With nine Chargers draft picks, GM Tom Telesco’s work is no day at the beach
As their draft base this week, the Rams will be using a 9,000-square-foot Malibu home that has an infinity pool and a title sponsor.
The Chargers will be in Costa Mesa, home to — among other things — the corporate headquarters of El Pollo Loco.
Crazy?
Asked about the differing approaches, Chargers general manager Tom Telesco grinned and referenced Rams coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead in a response that he explained was meant to be a compliment.
“Sean and Les just scream Southern California to me,” Telesco said. “I think that the Malibu beach house, for them, is a great fit. I’m from Buffalo, N.Y., as you know. Brandon [Staley, the Chargers new coach] is from Cleveland, Ohio. I don’t know if the beach house is our style.
Chargers coach Brandon Staley finds it “refreshing” and “exciting” to see quarterback Justin Herbert committing to improving after a strong 2020 season.
“Now, if [team owner] Dean [Spanos] wants to go to Manhattan Beach and do it, I think it would be fun. But I don’t know if that’s our style. I think we’ll probably just stay here in the office.”
Telesco and Chargers certainly have work to do, starting with the 13th overall selection Thursday and eight other picks over the three-day draft.
They have openings for starters at left tackle and cornerback. They could use additional depth all over the field, most notably at safety, edge rusher and the offensive line.
Another tight end is certainly a possibility. There have been multiple mock drafts that have the Chargers dipping into the significant wide receiver depth available. And this is a team that needs to bolster its 2020 special teams.
Still, Telesco dismissed the suggestion that the Chargers will be forced to take an offensive tackle or corner in the first round because of holes in their roster.
“We’re drafting players, not positions,” he said. “That’s kind of the way we have to look at it. We’re not just trying to fill out the team for opening day in 2021. … We gotta look at this year and then 2022, ’23, ’24. That’s what we’re drafting these players for.”
Most forecasts have the Chargers landing Rashawn Slater at No. 13, the offensive lineman having played both tackle positions during his career at Northwestern.
Rebuilding the offensive line seems to be a theme in the AFC West as Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs and Raiders prepare for the NFL draft.
If Slater is gone, Christian Darrisaw of Virginia Tech could be the next logical choice. One analyst on the NFL’s website compared Darrisaw to former Chargers Pro Bowl left tackle Russell Okung.
Penei Sewell, who played at Oregon, is widely considered to be the top tackle. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert called his former college teammate “about as good as it gets.”
That means Sewell is not expected to last long Thursday. Several teams drafting ahead of the Chargers — including Cincinnati, Detroit or Carolina — could take Sewell.
The Chargers have rebuilt an offensive line that was riddled with injuries and inconsistency last year. Only right tackle Bryan Bulaga is returning among the starters.
The general belief is the Chargers must commit to protecting Herbert, who is coming off an award-winning season as the NFL’s top offensive rookie. Telesco cautioned about assuming anything.
“It’s gotta be the right player,” he said. “You can’t force things. It doesn’t matter if we have a young quarterback, an old quarterback. You gotta protect the quarterback. You gotta be able to run block when you gotta run block.”
Reporters who cover their teams on a daily basis predict how the first round of the 2021 NFL draft will unfold in The Times’ beat writers’ mock draft.
If the Chargers instead decide to take a cornerback at No. 13, Jaycee Horn of South Carolina has been a popular projection. Patrick Surtain II of Alabama and Greg Newsome II of Northwestern are the other top corners, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Chargers need someone to play opposite Michael Davis in a defense that Staley is revamping to be more versatile and disguise-driven, particularly in pass coverage.
Whatever they end up doing Thursday as the draft unfolds, the Chargers will need to remain flexible, Telesco said. He noted how smart his talent evaluators are and how much information is now available to them.
But there are no guarantees, to be sure, in a process that just one year ago had Herbert as a 6-foot-6, 237-pound question mark.
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