but you never know. They obviously see something in
this guy. I'll trust them on this one and give it a C+.
7. Ryan Bingham/DT Nebraska It's scraping-the-barrel time. Don't know much about Bingham, which is probably not a good sign since Nebraska is
CU's most hated rival. If he were even decent, I'm sure the name would have rung a bell. At least he's at a position of need, so his chances of making
the team are good. I'll give this one a C.
7. Shane Olivea/OT Ohio St. I can't believe the Bolts waited until the 7th round to fill their biggest need. But at least we got one. And I like his major
school experience. Olivea is a very hard worker who plays very smart. Good pick at this stage. Give it a B.
7. Carlos Joseph/OT Miami Almost a carbon copy of the previous pick. Offensive Tackle. Big school. Multi-year starter. Good pick at this late stage of
the draft. Another B.
Final Analysis
Overall, I think this may be the best draft the Chargers have had in years--particularly when you consider the fact that they still have a high #1 and #5 to
go in 2005. I'm not crazy about the Rivers selection for a couple of reasons, but the trade made to get him was absolutely spectacular. I'm just not used
to the Chargers doing anything smart. Phillips, Olshansky and Kaeding are sure-fire contributors. And ever other pick has a good chance to make the
team and a decent chance to play, if not start. I'm going to go out on a limb and give this draft an A-. Nice work, Bolts!!
the Chargers for about 1/2 an hour. Then along came Ernie Accorsi, determined to make up for the pain he felt when Robert Ursay traded his 1983 out
from under him while he was GM of the Colts--a would-be Hall of Famer, John Elway. Accorsi, in what will go down as perhaps the best trade in
Chargers history gave up his own #1 pick and 4th overall in Phillip Rivers, as well as #3 in 04 (which became Nate Kaeding), a #5 in 05 (which was part
of the deal used to acquire Keenan McKardell) and a #1 in 05, which has resulted in this year's 12th overall pick. Now that's what I call a trade. So off
goes Manning and in comes Rivers.
1. Phillip Rivers/QB NC State Personally, I don't have an enormous issue with Drew Brees, so I'm not completely sold on this pick from a position
standpoint. I would have gone with Robert Gallery myself--the Offensive Line is just horrid. And Rivers isn't even my second rated Quarterback--I would
have gone with Ben Roethlisberger--the guys has everything you're looking for except big college experience. But Schottenheimer coached Rivers in the
Senior Bowl and thinks he's a real gamer, and it's hard to argue with him. Rivers has a knack for coming up big in big games and was the MVP of all
four bowl games he appeared in during college, as well as the aforementioned Senior Bowl. I'll make a leap and trust Marty on this one. But the bottom
line is that they probably could have traded down again and still ended up with either Rivers or Roethlisberger and felt assured that they were getting a
top shelf QB. I'll give the trade an A++ but the pick just a B.
2. Igor Olshansky/DT Oregon A bit of a late blooming workout warrior, Igor is a DE/DT tweener who is about was probably the strongest player available
in the draft. He's a Russian immigrant who just started playing football a few years ago, so he's got tons of upside. The Chargers probably reached a
bit for him this early, but I like the pick. I'll give it a B.
3. Nate Kaeding/K Iowa This was the #3 that came over from the Giants, so consider it a freebie pick. Normally, it's a no-no to burn a first day pick on
either a kicker or punter but this guy is different. Much like Jason Elam when he came out, he was consistently good in college for 3+ years. And he has
a very strong leg. This pick should fill a huge whole on the Chargers team, so I like this pick. I'll give it a B+.
3. Nick Hardwick/C Purdue Can play both Center and Guard, so he give the Bolts some flexibility along the line. Hardwick is a very hardworking but a
tad undersized player. Like Olshansky, he's just learning the game. I'd have preferred that they chose a Tackle, but at least the took an offensive
lineman before the first day ended. Solid but not spectacular pick. I'll give it a C+.
4. Shaun Phillips/LB Purdue The Bolts opened the start of the 2nd day with a great pick when they grabbed their second Boilermaker of this draft.
Phillips played DE in college but he'll stand up in San Diego's new 3-4 defense. And with his speed, he'll be a valuable weapon against the opposing
quarterback. I wouldn't be surprised to see Phillips have a big impact early. Very good pick, so I'll give it an A-.
5. Dave Ball/DE UCLA Although the pickings start getting a bit slim at this point, this is another solid pick. Ball is the kind of guy who just plays hard every
down and he had the production at UCLA to prove it. Plus, whenever he gets to the quarterback, we can all look at each other and smugly comment on
what a fine "Ball Sack" that was. He won't be a stud but he'll get in the rotation and probably contribute on special teams. Solid pick and another B.
5. Michael Turner/RB No. Illinois Man, this is a very good draft. Here's a guy who was looking like a possible first rounder before the season. He looks
a little bottom heavy and slow live but he had some pretty speedy workouts at the combine. He'll make the team for sure. I'll give it an A-.
6. Ryan Krause/TE Nebraska-Omaha Don't know much about this guy. Played WR at a small college in Nebraska but because of his size and lack of
great wheels, he'll probably come in as a backup TE. The Bolts have a lot of depth at this position but you never know. They obviously see something in
this guy. I'll trust them on this one and give it a C+.
7. Ryan Bingham/DT Nebraska It's scraping-the-barrel time. Don't know much about Bingham, which is probably not a good sign since Nebraska is
CU's most hated rival. If he were even decent, I'm sure the name would have rung a bell. At least he's at a position of need, so his chances of making
the team are good. I'll give this one a C.
7. Shane Olivea/OT Ohio St. I can't believe the Bolts waited until the 7th round to fill their biggest need. But at least we got one. And I like his major
school experience. Olivea is a very hard worker who plays very smart. Good pick at this stage. Give it a B.
7. Carlos Joseph/OT Miami Almost a carbon copy of the previous pick. Offensive Tackle. Big school. Multi-year starter. Good pick at this late stage of
the draft. Another B.
Final Analysis
Overall, I think this may be the best draft the Chargers have had in years--particularly when you consider the fact that they still have a high #1 and #5 to
go in 2005. I'm not crazy about the Rivers selection for a couple of reasons, but the trade made to get him was absolutely spectacular. I'm just not used
to the Chargers doing anything smart. Phillips, Olshansky and Kaeding are sure-fire contributors. And ever other pick has a good chance to make the
team and a decent chance to play, if not start. I'm going to go out on a limb and give this draft an A-. Nice work, Bolts!!
| Jacko's Original 2004 Draft Analysis |
