Chargers general manager Tom Telesco has shown a knack for selecting players from the Senior Bowl each year.
Four of the seven players in last year’s draft had participated in the Senior Bowl. Those players were LB Uchenna Nwosu (2nd), DT Justin Jones (3rd), LB Kyzir White (4th), and C Scott Quessenberry (5th).
Telesco’s philosophy when it comes to drafting players is not only based on their production or athleticism, but he greatly values players that have four years of school under their belt and have the intangibles that translate to a strong locker room player.
Assuming that he continues that trend this year, we wanted to lay out possible scenarios by matching a suitor for Los Angeles that attended the Senior Bowl based on positional needs in each round.
Round 1 | Dalton Risner | Kansas State | OT
Not enough can be said about the mentality of Risner, who wants to be a tone-setter and culture-changer at the next level, but his best asset might just be his play on the field.
Risner has a high football IQ and plays with strong hands, body control, core strength and outstanding awareness to play out in space in pass protection, as well as an aggressive demeanor in the running game.
Risner was a consistent force for the Wildcats the last four years and has intriguing versatility. He played center most of his life until he moved to right tackle as a sophomore at Kansas State, also seeing practice reps at guard.
His intangibles, leadership, style of play and versatility will be strong selling points for Los Angeles in Round 1.
Round 2 | Juan Thornhill | FS | Virginia
The Chargers elected to move on from Jahleel Addae. Many anticipated the team to make a move in free agency, but they chose to not spend the top dollar on one. Virginia’s Juan Thornhill is a proven player that could fill the void.
Thornhill played the strong and free safety, and a little bit as an extra linebacker for the Cavaliers. He was productive in his four-year stint, intercepting 13 passes.
Thornhill passes the athleticism test with a 4.45 40-yard dash and outstanding 44-inch vertical. Though he’s considered undersized to some at 6-foot and 205 pounds, Thornhill has the adequate length for the safety position.
For Los Angeles, Thornhill shows the ball skills, range, speed and tracking ability to excel at the free safety role. His tackling technique does need to improve, but he is always flying around the field to fill in running lanes and make plays.
Round 3 | Khalen Saunders | DT | Western Illinois
Saunders, an Associated Press FCS second-team All-American, started all 12 games and posted 57 tackles, 12 for loss, 7.5 sacks, and three passes defensed in 2018. The small-school standout and backflipping phenom showed that was capable of competing with the best of the best in Mobile, AL and proceeded to post phenomenal numbers at the Combine.
Standing at 6-foot and 324 pounds, Saunders moves like a player that’s 50 pounds lighter. He is very explosive and has great short area quickness. He exhibits flexibility, speed, and power at the point of attack. His first step and twitch make it difficult for interior offensive linemen to block, and he’s effective at playing on the edge of blockers to penetrate through gaps.
Saunders is far from the perfect prospect and has areas that he will have to improve on in order to have success at the next level. His play recognition, hand usage to disengage from blockers, and ability to anchor are things that will need to be addressed.
Saunders lined up all across the defensive line for Western Illinois, but he best projects as a one-gapping 4-3 nose tackle. His athleticism, strength and NFL character should draw the attention of the Chargers.
Round 4 | Jordan Brown | CB | South Dakota State
The cornerback position will likely be addressed in the draft, given the departure of Jason Verrett, Trevor Williams’ future at uncertainty and Michael Davis’ limited action as the No. 2 corner.
An FCS All-American in 2018, in 51 career games Brown tallied 141 tackles and eight interceptions while serving as a shutdown cornerback who matched up against the top receivers that the Jackrabbits faced every weekend.
Brown possesses good overall size at 6-foot and 201 pounds. He is a boundary corner with balanced feet and key-point ball skills, where his former wide receiver-type ball hawk skills standout amongst others.
Tons of off-man and zone coverage at South Dakota State dictated Brown’s opportunities, but the tape shows mirroring ability, which will most likely translate well at the next level. Even though lack of true straight-line speed usually shows up on tape through deep routes, Brown’s click and stick twitch allows him to converge at the catch point.
Brown never got the recognition compared to the other player at his position in this class, but he could be one of the more sneaky good selections. He has the opportunity to fight for a starting job in his first year as a pro.
Rest of the Possibilities
Round 5 | KeeSean Johnson | WR | Fresno State
The Chargers will likely look to the draft for depth at the wide receiver position. Johnson finished 2018 top-10 nationally with 95 receptions, 1,340 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns.
Johnson shows a knack for the ball as he’s at his best when he’s going up for jump balls to bring in contested passes with his big and strong hands. Though he’s not a speedster (4.6 40) and isn’t the most savvy route runner, Johnson is smooth and athletic when operating on the field.
Round 6 | Deshaun Davis | LB | Auburn
The Chargers will unlikely draft a linebacker early after re-signing Denzel Perryman and signing Thomas Davis. Round 4-6 will be sweet spots for the team to add depth at the position.
Davis checks off on the production box with 116 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and two passes defensed. The former leader in the middle of Auburn’s defense also earned first-team All-SEC as a senior.
He isn’t the most athletic linebacker, but Davis consistently makes plays against the run and is at his best when coming downhill. Davis would likely serve as a backup and have a role on special teams to start his professional career.
Round 7 | Byron Cowart | DL | Maryland
The Chargers want to add as much depth to a depleted line as much as possible. Saunders was taken earlier on to fill in as their nose tackle, but the team can get a versatile three-technique with Cowart.
Cowart has good size and length at 6-foot-3 and 298 pounds. He didn’t post numbers that would pop off on the stat sheet, but he showed the ability to disrupt the pass and run game with a blend of hand usage, strength at the point of attack.
Unlikely to be a starter, Cowart is a good rotational piece that can be used in obvious passing situations.
