San Fransisco's Draft Class Makes Me Jealous

Look, I am satisfied with the San Diego Chargers' draft class right now, because I think we addressed all our major needs and did so with some talented players who have great character. I like the speed we have in Craig Davis, I like Eric Weddle's versatility and instincts, I like Anthony Waters' size and aggression, I think our tight ends Chandler and Naanee bring some things to the table, and I think Brandon Siler could be a steal from the seventh round. Like I said, I'm happy with what we were able to do in the draft.

But I look at some teams and the class they drafted and I have to drool a little bit when I imagine what their players would look like in Bolts. And one in particular has me a bit jealous. Even though I never thought in my life I would ever be jealous of the San Fransico 49ers, they were able to put together an extremely impressive draft.

San Francisco Rd Sel# Player Pos. Ht. Wt. School 1 11 Willis, Patrick ILB 6-1 240 Mississippi 1 28 Staley, Joe OT 6-5 302 Central Michigan 3 76 Hill, Jason WR 6-0 210 Washington State 3 97 McDonald, Ray DT 6-3 281 Florida 4 104 Moore, Jay DE 6-5 276 Nebraska 4 126 Goldson, Dashon FS 6-2 202 Washington 4 135 Cohen, Joe DT 6-2 313 Florida 5 147 Brown, Tarell CB 5-11 192 Texas 6 186 Clayton, Thomas RB 5-10 218 Kansas State

You could take the 49ers draft class, and swap them with the Chargers draft class, and there wouldn't be any argument from Charger fans. I mean, look at what the niners did...the positions they addressed, and it would seem that they stole AJ Smith's draft notebook.

In the first round, the Niners took the top Linebacker in the draft in Patrick Willis, and they traded up to get a top Offensive Tackle in Joe Staley. Willis would have looked fantastic in Bolts, and Staley could have been groomed to take over right tackle from Shane Olivea if (when?) Olivea moves inside to guard.

Jason Hill is a deep-threat wide receiver, exactly what the Chargers were looking for in the draft. Ray McDonald would have been great depth at defensive end, playing behind Luis Castillo.

Speaking of defensive end, Jay Moore would have been some more great defensive end depth behind Igor Olshansky. Goldson is a free safety, and while it would have been much later in the draft than fans would have preferred, getting a safety who would eventually start was a prioirty for the Chargers, and the 49ers drafted one who will be given that opportunity.

Joe Cohen is a defensive tackle who could have been groomed to play nose guard behind all-pro Jamal Williams. Tarell Brown brings nice size for the cornerback position and was a bit overshadowed in his career playing at Texas. Thomas Clayton had a nice senior bowl and is a power runner who could have been a nice eventual replacement for Michael Turner.

Looking at the 49ers, they run a very similar system to the Chargers with their attacking 34 defense and their offensive system implemented by Norv Turner. They need similar players to what the Chargers have, and so it is no surprise that they were scouting many of the same players the Chargers were. While they drafted much higher in each round than San Diego did, it is still fun to imagine what players around the league would fit in San Diego perfectly.


san diego chargers