Chargers to Put New Emphasis on the Draft

In the wake of two straight losing seasons, the Chargers have plenty of weaknesses to address in the 1985 draft. They need help in the offensive line, not to mention the perennial vacuum in the secondary.

There is a new, enlightened emphasis on building through the draft, the way the Dallas Cowboys do it. The new direction was signaled by rookie owner Alex Spanos and his chief scout, Ron Nay, who will have a large say in the draft.

“Our team is being rebuilt, and it’s going to take us two years,” Nay said. “My feeling is, I’m not opposed to trading for a draft choice, but I don’t want to trade for an older football player.”

The Chargers have leaned more to trades recently, as everyone within a 50-mile radius of Mission Valley must know.

The Chargers, who have the 12th selection in the first round, have assembled total of 14 picks overall, the most since 1977. They will choose twice in the second round.

Beyond the new emphasis on the draft, there is a realistic awareness that the Chargers absolutely must sign their first-round pick. The blunders of the last two years, when Mossy Cade and Gary Anderson escaped to the United States Football League, have not been forgotten.

“We will sign the players we draft,” Spanos said. “We will make sure of that.”

As to the identity of the first-round pick, the Chargers are being even more tight-lipped than usual. Nay has assembled a big board with 260 or so names. The board is locked, and only Nay has the key.

San Diego’s choice will be the best available football player, regardless of position, Nay suggested, but if offensive lineman Ken Ruettgers of USC is still on the board, his name likely would be called. Some other blockers of note are Lomas Brown of Florida and Kellen Allen of Indiana.

If, by chance, Texas safety Jerry Gray is still there, he might interest the Chargers. He was a collegiate teammate of Cade. Other noteworthy players who may be available are running back Ethan Horton of North Carolina and receiver Jerry Rice of Mississippi Valley.

Ruettgers (6-feet 5-inches, 275 pounds) would be an appealing choice for San Diego because of a recent injury to a young reserve lineman, Drew Gissinger, who hurt his back while lifting weights and may miss the entire season. The Chargers need depth because of the age of two starters, Ed White and Doug Wilkerson, both of whom will be 38, and the battered condition of center Don Macek.

Ruettgers is also of interest to the Philadelphia Eagles, who own the ninth spot in the first round.

“We might have a chance (to get Ruettgers),” Nay said. “It will be close. But what if somebody else better is there? We’ll go for the best player.”

It isn’t totally clear who will make the final choice for San Diego. Spanos will be involved, as will General Manager John Sanders and Coach Don Coryell. Nay will be heard from.

Spanos, who bought the team last summer, may be new to football, but he catches on pretty quickly, Nay said.

“He’s not as far behind as you might think,” Nay said. “Besides, it’s not that complicated.”

Spanos has received a thorough briefing on the class of ’85.

“We’ve done some heavy talking,” the owner said. “All of us will be involved in the decision-making, but there will be no arguments.”

None of the likely first-rounders available are going to greatly excite the populace of San Diego. The ’85 draft, as Nay noted, is short on glamour names.

“A meat-and-potatoes draft,” he said.

Next year is going to be more stimulating for the people who stay tuned to ESPN for the 16 or so hours the draft consumes. The 1986 draft will have names such as Keith Byars of Ohio State and Bo Jackson of Auburn, one of whom probably will win the Heisman Trophy.

In the meantime, the Chargers can use some meat and potatoes, some guys who can block--and stick with opposing pass catchers. But don’t look for miracles.

“One draft is not going to turn around a losing football team,” Nay said, in case anyone was confused on that point.

If there is any good news for the Chargers, it’s the deathbed state of the rival league. The competition to sign coveted players is unlikely to be nearly as stern as it was the past two years. And when the USFL finally gives up, the Chargers stand to benefit greatly by signing players such as Trumaine Johnson, Anderson and Cade, whose rights they hold.

The demise of the USFL is conjectural. More certain, with regard to this year’s draft, is that, whomever the Chargers take, they will say, “We were surprised he was still available.”

The Chargers have not made productive use of the draft in this decade, as a quick review indicates. As Nay observed, it’s easier when you have some picks in the first three rounds.

In 1980, the team did not have a pick in the first three rounds. But on the fourth round the choice was Ed Luther, who proved to be a workmanlike substitute quarterback for Dan Fouts until he defected to the Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL this spring.

In 1981 the Chargers selected diminutive running back James Brooks, who turned in a couple of above-average years as a kick returner and reserve back before losing favor and being traded to Cincinnati for Pete Johnson a year ago. Johnson later was shipped to Miami.

In 1982 the Chargers had no first-round pick as a result of the Wes Chandler deal with New Orleans the previous fall. On the second round, the Chargers elected to part with their selection for veteran defensive back Tim Fox, who is still around but has never approached his All-Pro days in New England.

The 1983 draft was to be a bonanza for San Diego, which owned three first-round picks. This draft yielded two starters, linebacker Billy Ray Smith and defensive back Gill Byrd. However, the third first-round choice, Anderson, signed with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL.

The other league plucked the Chargers’ top pick in 1984 pick, too. Defensive back Cade, after a long flirtation with San Diego, opted to sign with the Memphis Showboats.

If another team has been burned as badly by the rival league, it doesn’t come readily to mind.

With relatively little to show for its first-round efforts, it’s fortunate that the Charger scouting department has done a respectable job in the middle and later rounds of recent drafts.

For example, tight ends Eric Sievers and Pete Holohan, both valuable commodities, were obtained in 1981 on the fourth and seventh rounds, respectively. Others who were plucked from the dregs of the ’81 draft included defensive end Keith Ferguson, Gissinger and wide receiver Bobby Duckworth.