“Chargers-NFL Draft…Night of Strange Decisions”

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No one could see this coming.

A night of strange picks and trades in the NFL draft, that will lead to a day long discussion on Friday of why all this happened in the NFL Draft.

A look at storylines:

CHARGERS…Their crying need was a starting right tackle or at cornerback. There was a run of them early in the first round and you wonder if panic was about to set in. Then as a pile of trades started to be made, right there infront of them, the Chargers had the right tackle they needed, but blinked and bypassed him. They went for a left guard, never-ever a sexy pick on the draft board. Why they passed on 6’7-325 pound Northern Iowa Trevor Penning was a surprise. Ideal to play the bookend tackle opposite last year’s rookie sensation, Rashawn Slater, they were scared off. Maybe they felt he was an overachiever in 1AA football, and his skill set would not hold up in the NFL. Maybe rage and physicality can only carry you so far moving to the next level. Maybe they freaked thinking of all the other draft pick lineman they missed on, from Forrest Lamp to Dan Feeney to Trey Pipkens over the last few years. They went instead for Boston College offensive guard Zion Johnson, a workman like technician, who will likely start next to Slater. That means there is still a hole at right tackle. No one I know regards Storm Norton as anything more than a swinging gate trying to pass block. Maybe they move Matt Filer from left guard to right tackle, where he did start at times for the Steelers. But Pittsburgh let him go. So that was a stunner, considering the Saints took Penning two picks later. The Bolts also bypassed CB-Trent McDuffie, the Washington Huskies star, who was taken 4-picks later by the enemy Kansas City Chiefs. Sure there may be some short term rental tackles out there in free agency, since the Bolts don’t pick till choice #79 in the third round on Friday. Penning might have been the last piece of the offensive line puzzle. I would have taken a slugger to play that spot rather than a smaller (6’2-310) guard, who plays in the shadows.

DRAFT DAY DEALS…There were 9-more trades involving 14-first round picks on Thursday in that first round. Add in what happened in the month leading into the draft, there were 20-total trades in the NFL, involving 22-first round picks that were moved around. It started with the QB deals involving Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Matt Ryan and Carson Wentz. Then add in the deals involving Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill-that rocked the landscape. Now on Thursday we saw the Titans rid themselves of WR-AJ Brown and Baltimore doing the same, shipping out Hollywood Brown, and it was like an earthquake rolling thru the draft stage.

BEST DRAFTS…
..Giants..DE-Kayvon Thibodeaux..OT-Evan Neal
..Jets..CB-Sauce Gardner..WR-Garrett Wilson..DE-Jermaine Johnson
..Lions..DE-Aiden Hutchinson..WR-Jameson Williams
..Houston..CB-Derek Stingley..OT-Kenyon Green
..Eagles..DT-Jordan Davis
..Chiefs..CB-Trent McDuffie..DE-George Karlaftis
..Jaguars..DE-Travon Walker..LB-Devin Lloyd
..Saints..WR-Chris Olave..OT-Trevor Penning
..Seattle..OT-Charles Cross

WORST DRAFTS..
..Vikings..how do you trade your number one to the Lions, in your own division?
..Packers..how do you bypass much needed WRs to take more defense?
..Patriots..Trading back again, Bill Belichick selects a guard from 1AA-Chattanooga
..Washington..Bypassed two qualify WRs to trade back to take a lesser receiver

SITTING AND WAITING
..Malik Willis..QB-Liberty-undrafted
..Nikoba Dean..LB-Georgia..did not hear his name called yet
..Desmond Ridder..QB-Cincinnati-likely to go in 2nd round..
..No running backs taken in first round

NOTING..
..9-more draft picks in the 2nd and 3rd round were also swapped for the Friday rounds.

STILL TO COME..
..Aztecs star punter Matt Araiza-likely 3rd round pick.
..SDSU DE-LB-Cam Thomas-likely a 2nd round pick
..State OG-Will Dunkle-an uncut gem-a mauler player-to be picked on Saturday
..Red-Black TE-Daniel Bellinger..possibly in 5th-6th round

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