Okay, the draft is over and I think San Diego did fairly well. The Chargers REALLY needed to beef up their defense, being ranked 25th last year. They do have Shawne Merriman, the most feared linbacker in the NFL, back in the lineup, so that will help… LIGHTS OUT!

A fair pick in the 1st round was for Larry English, a defensive end from Northern Illinois. I understand that the Chargers need to anchor their defense, but Northern Illinois?

They did not have a 2nd round pick, but in round 3 the picked up Louis Vasquez, an offensive guard from Texas Tech University located in Lubbock, Texas. There could not have been a better choice in round 3. I was born and raised in Lubbock, TX and this year 4 of our Tech boys were drafted into the NFL, over the weekend. Tech’s offensive line had a great 2008, and they contained every opponent’s defense, except Oklahoma’s.

A defensive tackle from Western Ontario by the name of Vaugh Martin, was next to be picked up. At this point in the draft, the Bolts were doing much better than the other 3 teams in their division: the Broncos, the Chiefs, and the Raiders.

An additional offensive guard, Tyronne Green, from Auburn came next.

The following pick caught me by surprise… a running back! Gartrell Johnson from Colorado State. This guy is bigger than LT at 6 feet, and 227 pounds. Don’t get me wrong, I love LT. I get more enjoyment than anyone else when 5 defensive men bounce right off of him! However, let’s face it, football players have a shelf life. For the last couple of years LT has been injury prone, especially in the post season. LT may be happy enough this year, now that the salary caps have been lifted from his contract, but he may only have 1 or 2 more playable years. Sproles, the Firefly, is just too little to take LT’s place and should remain on special teams. Mr. Johnson rushed for over 1,400 yards last year, so let’s see what he can do in the pros. Welcome, young man… you have the best veteran, to ever play the sport, to learn from.

Brandon Hughes, a cornerback from Oregon State, was selected next. Thank God! The Chargers really need improved defensive backs.

Again, I said, “Bless you!” with their next choice of Kevin Ellison, a safety from USC.

A couple of years ago, I realized that San Diego needed to expand their passing game. I thought that Chambers and Jackson would fill that void, but neither of them panned out like I had hoped. In the last round, the Chargers grabbed Demetrius Byrd, a wide receiver from LSU. What the hell? The void still needs to be filled. This guy only had 37 catches, for 513 yards last year. Huh?

I swear, the Chargers need to hire me to make some of their decisions, because they make some real dumb ass moves. Like keeping Norv Turner as the head coach, for example. However, I will talk more about Norv in my next article.

By the way, there is great news for all of you Raider fans. The Raider’s players have decided to adopt the honor system this year… “Yes, your Honor. No, your Honor. I plead guilty, your Honor.”