Chargers Hope to Draft Defensively, May Settle for a Durable Runner
Chargers aim to score less frequently and win more often this season.
To do it, they badly need pass rushers, linebackers and cornerbacks.
However, they probably will draft a running back Tuesday. Auburn’s Brent Fullwood and Miami’s Alonzo Highsmith are the names to remember.
Unless there is a last-minute trade, such as the Chargers executed on draft day last year, the man they want most in this year’s draft, Alabama linebacker Cornelius Bennett, won’t be available when the Chargers make their selection, No. 5 in the first round.
Are these the same old Chargers who talk about a commitment to defense but draft for offense? Yes and no.
Coach Al Saunders, working with a new director of football operations, offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, wants a more balanced, time-consuming, less-flashy offense than the Chargers had the past 10 seasons. A dominant, every-down running back is essential to the new scheme, and the Chargers don’t have one on their roster.
At the same time, Saunders is even more intent on constructing a defense that can sack quarterbacks, stuff the running game and bat down passes. The Chargers were quite good in the sack department last season, with a team-record 62, but their No. 1 pass rusher, Leslie O’Neal, is hurt and may not play in 1987.
While seeking a replacement for O’Neal, the Chargers want an outside linebacker who can get to the passer and also get back into pass coverage, plus a quality cornerback.
In a sense, the Chargers have so many needs, they are almost bound to fill one in the first round of the draft. There are good players available at each position of need, including linebacker Shane Conlan of Penn State, defensive linemen Jerome Brown of Miami and Reggie Rogers of Washington and defensive back Rod Woodson of Purdue.
But there is only one who seems to have that transcendent quality that can transform a solid draft into a memorable one. The player, of course, is Bennett.
The Chargers have been trying for weeks to work out a trade with the Indianapolis Colts, who own the second pick in the draft. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have the first pick, have already signed Miami quarterback Vinny Testaverde.
The Colts, who lately have indicated an unwillingness to part with their selection, at one time were talking about a package that included Charger offensive lineman Jim Lachey, plus San Diego’s first-round pick, in exchange for the No. 2 pick in the draft. That deal didn’t appeal to the Charger brain trust, consisting of owner Alex Spanos, director of football operations Steve Ortmayer, scouting director Ron Nay and Saunders.
But that doesn’t mean the Chargers have given up on trying to work a deal.
There is a recent precedent. Last year, the Chargers moved from 13th to eighth in a trade with Minnesota after the beginning of the draft. The Chargers used that No. 8 selection to take O’Neal.
They want Bennett at least as badly as they wanted O’Neal.
“He has a relentless personality on the field, like Leslie,” said defensive coordinator Ron Lynn. “He doesn’t have the overwhelming body of a Lawrence Taylor, but he does have good natural strength and leverage, like Leslie, and he has outstanding quick feet and change of direction.”
Bennett, 6-feet 2-inches and 236 pounds, would play right outside linebacker and would flank O’Neal when he returns from the knee injury suffered late last season.
“He is the premier player for our needs in the draft,” Saunders said. “He fulfills our need for a pass rusher to replace Leslie, and he would give us a dominant outside backer.
“His character is unblemished and his style is infectious. I would call him a very fast Billy Ray Smith.”
Nay, who has been raving about Bennett for the last two years, called him the best outside linebacker to come along since Taylor, the New York Giant superstar who was the league’s most valuable player last season.
“He’s not as big as Taylor and not as vicious, but he plays with more finesse,” Nay said. “He’d definitely help our pass rush get back some of what it lost when Leslie was hurt. He’s also far above average in pass coverage, although he wasn’t used much in that way at Alabama.”
The problem with Bennett is availability, which could be the case with another interesting linebacker, Conlan.
“He’s tough, smart and instinctive,” Nay said. “He makes few mistakes and has an exceptional pass drop. I’ve seen him compared to Jack Ham (the former Pittsburgh Steeler All-Pro).”
Conlan, however, also may be gone by the time the Chargers’ turn arrives. Buffalo is believed to have a strong interest in him.
The most famous linebacker in this year’s crop is Oklahoma’s Brian Bosworth, but he has elected to take his chances in the supplemental draft.
“He didn’t want to go to Indianapolis, Green Bay or Buffalo,” Nay said, “and he didn’t think he’d last until we picked. He would have liked to play here, I think.”
If the Chargers are unable to get the linebacker they want, they would have several defensive linemen to consider.
Miami’s Brown has all-pro potential, but lacks stamina and consistency, and Washington’s Rogers could be a top pass rusher as a rookie, according to Nay.
Another intriguing possibility is Purdue’s Woodson, whom Nay considers to be the best pure athlete in the draft. Woodson can play cornerback, safety, wide receiver and running back, but would most likely be used at corner by the Chargers, Nay indicated.
The team’s interest in Bennett is genuine and its need for pass rushers and defenders is substantial, but the most likely scenario would seem to be the Chargers going for a running back with their first-round pick.
Auburn’s Fullwood, who runs a 9.35 100-yard dash, is a more explosive back than Miami’s Highsmith, but the Chargers have not ruled out Highsmith, a better blocker and receiver.
“Fullwood is a big-play maker in the mold of Tony Dorsett, Marcus Allen and Curt Warner,” Saunders said. “You give him the ball and hold your breath. He averaged 8.3 yards a carry in the Southeastern Conference, which may have been the toughest in the country.”
Fullwood is a better pure runner than Bo Jackson, a former Auburn teammate, according to Nay.
“He’s not as good a receiver as Bo, but he is very fast, 4.4 in the 40, and he is a tremendous pure runner,” Nay said. “As a blocker? Auburn didn’t ask him to block much.”
Highsmith, in contrast, is a more complete back, with good hands, blocking ability and ball-carrying skill. He doesn’t appear to have the game-breaking ability of Fullwood, according to Charger scouting reports.
“He will be a quality player in the NFL for 10 years,” Saunders said. “He is a premier player as opposed to a premier running back. He is more a John Riggins type than a Dorsett or Warner.”
With either Fullwood or Highsmith, the Chargers would have the personnel to implement the strategic changes Saunders wants.
As quarterback Dan Fouts ages, Saunders wants the Chargers to become more a ball-control team, and they need a runner who can carry the ball 30 times a game. The new offensive style also is supposed to help out the defense by affording it more time to rest.
“The direction we go in the draft ultimately will depend on what people ahead of us do,” Saunders said.
“We’d love to help the defense,” Nay added, “but we have to take the best player we can. It wouldn’t make sense to take a lesser player on defense if we could get a better one on offense.”
Charger Notes
Coach Al Saunders was pleased as the Chargers finished their two-day mini-camp for veterans Saturday. “The majority of players were in better physical condition than we anticipated,” he said. “And we are farther ahead at this stage of the year than we have been in several years.”
Several defensive backs recuperating from injuries looked better than expected, according to Saunders and Ron Lynn, defensive coordinator. Cornerbacks Danny Walters, recovering from a torn Achilles’ tendon, and John Hendy, coming back from knee and shoulder problems, showed signs of being ready to go by the time training camp opens in July. The Chargers had given some consideration to drafting a cornerback this year--Purdue’s Rod Woodson--but the progress of Walters and Hendy may mean they can instead focus on linebackers, pass rushers and running backs.
“Cornerback is still an area of need, but it’s not quite as dramatic as our other needs,” Saunders said. “If they (Walters and Hendy) didn’t have a chance to come back, I might make corner our top priority,” Lynn said. “But Hendy was impressive, and Walters, although he still doesn’t have a burst of speed, appeared uninhibited by his injury. Danny is still rusty, but he has time to get in some concentrated effort and get in condition before camp.”