The Chargers probably reached in the first round a bit in selecting Antoine Cason.  Cason stands at 6′0″, 190 pounds and he runs a 4.55 40 which is a tad slow for a CB in the NFL.  Cason played in 46 games (all starts) at Arizona and he made 253 tackles, broke up 37 passes, intercepted 15 passes, forced 6 fumbles and recovered a fumble.  Cason is not the most physical player around so it will be interesting to see how the Chargers use him.  Before I criticize the Chargers too much about this pick I remember them plucking Antonio Cromartie in the first round two years ago and look how that turned out for them.

The Chargers have claimed QB Casey Bramlet off waivers from the Dolphins.  This move could signal that the Chargers will attempt to trade 3rd string QB Charlie Whitehurst tomorrow to either move up or acquire a late round pick.

Chargers’ linebacker Stephen Cooper has been suspended for four games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.  This is a huge loss for the Chargers as Cooper really broke out last season for them.  Cooper played in all 16 games for the Chargers last season and he made 108 tackles, defended 6 passes, had 2 sacks, forced 2 fumbles and intercepted 2 passes.  Cooper has now played in 80 games in his NFL career and he has made 259 tackles, defensed 11 passes, has 7 sacks, forced 3 fumbles and intercepted 3 passes.  The Chargers signed linebacker Derek Smith in the off-season and he will likely replace Cooper as the starter at inside linebacker the first four games of the 2008 season.

The Chargers generally do very well on draft day but last season was not a good one.  WR Craig Davis was taken in the first round and he did not play that well.  Davis played in 14 games (1 start) for the Chargers last season and he carried the ball 3 times for 9 yards (3.0 ypc).  He also caught 20 passes for 188 yards (9.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Davis returned 6 punts for 52 yards (8.7 avg) last season.  The Chargers expect more out of Davis in the future.  Safety Eric Weddle was the 2nd round pick for the Chargers last season and he is without a doubt the best player they drafted.  Weddle played in 15 games (0 starts) for the Chargers last season and he made 54 tackles, had 1 sack, defensed 6 passes and picked one off.  Weddle will be a starter for the Chargers soon.  3rd round pick (LB) Anthony Waters was a “redshirt” as he never made it to the field.  TE Scott Chandler was the Chargers’ 4th round pick last season and he played in 1 game and didn’t catch a pass.  In the 5th round the Chargers selected WR Legedu Naanee.  Naanee played in 13 games (0 starts) for the Chargers and he caught 8 passes for 69 yards (8.6 avg).  Inside linebacker Bradon Siler was the 7th round pick of the Chargers and he played decent.  Siler played in 15 games (0 starts) for the Chargers last season and he made 25 tackles.

GRADE FOR THE 2007 SEASON:  C-

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  C

The Chargers have signed 33-year old linebacker Derek Smith.  Smith played in 15 games last season with the 49ers and he made 78 tackles, defensed 4 passes and had a interception.  Smith has now played in 168 games in his NFL career and he has made 1,092 tackles, defensed 35 passes, has 13.5 sacks, forced 5 fumbles and picked off 4 passes.  Smith might be a little long in tooth but he should do a good job as a backup in 2008 for the Chargers.