Eric D. Williams breaks down the 2016 San Diego Chargers draft class.
Round 1, Pick No. 3: Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State | Highlights
My take: Bosa fills San Diego’s most glaring need, which is help along the defensive line. Bosa finished with 26 career sacks and was a stout run defender for the Buckeyes. He’ll combine with fellow defensive end Liuget and nose tackle Brandon Mebane to create a formidable defensive front for the Chargers.
“San Diego is going to be awesome,” Bosa said after being selected. “I can’t wait to play for the Chargers, and I’m going to give them everything I have.”
Run defense should improve: The Chargers allowed 4.8 yards per carry last season, second worst in the NFL. San Diego also allowed 2,000 rushing yards for the first time since 2003 and gave up at least 17 rushing touchdowns for the first time since 1985, according to ESPN Stats & Information data. Bosa is strong against the run, and along with the addition of Mebane, San Diego’s defensive line should be much better at keeping linebackers Manti Te'o and Denzel Perryman clean, allowing them to scrape to the football.
Curb appeal: Bosa is a tremendous talent. He finished with more tackles for loss (51) than any player in the nation over the past three seasons. But Bosa also gives San Diego a marketable personality in a year when the Chargers are trying to get a stadium built.
Round 2, Pick No. 35: Hunter Henry, Arkansas, TE | Highlights
My take: After losing pass-catching tight end Ladarius Green in free agency to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chargers needed to find an eventual replacement for veteran tight end Antonio Gates. Many draft scouting services had Henry rated as top tight end in the draft. At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, the Arkansas product has the skill set to develop into that kind of player. A first-team All-SEC pick last year, Henry finished with 51 catches for 739 yards and three touchdowns in 2015, finishing without a drop.
A versatile player tight end: Along with Green, the Chargers did not bring back John Phillips and David Johnson in free agency. San Diego struggled to run the football in two tight end sets last year. Henry will have to be a contributor as a run blocker. The Chargers averaged a league-worst 3.5 rushing yards per contest in 2015.
Henry puts up numbers: In a conference known more for running the football, Henry was one of eight tight ends in SEC history to reach the triple-digit mark in receptions while playing in the conference, totaling 116 passes for 1,661 yards and nine touchdowns. He earned the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end.
Round 3, Pick No. 66: Max Tuerk, C, USC | Highlights
My take: A two-year starter at center and a team captain, Tuerk roomed with quarterback Cody Kessler at USC. At 6-5 and 298 pounds, Tuerk is a cerebral player but also a good athlete that works well in space. Chargers offensive line coach Jeff Davidson has been in contact with Tuerk throughout the draft process. “He can pull,” Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said. “He can reach people with his length at the second level really, really well. I haven’t seen many centers like him.”
Is he healthy? Tuerk suffered a season-ending knee injury in October of last year. Tuerk said he’s about seven months out from surgery and his knee feels great. He has been running and has no limitations in the weight room. “Once we get him here and have our hands on him every day, we’ll have a better determination on when his start date will be,” Telesco said. “But when he’s ready to go, he’ll certainly be competing for that spot.”
Tuerk adds versatility: A two-year starter at center, Tuerk also started a year at guard and some games at tackle for the Trojans. So he offers some versatility for the Chargers, who value that flexibility considering all of the injuries the team deal with the past two seasons. “It’s nice,” Telesco said. “He’s smart and he’s athletic, so he’s able to do that. We see him as a center, but certainly he’s played guard and tackle, so that’s always nice on game day like we saw last year, so he can step in at a couple different spots.”
Hometown cooking: Tuerk said he grew up 45 minutes north of San Diego in Trabuco Canyon, and followed the Chargers. “I’ve been following them pretty much my whole life,” Tuerk said. “It’s hard to even explain. It’s an incredible feeling, and I’m truly blessed and just grateful for the opportunity.”
Round 4, Pick No. 102: Joshua Perry, LB, Ohio State | Highlights
My take: The Chargers released veteran inside linebackers Donald Butler and Kavell Conner at the onset of free agency, so Perry should have an opportunity to earn a backup job behind starters Manti Te’o and Denzel Perryman. Perry played in 52 games with 39 starts for the Buckeyes. He ran a 4.68-second, 40-yard time at the combine and bench-pressed 225 pounds 20 times. Physically he should hold up at the next level, although he’s likely a player that will be on the field on early downs and subbed out during passing situations.
Size matters: At 6-foot-4 and 254 pounds, Perry is a big-bodied thumper who adds size to San Diego’s inside linebacker position group. Perry also was voted co-captain of Ohio State’s defense his senior year and earned first-team, All-Big Ten honors in 2015, so he also brings leadership qualities to San Diego’s defense.
A tackling machine: Perry finished with more than 100 tackles in his last two seasons at Ohio State and totaled 7.5 career sacks. He led Ohio State with 124 combined tackles during the school’s 2014 national championship season and finished second on the team last year with 104. Perry finished his career ranked 16th overall in school history with 298 tackles. He should be a candidate to earn time as a core special-teams player for the Chargers.
Round 5, Pick No. 175: Jatavis Brown, OLB, Akron | Highlights
My take: A three-time, first-team All-MAC selection, Brown holds the school record for career tackles for loss with 41.5. He’s the first Akron player selected in the NFL draft since 2008 (DB Reggie Corner). At 5-foot-11 and 227 pounds, Brown ran a 4.47-second, 40-yard time at the NFL regional combine. He’s likely an in-the-box safety at the next level for the Chargers.
Round 6, Pick No. 179: Drew Kaser, P, Texas A&M | Highlights
My take: Kaser averaged 46.2 yards per punt during his career at Texas A&M, second-best in FBS history. Mike Scifres, a 13-year veteran, is scheduled to make a little over $3.5 million in base salary in the final year of his contract if he chooses not to retire. Scifres, 35, had a down year in 2015. He averaged 45.3 yards per punt -- No. 22 in the NFL. His net punting average of 38 yards was No. 28 in the league. And Scifres averaged just 23 percent of punts inside the 20-yard line this season.The Chargers also signed Kasey Redfern to a reserve-futures contract at the end of the year. Redfern spent the final two weeks of the 2015 season on San Diego’s practice squad.
Round 6, Pick No. 198: Derek Watt, FB, Wisconsin | Highlights
My take: At 6-foot-2 and 236 pounds, Watt is a fit in a zone scheme because of feel for the running and catching the ball out of the backfield. He totaled 15 catches for 139 receiving yards his final season at Wisconsin. Watt had a good rapport with Gordon for the Badgers, and reuniting the duo again should help San Diego offensive coordinator reignite the team’s running game.
Round 7, Pick No. 224: Donavon Clark, G, Michigan State | Highlights
My take: At 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds, Clark played left tackle, right tackle and right guard for the Spartans, so he offers flexibility. Clark was a third-team, All-Big Ten selection last season. A two-year starter, in 47 games Clark started 33 of those for the Spartans. Clark finished his career at Michigan State with 27 consecutive starts, so he’s durable.