The San Diego Chargers have been upping their game tremendously in recent seasons and finished last year with a strong 11-5 record and a divisional playoff win. The team’s defense is among the best in the league and has actually earned first place among many statistical rankings. Will the team improve its record and make it to the Super Bowl in 2009? An indication of future success may lie in the team’s draft picks for the new season.
Who did the San Diego Chargers select for their draft picks in this ultra-competitive year? His first-round pick was cornerback Antoine Cason out of the University of Arizona. The second pick, in the third round, was running back and running back Jacob Hester from Louisiana State University, followed by running back Marcus Thomas from the University of Texas-El Paso. Rounding out the draft list were Boston College cornerback DeJuan Tribble and Texas A&M offensive tackle Corey Clark.
What was the reaction of fans and pundits to the team’s draft picks? There was a strong backlash for the team’s first pick, cornerback Antoine Cason, a second-generation NFL defensive back and also winner of the Jim Thorpe Award for best defensive back. Cason finished his career at Arizona with an impressive 15 interceptions and a campus record 349 interception return yards. Cason started and faithfully started 46 games in his amateur career. He must have learned that talent from his father Wendell Cason, a Pac-10 defensive back who once played for the Atlanta Falcons.
Jacob Hester also received a favorable mention, as this running back and fullback is a solid athlete. He led his amateur team to the 2007 BCS National Championship and finished with a record 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns. During his last two seasons, he started in his very tough college conference. Next, the Chargers decided to draft Marcus Thomas, a great and powerful running back who had built a career in college as a leading rusher. Thomas was also one of the few players in his school’s history to score more than 100 points in a season. The team hopes Hester and Thomas will help fill the void left by outgoing player Michael Turner. DeJuan Tribble is a two-time All-ACC selection and a very quick player who tied a school record by scoring three interception returns for touchdowns, while Corey Clark started for three years for the Aggies and received an honorable mention. for the All. -Great choice of 12 in 2007.
However, the rest of the team’s draft picks did not receive as much praise as the first two. In fact, Thomas’ selection was met with some skepticism, as it was a bit of a stretch for a team that only had a small number of picks. Tribble has led many to wonder if his small size will be a negative factor, while Clark was disappointed as well. The San Diego Chargers hope to lean on Hester and Cason or surprise us with the talent of their lower-tier players. The Chargers may be planning for victory this season and if 2007 proves anything it’s that you can’t rule them out.
