Chargers 2010 Draft Review

Source: Chargers.com

The San Diego Chargers opened the 2010 NFL Draft with a blockbuster trade, moving up 16 spots to select Fresno State running back Ryan Mathews with the 12th pick of the first round.

The San Diego Chargers opened the 2010 NFL Draft with a blockbuster trade, moving up 16 spots to select Fresno State running back Ryan Mathews with the 12th pick of the first round. A 1,808-yard rusher with 19 touchdowns as a junior for the Bulldogs, the 6-0, 218-pound Mathews became the first running back selected by the Chargers in the first round since 2001. The Chargers traded with Miami to move up to the 12th spot to select Mathews and also received the Dolphins’ fourth-round pick (No. 110) and their sixth-round pick (No. 173). Miami received the Chargers’ first (No. 28), second (No. 40) and fourth-round (No. 126) picks, as well as inside linebacker Tim Dobbins.

Without a pick in the second round because of the Mathews trade, General Manager A.J. Smith made another move in the third, trading with San Francisco to move up 12 spots to select inside linebacker Donald Butler from the University of Washington at No. 79 overall. A two-year starter for the resurgent Huskies, the 6-1, 245-pound Butler racked up 238 tackles during his UW career, including 28 tackles for loss and four sacks. In the trade, the 49ers received the Chargers’ third-round pick in this year’s draft (No. 91), the sixth-round pick that was acquired from Miami in the Mathews trade (No. 173), and the Chargers’ fourth-round pick in 2011.

To open the third and final day of the draft, the Chargers selected strong safety Darrell Stuckey of Kansas with the 110th overall pick in the fourth round. The 5-11, 205-pounder played both safety spots for the Jayhawks but the Chargers envision him as a strong safety. He is comfortable playing down in the box as evidenced by his 295 career tackles, including 11 behind the line of scrimmage. Stuckey was a two-time first-team All-Big 12 choice at KU.

There was more trade movement for the Chargers in the fifth-round as Smith swapped picks with Philadelphia, moving up 13 spots to select massive defensive tackle Cam Thomas from North Carolina at pick No. 146. The 6-4, 330-pound Thomas anchored the ACC’s top-ranked and the NCAA’s 10th-ranked run defense in 2010. In exchange for the 146th pick, the Eagles received the Chargers fifth-rounder (No. 159) and the Bolts’ fifth in 2011.

The Chargers were awarded a compensatory pick by the NFL in the fifth round and used that pick to select quarterback Jonathan Crompton, a 6-3, 222-pounder from the University of Tennessee. As a senior in 2009, Crompton passed for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions for the Volunteers. The Chargers needed a third quarterback to replace Charlie Whitehurst, who was traded to Seattle on March 18.

With their sixth and final pick in the weekend’s NFL Draft, the Chargers selected tight end Dedrick (DEE-drick) Epps from the University of Miami in the seventh round (235th overall). A two-year starter and a four-year contributor, Epps lined up at tight end, H-back and fullback for the ’Canes and finished his career with 49 catches, 634 yards and six touchdowns.