The Chargers drafted two WRs in April and they are hoping that some of their other younger players step up so they can take some pressure off of Antonio Gates and LaDainian Tomlinson.  Of the returning receivers Vincent Jackson is the most likely one to step up.  He played in 16 games last season (7 starts) and he caught 27 passes for 453 yards (16.8 avg) with 6 TD grabs and he also carried the ball 3 times for 16 yards (5.3 ypc).  Jackson is a big target and he can stretch the field but he has never earned a lot of playing time so far in his career.  He has played in 24 games (7 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 30 passes for 453 yards (15.1 avg) with 6 TD grabs and he also has carried the football 3 times for 16 yards (5.3 ypc).

Rookie WR Craig Davis of LSU will likely get a chance to battle Malcolm Floyd in Training Camp for the right to start opposite Vincent Jackson.  Davis has the speed to get down the field and he’s tough as he is not afraid to go over the middle.  He will likely be at least the #3 WR on the Chargers if he doesn’t win a starting job.

Malcolm Floyd is another young receiver who hasn’t reached his potential yet.  He has looked really good in Training Camp and in the first pre-season game so he could have an important role on the Chargers offense this year.  He played in 12 games last season (0 starts) and he caught 15 passes for 210 yards (14.0 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has now played in 16 games (2 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 18 passes for 259 yards (14.4 avg) with 4 TD grabs.

Eric Parker will miss a large chunk of the season after having toe surgery and this will hurt the Chargers because he started at WR and was the punt returner last season.  He is just a possession receiver on offense as he played in 15 games (12 starts) last season for the Chargers and he caught 48 passes for 659 yards (13.7 avg) with 0 TD grabs and he also carried the football 2 times for 19 yards (9.5 ypc).  Parker also returned 37 punts for 331 yards (8.9 avg) and 2 kickoffs for 19 yards (9.5 avg).   He will likely return as the #3 or #4 WR on the Chargers if the players in front of him step up while he is out.   He has now played in 62 games (40 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 187 passes for 2,586 yards (13.8 avg) with 11 TD grabs and he has run the football 13 times for 148 yards (11.4 ypc).  Parker has returned 105 punts for 881 yards (8.4 avg) and he also has returned 3 kickoffs for 35 yards (11.7 avg) over his career.

Kassim Osgood will battle rookie Legedu Naanee for the #4 WR role until Eric Parker is ready to return.  Osgood will likely make the team even if he loses his battle to the rookie because he’s a good special teams player.  He played in all 16 games (0 starts) for the Chargers last year and he made 9 tackles but didn’t catch any passes.   Osgood has now played in 60 games (12 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 30 passes for 607 yards (20.2 avg) with 4 TD grabs and he also has carried the ball 1 time for 4 yards and he has made 51 tackles.

Legedu Naanee looked good in his first pre-season game last week and he will need to continue to look sharp if he wants to make the Chargers this season.  Still, this is not a great group of wideouts so he could surprise and start working his way up the depth chart.