Chargers May Work Draft Deal

The Chargers probably will enter Tuesday’s National Football League draft with the 13th and 14th choices in the first round. But chances are good they will execute a trade involving those or other selections before making their first pick.

The odds are very slim on any deals before the draft commences at 5 a.m. PDT Tuesday, according to Al Saunders, assistant head coach.

However, there figures to be a lot of jockeying once the Tampa Bay Bucanneers make Auburn’s Bo Jackson the No. 1 pick of the draft, as expected.

The Chargers’ primary needs are defensive linemen, linebackers and offensive linemen, in no particular order. They might make a trade to move up in hopes of acquiring a given individual, such as Alabama defensive tackle Jon Hand. Or they might move down.

“We have discussed moving up for reasons of quality and down to get more picks,” Saunders said Sunday. “There are quite a few excellent offensive linemen, to name one area, and we might be able to get one as well as gain an additional pick by moving down.”

The draft is thinner in defensive linemen than offensive linemen, making it likely the Chargers would have to barter to get a player such as Hand or Leslie O’Neal of Oklahoma State, another highly rated player.

“For us and a lot of teams, it’s going to be an interesting day from a strategic standpoint,” Saunders said.

The Chargers would love to have a shot at blockers like Brian Jozwiak of West Virginia, Jim Dombrowski of Virginia, James FitzPatrick of USC and John Rienstra of Temple. But the Chargers are hardly alone in coveting players in that group.

Among linebackers considered most desirable are Joe Kelly of Washington, Kevin Murphy of Oklahoma and Alonzo Johnson of Florida.

An unresolved dilemma for the Chargers is what to do should Iowa quarterback Chuck Long still be available when they exercise the first of their 17 picks.

Long is considered the second most promising quarterback in the draft, behind Purdue’s Jim Everett. Long is viewed as a guy who likely would need to be groomed for a couple of years.

That, of course, would mesh pretty well with the San Diego timetable, since Dan Fouts is at least a couple of years from retirement. But the Chargers are fairly content with Mark Herrmann as a reserve for the next couple of seasons, and they really don’t want to spend a high pick on a quarterback. “Quarterback is a definite need down the road, and Chuck would fit extremely well in our system,” Saunders said. “But, quarterback is not our primary need this year, and our pressing needs may override the fact that Long could be our quarterback of the future.”

Thus, the Chargers are leaving themselves plenty of room for maneuvering, not only with quarterbacks.

“If we wind up with the picks we now have, we’re going to be an outstanding team,” Saunders said. “Even if we don’t rearrange our selections, we’re going to be OK. However, we have been and will continue to be very aggressive in the effort to strike a deal.”

Owner Alex Spanos is the principal reason the Chargers have adopted such an aggressive posture.

“He has a great feel for the draft process,” Saunders said. “Added to that, he is a very aggressive businessman, and our organization is taking on his personality.

“Mr. Spanos is not going to take a back seat to anyone in being the aggressor in negotiations. We are in what I would call a fast-break situation, not a slowdown game.”

The Chargers already have indicated they will not exercise a draft pick for a placekicker. Buoyed by the rehabilitation of Rolf Benirschke, who missed last season with a groin pull, the Chargers have committed to the veteran placekicker for 1986.

FIRST-ROUND SELECTIONS

Pos. Player No. Year Team WR Wes Chandler 3 1978 New Orleans LB Billy Ray Smith 5 1983 Chargers DE L. Williams 6 1984 Supplmntl Draft T Jim Lachey 12 1985 Chargers TE Kellen Winslow 13 1979 Chargers DE Ron Faurot 15 1984 New York Jets RB Gary Anderson 20 1983 Chargers SS Gill Byrd 22 1983 Chargers

SECOND-ROUND SELECTIONS

Pos. Player No. Year Team C Don Macek 31 1976 Chargers LB Mike Guendling 33 1984 Chargers G Ed White 39 1969 Minnesota CB Wayne Davis 39 1985 Chargers T Sam Claphan 47 1979 Cleveland S Jeff Dale 55 1985 Chargers

THIRD-ROUND SELECTIONS

Pos. Player No. Year Team QB Dan Fouts 64 1973 Chargers CB John Hendy 69 1985 Chargers LB Linden King 77 1977 Chargers

FOURTH-ROUND SELECTIONS

Pos. Player No. Year Team WR Charlie Joiner 93 1969 Houston CB Danny Walters 95 1983 Chargers P Ralf Mojosiejenko 96 1985 Chargers QB M.Hermann 99 1981 Denver TE Eric Sievers 107 1981 Chargers TE C. Faulkner 108 1983 Dallas LB Derrie Nelson 109 1981 Dallas

FIFTH-ROUND SELECTIONS

Pos. Player No. Year Team RB Lionel James 118 1984 Chargers G Rich Umphrey 122 1982 New York Giants G Ken Dalliafior 124 1982 Pittsburgh LB Woodrow Lowe 131 1976 Chargers

SIXTH-ROUND SELECTIONS

Pos. Player No. Year Team T Drew Gissinger 141 1981 Chargers WR Trumaine Johnson 141 1983 Chargers T Gary Kowalski 144 1983 L.A. Rams CB Terry Lewis 150 1985 Chargers LB Craig Bingham 167 1982 Pittsburgh

SEVENTH-ROUND SELECTIONS

Pos. Player No. Year Team WR Jesse Bendross 173 1984 Chargers LB Mark Fellows 180 1985 Chargers C Jim Leonard 186 1980 Tampa Bay TE Pete Holohan 189 1981 Chargers

EIGHTH-ROUND SELECTIONS

Pos. Player No. Year Team DE Fred Robinson 198 1984 Tampa Bay C Jerry Doerger 200 1982 Chicago RB Curtis Adams 207 1985 Chargers NT Scott Garnett 218 1984 Denver

NINTH-ROUND SELECTIONS

Pos. Player No. Year Team LB Mike Green 245 1983 Chargers

TENTH-ROUND SELECTIONS

Pos. Player No. Year Team S Miles McPherson 256 1982 L.A. Rams CB David King 264 1985 Chargers TE Bob Micho 272 1984 Denver

ELEVENTH-ROUND SELECTIONS

Pos. Player No. Year Team RB Buford McGee 286 1984 Chargers LB Carlos Bradley 300 1981 Chargers RB Tim Spencer 286 1984 Chargers

TWELFTH-ROUND SELECTIONS

Pos. Player No. Year Team NT Tony Simmons 318 1985 Chargers DE Chuck Ehin 330 1983 Chargers K Rolf Benirschke 334 1977 L.A. Raiders

FIFTEENTH-ROUND SELECTIONS

Pos. Player No. Year Team K Bob Thomas 388 1974 L.A. Rams

FREE-AGENT SELECTIONS

Pos. Player No. Year Team LB Shane Nelson 1977 Buffalo CB Lucious Smith 1980 L.A. Rams G Dennis McKnight 1981 Cleveland QB Joe Dufek 1983 Buffalo CB Ronnie O’Bard 1984 Chargers LB Vince Osby 1984 Chargers RB Anthony Corley 1984 Pittsburgh DE Earl Wilson 1985 Chargers G Bill Searcey 1985 Chargers FB Mark Schellen 1985 Chargers DE James Lockette 1985 Chargers