San Diego's Biggest Needs

With the draft basically a week away, lets take a look at the Chargers biggest needs after free agency.

1) Pass Rush: This is the biggest area that the Chargers still need to address. The good news is that there are a large amount of prospects available at several stages of the draft. The team could take a player like USC's Nick Perry or Illinois one year wonder Whitney Mercilus at 18, trade down into the later part of the first round and take a player like Shea McClellin. Still further down the draft are prospects like Zach Brown of North Carolina, Vinny Curry from Marshall, and Jonathan Massaquoi from Troy. The Chargers are setting pretty good in regards to addressing this need.

2) Both Lines: The Chargers have done a good job for the most part in addressing the needs on both sides of the ball with these areas. Still, the Chargers should be looking to take a proactive approach with these positions. Antonio Garay and Luis Castillo aren't getting any younger, so some additional depth with the potential to join the rotation would be a wise move. The offensive line is a bit better, especially after the resignings of Jared Gaither and Nick Hardwick. Still, the team may want to target someone it the draft to compete for the open battle at the left guard position. Players like Georgia mountain Cordy Glenn, Northwestern State prospect Amaini Silatolu, and Iowa State player Kelechi Osemele, just to name a few, could add some key depth to the Chargers offensive lines.

3) Depth in General: The biggest reason that most people point to for the Chargers recent lack of success is the massive extent of injuries that the team has had to deal with over the last couple of years. With this in mind, the Chargers need to ensure that they are developing the back half of the roster well. This could be the difference between making the playoffs or having another bad season. The Houston Texans are a perfect example of this. How many seasons did they have a great first team offense only to struggle constantly with injuries. I know that the defensive changes helped, but the development of that back half of the roster made a huge difference.

Charger Madness 2012 NFL Mock Draft v 1.0 Picks 11-20

Today we continue our first mock draft with picks 11-20.

11) Kansas City Chiefs- David DeCastro (G, Standford)


Kansas City brought in Eric Winston to fill a void at tackle, but they could really use some help with the interior of their offensive line. DeCastro is an elite guard, drawing comparisons to Steve Hutchinson. The Chiefs are still a very heavy running team, and DeCastro can be a great player for years to come. Kansas City has a good collection of weapons at the skill positions for Matt Cassel to work with, so keeping him upright and clearing holes for Jamaal Charles.

12) Seattle Seahawks- Luke Kuechly (LB, Boston College)

Seattle has a big need at linebacker. They have struggled for the last few years at the position. Luke Kuechly can solve some of those issues. Kuechly is one of the best linebackers to come out in the last several years. The kid can line up at any spot, but fits the middle the best. Many thought that he would run a slow 40 time and hurt his draft stock. He did the opposite and made a great case for being a top 15 selection. He is a smart linebacker with a great motor and will be a great defender for the Seahawks.

13) Arizona Cardinals- Johnathan Martin (T, Stanford)

Arizona has one of the worst lines in football at the moment. While they did resign Levi Brown, there are holes all over the place on this line. Martin can play on both the right or left side, giving the Cardinals some flexibility. The team may not be sold on Brown anyways. Martin would help keep whoever wins the quarterback battle in Arizona between last years big trade Kevin Kolb or Fordham's little guy that could John Skelton upright.