San Diego Chargers Surprise Draft with Miami Trade

With the loss of LT this off season, the Chargers were without a full time running back. While Darren Sproles is, in my opinion, one of the best at the position, the Chargers, however, are not quite satisfied. In a surprise move, just two minutes prior to the selection, San Diego made a last minute deal with the Miami Dolphins to snatch the 11^th pick. This vaulted the Chargers from the 28 spot to a position to beat out the Houston Texans to one of the best all around running backs in the draft pool this season. With the Texans definitely gunning for Ryan Matthews, the Chargers made a very sly move to land the top back. This gives the Chargers a little bit of wiggle room to develop a top offensive backfield. With the definite transition to a throwing team, they are putting very little emphasis on the backfield. Darren Sproles is a very underrated part of their offense, and the "Tank" looks to be the next LT. With impressive numbers and an amazing quickness, this little fireball can easily slide in to fill the Charger's limited running game in the future. In case of emergency though, they needed a backup. This is where Ryan Matthews comes in. This running back from Fresno State was lauded as the best all around offensive back in the draft pool and was sure to go in the first round. With the Texans and the Chargers both on the prowl for a new offensive back to lead their running game, it was only a matter of who gets him first. This is the driving force behind the shady, back door trade the Chargers made to get him. This deal had to have been worked out well before the Draft, but kept to a clandestine trade, it was able to surprise everyone. Had the Texans known this was to happen, they certainly would have trumped the Chargers and a bidding war would have ensued. To keep the price down, the Chargers chose the "Secret Squirrel" approach to this draft choice.

Ryan Matthews may not look very impressive on paper, but his skills go way beyond what can be gleaned from the draft camp. He is relatively slow and has no acceleration when it comes to the breakaway, but he is a heads up player that can burst through the line and break tackles. His ability to think on the fly and create yardage with his running ability make him a quality running back, and the style in which Matthews plays is a perfect fit for the Chargers. Matthews has shown that he is ready to contribute on the professional level and will likely get some time this next season. Darren Sproles can really shape and mold this young player into a quality back. For now though, he will have to be content with playing a backup role. With San Diego shifting away from a ground attack team, he may not get to run the ball as much, but we may see how he is on the short pass.

The Chargers went into this draft with a fairly solid team. There were a couple holes that needed to be filled, but these holes were small compared to many other teams out there. By trading away other selections to ensure getting Matthews may have been a wise idea. The running back spot is beginning to get stretched a little thin. Sproles and Hester are going to do an amazing job there this season, but they can not play every second of the game. With Tolbert able to aptly relieve Hester, Sproles needed a replacement. This is where Matthews falls in the puzzle. There are a few other concerns that the Chargers need to address in the off season, but by landing Matthews, they are in a good position to make a run next season. The other problems are more minor and can be filled with the other selections or via the trade wire. A long snapper or outside lineman can be added from several different methods, but a quality offensive back is very hard to find. Let's just hope that Matthews doesn't turn out to be another Ryan Leaf.

Sources:

Draft Trade Analysis

Live NFL Draft on ESPN (live television coverage)