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.

Chargers Draft Prospects: Vinny Curry

Pass rushers are at a premium in the league today. A team can never have enough pass rushers. Having a good rotation and reserves is critical. With that in mind, here is the next Charger Madness draft profile for Marshall star Vinny Curry.

Position: DE/OLB

Weight: 266 lbs.

Height: 6' 3''

Pros: This guy can flat out play ball. He might not be the fastest, but he gets the job done. He is a smart player and has the strength to bull rush opposing linemen. He does a good job getting under an opponents pads to push them around. He has good techniques and can approach rushing the passer several different ways. He is a team leader both on and off the field and seems to have great character. He is a strong tackler and does a good job spinning off the pile to get the ball carrier. Curry also is always flying to the ball and doesn't hesitate to throw himself into the pile. He also has a propensity for causing fumbles, recording 7 last year.

Cons: The big issue with him is that he seems to fade down the stretch during the course of a game. This can be overcome with better conditioning. he will most likely need some time to transition from DE to OLB, and his zone skills will probably take some time to develop. He needs to rein in his playing style a bit because he sometimes ends up playing out of control. Discipline will fix those minor issues.

Curry is a prospect who seems to do just about everything right both on and off the field. His level of competition was much better than people think. He has a lot of potential and what seems like very few weaknesses.