Chargers Draft Prospects: Dre Kirkpatrick

The Chargers could use help in the secondary. Is Alabama corner Dre Kirkpatrick a potential answer?

Position: CB
Height: 6' 2''
Weight: 186 lbs.

Pros: Kirkpatrick played at Alabama, a member of one of the best college defenses. He has great fluidity and agility and is strong enough to be very successful jamming receivers at the line. He was mainly used as a man coverage corner, but he has the speed and ability to make big plays in zone coverage. He also has the leaping ability to go up and get jump balls. He tackles well, which leads to dropped balls.

Cons: His biggest knock is his character. Even though the pot charges against him got dropped, many teams still see this as a red flag. Coach Saban was hard on Kirkpatrick to keep him focused, but he may not have that in the pros. Kirkpatrick sometimes doesn't get great hand placement on jams and receivers blow by him or knock him down. He also sometimes plays too aggressive, falling for double moves sometimes.

Kirkpatrick has issues swirling about his character, but if he can get that sorted out, he has the talent to be a special player in the league.

St. Louis: Biggest Winner of the Combine?

After all the drills had been completed, all measurements taken, the 2012 scouting combine came to a close. Even though several players turned in amazing workouts, there was perhaps no bigger winner that the St. Louis Rams. The Rams, already set with quarterback Sam Bradford, hold the number 2 spot in the draft. With Andrew Luck all but a sure lock for the top pick, that leaves RG3 out of Baylor on the board, and teams want him. Both Washington and Cleveland have been linked to a trade, which the Rams say they are open for. Who really knows how many teams could make a serious offer, but expect this pick to fetch at least multiple first round and second/third round picks. This deal could very well be bigger than the Julio Jones deal last year. St. Louis has the luxury of playing all sides against each other. The picks they get, if used correctly, could turn this team around.

The News Out of New Orleans Just Keeps Getting Worse

New reports are showing that the payoff system that the Saints were running had been going on since the 2009 season. Reports show that Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams (now with the Rams), was supporting this system. Worse, it appears that coach Sean Payton not only knew about it, but let it happen.  It is reported that players were payed between $1,000 to $1,500 dollars for knocking out players or causing them to be carted off the field. Thousands of dollars were payed out, with the pool reaching its highest point ($50,000) during the 2009 playoffs . It makes the hits on Brett Favre and Kurt Warner look all the worse. The fallout from this is going to be unbelievable. Coaches' careers are going to be ruined, players' integrity and reputations destroyed, and the NFL's feel good franchise forever tarnished.

This kind of action is absolutely disgusting. The saddest part of this is that little kids looking up to these players have to go through seeing their hero fall. Kids look up to these players as heros, seeing them as good guys. To do something like this can only send a bad message to kids. With actions like this, we ask ourselves where sportsmanship has gone in youth sports. Need we look any further?

Huge News Out of New Orleans

The NFL is investigating the New Orleans Saints for using a bounty system on defense. This is just starting to come out, so the big picture isn't clear, but so far, it appears that over 20 players and at least one coach were involved. If this holds, expect some huge penalties and fines for the Saints. Stay posted to Charger Madness for more updates.

Biggest Losers of the Combine

Just as usual, the combine this year saw some players elevate their status while others fell. Here is a list of some of the worst performers of the combine.

1) Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State: Adams entered the combine with a lot of hype vying to be the number 2 tackle in this draft class. Instead of coming out strong, all Adams did was disappoint. He ran a dismal 40, clocking in at 5.4 seconds. This is coming from a guy who is 323 pounds. For comparison, Cordy Glenn, who weighs in at 345 pounds, ran a 4.96. To make matters worse, Adams only put up 19 reps in the bench press. That is pathetic for a tackle; there were running backs who put up better numbers. Adams had the opportunity to cement himself in the first round, and when it was presented, he failed. Make no mistake about it, this was terrible.

2) Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State: Issues off the field can be put aside by teams if the talent is great enough, but what do you do with a player who has issues on the field? Burfict did nothing to help his draft stock, which at this point may as well have jumped off the Grand Canyon. Burfict used his interviews and time with the media to blame his problems on his coaches. Is there anybody in the league that would want to work with a player like that? To make matters worse, Burfict turned in a lumbering 5.09 40 and looked terrible in drills. He also showed up much heavier than expected, weighing in at 248 pounds. What more can this kid do to hurt his stock? Actually, don't answer that, I don't even want to know. Character issues were already going to force him down teams boards, but this workout may have pushed him off a few.

3) Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina: Rumors had been swirling about Alshon Jeffery and his weight for some time now. While he did show up at 216 pounds (not the 229 he played at or the even higher expected number), he promptly took the positive news and threw it under the bus. With top wideout Justin Blackmon not running the 40, Jeffery had a chance to step up and fight for the number 2 receiver spot in this class which is getting rather crowded. To make matters worse, Jeffery didn't even compete in any drills. He will have to wow at his pro day, and even then, there are still going to be issues with his work ethic that he will need to answer.

4) Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor: Wright was another receiver trying to emerge from a talented group who came up flat. He ran a slow 4.61 and didn't look the sharpest in drills. Wright doesn't have ideal size. He needed a strong workout to help his case, and it just came up flat. He is still going to be drafted, but he can expect his stock to fall by at least 1 round. His explosiveness is there, but he must improve his speed.

5) Michael Brockers, DT, LSU: There was a huge amount of hype coming into the combine with this kid. He was viewed as one of the top tackles in a good class. With all the hype about him, Brockers disappointed. His 40 time was bad (5.36), but worse, he did poorly in the short shuttle (4.81), bench press (just 19 reps, a position worst), and only registered a vertical jump of 26 1/2 inches (lineman have to get those hands up). All in all, his numbers were a huge disappointment. He was being talked about as one of the best linemen in this draft, but at this point, he may be waiting a long time to hear his name called.

Biggest Winners of the Combine

Just as usual, the combine this year saw some players elevate their status while others fell.  Here is a list of some of the top performers of this year's combine.

Winners

1) Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College: Kuechly is a tackling machine who saw his already high stocks climb even high with good workouts at the combine. The character of this guy is great and his leadership unquestioned. Could we see a middle linebacker come off the board in the top 15? Kuechly certainly provided enough at the combine for this to be a possibility.

2) Kirk Cousins, QB, Michigan State: Coming into the combine, Cousins was on the outside looking in as a quarterback with a very low draft potential. Cousins, who performed well in the Senior Bowl, was often criticized while at Michigan State for his decision-making ability. Cousins threw the ball very well during the combine and may have moved his way up into the second or third round.


3) Cordy Glenn, G, Georgia: Some people were wondering if Glenn had the athletic ability to find success in the NFL. Glenn put that to rest by doind 31 bench reps and running an impressive sub-five second 40 time. Glenn cemented himself as a great prospect here.

4) Josh Robinson, CB, Central Florida: Johnson turned in the fastest 40 time of the combine at an official 4.33 and unofficial 4.29. Robinson was viewed as a fringe talent until now. His blazing time will have teams giving him some serious consideration. Robinson may not be great, but there will be more interest in him now. Could a team take a risk on him somewhere around the 5th round? I am looking at you Oakland.

5) Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech: Hill didn't play in anything even resembling a balanced offense in college, working under Paul Johnson's option attack at Georgia Tech. With the limits that this system places on wideouts, the combine is perhaps more important to players like Hill than to any others. Hill ran a blazing 4.36 40 and looked good in receiving drills. Hill is an unselfish blocker and may hear his name called early in day 2 if he backs this up with a solid pro day.

Link to Dielman Retirement Press Conference

Guard Kris Dielman officially announced his retirement today at a press conference.  Here is the link to the official video from chargers.com

http://www.chargers.com/media-vault/videos/Kris-Dielman/c46aef57-f367-4277-b378-9dedd8a3f292