Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco has had a mixed record so far. On one hand, he has never struck gold in hiring a head coach \u2013 but in fairness, the Spanos ownership may be just as much to blame for that, if not more. As a drafter, the results have also been mixed \u2013 he\u2019s taken some absolute gems but he\u2019s also had a fair share of busts. The odd thing is how many of the latter have been in the third round \u2013 the most recent being Tre McKitty, who was released a few days before this writing. McKitty is the latest in a line of third-round Telesco busts, many of whom seem like downright dart throws by Telesco \u2013 which is odd, given that he\u2019s not as prone to that elsewhere.<\/p>\n
The obvious exception here is Keenan Allen, of course. He was the third-round pick in Telesco\u2019s first season as Chargers GM in 2013. And he\u2019s turned out to be one of the best receivers in franchise history. The thing that some may forget, though, is that Allen was a bit of a dart throw too \u2013 he was just one that worked out. But he had fallen in the Draft due to a knee injury during his final year of college. The Chargers took the chance that said injury wouldn\u2019t be a problem later \u2013 and in the end, that gamble paid off.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s the only Pro Bowler so far that Tom Telesco has selected in the third round, but there have been a couple of other good ones. Josh Palmer (2021) was a bit of a slow-burner, but two years in a row now he has filled in quite well when needed due to injuries. Defensive tackle Justin Jones (2018) and offensive tackle Trey Pipkins (2019) have been serviceable as well (or were, in Jones\u2019 case \u2013 he walked in free agency). For a year or two, Jones was the best run-stopper on the team.<\/p>\n
Pipkins isn\u2019t anything great at right tackle, but after suffering through Storm Norton in 2021, he almost looks like a Pro Bowler by comparison. For whatever it\u2019s worth, he was the first third-round pick since Allen to get a contract extension after his initial rookie deal.<\/p>\n
After the above-mentioned exceptions, it starts getting ugly. We\u2019ll start with the 2014 third-round pick \u2013 offensive lineman Chris Watt. 17 games, only eight starts \u2013 and in 2014 he only started due to severe shortages at the center position, which he had never played before. Watt did a respectable job given that context, but it went downhill from there. He started three games again at center in 2015, got benched, and then later injured \u2013 and was unable to stay on the field after that. He ultimately was cut midway through the 2016 season after a failed physical. While it may seem a little unfair to label him as a bust, given that injuries were what did him in, he wasn\u2019t trending in the right direction even before that.<\/p>\n
Next up is cornerback Craig Mager from 2015. He started a total of ten games in his first two seasons and had one interception in that time. However, he was so bad (PFF score of 47.2 in 2016, just to give you an idea) that he ended up on the practice squad in 2017 and was released for good in 2018. Mager stands out as one of the worst draft picks of the Telesco era, period.<\/p>\n
2016 and 2017 both saw more offensive linemen get drafted. Max Tuerk never played a single snap for the Chargers. Part of not playing in 2016 was due to recovering from an ACL injury, but that doesn\u2019t explain everything. In 2017 he got suspended four games for PED\u2019s \u2013 and after serving said suspension, was promptly sent to the practice squad. The Arizona Cardinals eventually picked him up. And in 2017, Dan Feeney actually turned out better than second-round offensive lineman Forrest Lamp from the same year \u2013 which isn\u2019t saying much. He was the starter at left guard for three years, and while he wasn\u2019t downright bad, his best attribute was that he never missed a game. He\u2019s at least still in the league, but has only started seven games over the last three years.<\/p>\n
2018 and 2019 brought Jones and Pipkins, who both fared better than any of the above four examples (though Pipkins took a while). In 2020 the Chargers traded away their third-round pick. In 2021 they had two <\/i>third-round picks \u2013 Palmer and McKitty. The difference between those two is night and day. Palmer is a solid #2 WR. McKitty just got released after only 16 catches for 117 yards through two season and wasn\u2019t panning out as a blocker either. You know it\u2019s bad when the coach basically admits<\/a> the player sucked after cutting him.<\/p>\n It may seem a little early to judge 2022 third-rounder safety JT Woods, but he\u2019s not trending in the right direction either. He seemed like a bit of a reach in 2022, and he\u2019s not living up to expectations. He started one game in 2022 and had only three tackles all year. He\u2019s missed a few games in 2023 but hasn\u2019t really done much in the few games he\u2019s played in. Woods has not shown much talent as a tackler or <\/i>as a ball-hawk. Unless he turns things around, he could easily find himself getting cut next year like McKitty \u2013 especially if there\u2019s a regime change next year at coach and\/or GM.<\/p>\n