Draft History: Chargers draft some all-time greats and an all-time bust
Draft History: Chargers draft some all-time greats and an all-time bust
The top draft picks in Chargers history are included among the game’s great sack artists, rushers, passers, and receivers. However, the team also has made arguable the worst draft blunder in NFL history. (Note, as with the Giants, I will be staying away from the whole Eli Manning-Philip Rivers situation in 2004.)
BEST
10. Earl Faison, DE (Round 1, Pick 7 in 1961) - Faison spent five full seasons with San Diego, and he was an AFL All-Star in all five seasons and an All-Pro four times. A member of San Diego’s “Fearsome Foursome” defensive line, Faison suffered from knee injuries and didn’t help himself by holding out several times. A trade to Houston was nullified, so the former AFL Rookie of the Year toyed with the idea of playing in the CFL before returning to the Chargers. He was released after three games in 1966 and signed with the expansion Dolphins. Faison was traded to the Broncos the following season, but returned to Miami and was cut. He unsuccessfully sued the Dolphins for breach of contract and never played in the NFL again.
9. John Hadl, QB (Round 3, Pick 24 in 1962) - Hadl ranks third in team history with 26,938 yards and 201 touchdowns in 11 seasons. After splitting quarterback duties with former Packer and Lion Tobin Rote, Hadl took over in 1964 and earned five Pro Bowl/AFL All-Star selections in San Diego. He played in three AFL Championship Games, including the 1963 title, and led the league in passing yards three times and touchdowns twice. Most of his success came on passes to Hall of Famer Lance Alworth, who went to seven straight All-Star Games and was selected to six straight All-Pro teams.
8. Keenan Allen, WR (Round 3, Pick 76 in 2013) - Allen ranks fifth in team history with 524 receptions, sixth with 6,405 yards and tied for 10th with 34 touchdowns. He has been selected to the past three Pro Bowls and has four seasons with at least 1,000 yards. Allen missed most of the 2016 season after tearing his ACL in the first game, but he won Comeback Player of the Year in 2017 after totaling 102 catches, a career-high 1,393 yards, and six scores.
7. Eric Weddle, S (Round 2, Pick 37 in 2007) - Weddle spent the first nine of his 13 seasons in San Diego. The three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro registered 19 interceptions, including a league-leading seven in 2011. Weddle ranks third in team history with 683 solo tackles, and he has 851 stops overall. He also had 70 passes defended, 6½ sacks and a fumble return for a touchdown. After three seasons with the Ravens and one with the Rams, Weddle retired after the 2019 season.
6. Ernie “Big Cat” Ladd, DT (Round 15, Pick 119 in 1961) - Ladd was a teammate of Faison’s on the “Fearsome Foursome,” and was also part of that nullified trade to Houston (which was quashed due to tampering by Oilers owner Bud Adams). He also appeared in four AFL All-Star Games and was a three-time Pro Bowler in five seasons on the West Coast. At 6-foot-9, Ladd was the largest player in professional football, and he spent his offseasons as a professional wrestler. Despite Ladd and Faison being a part of four AFL Championship Games and a title in 1963, both had contentious relationships with head coach and general manager Sid Gillman. After the Houston trade failed, Ladd signed with the Oilers, then went to the Chiefs and formed a super tackle tandem with 6-foot-7 future Hall of Famer Buck Buchanan.
5. Fred Dean, DE (Round 2, Pick 33 in 1975) - Dean spent the first six full seasons of his Hall of Fame career in San Diego, earning three Pro Bowl and two All-Pro selections. He was a part of the “Bruise Brothers” front four of the late 1970s along with Gary “Big Hands” Johnson, Louie Kelcher and Leroy Jones that led San Diego to a pair of AFC West titles. Although sack records were not kept until 1982, Chargers records show Dean with 15½ in 1978 and 10½ in 1980. After disputes with management, Dean was traded to San Francisco, where he won two Super Bowls.
4. Kellen Winslow, TE (Round 1, Pick 13 in 1979) - The Hall of Famer ranks third among Chargers in receptions (541) and fifth in yards (6,741) and touchdowns (45). He is a five-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro who led the league in catches twice and also had three 1,000-yard seasons. Winslow’s success, along with that of Cleveland’s Ozzie Newsome, was a catalyst for the expanding roles of tight ends in NFL offenses.
3. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB (Round 1, Pick 5 in 2001) - L. T. is the all-time Chargers leader with 12,490 yards and 138 touchdowns in nine seasons. He had his first of eight 1,000-yard seasons in 2001, when he made the All-Rookie Team with 1,236 yards and 10 touchdowns. Tomlinson was named MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in 2006 after posting an NFL-high 1,815 yards and a league-record 28 touchdowns. The five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro was also a threat out of the backfield, ranking fourth with 530 receptions and 12th with 3,955 yards. Tomlinson was named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2006 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
2. Dan Fouts, QB (Round 3, Pick 64 in 1973) - Before his broadcasting days, Fouts had a Hall of Fame career that thrived under the direction of Don “Air” Coryell and his high-powered passing scheme. Fouts was a six-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro who led the league in passing yards four times and touchdowns twice. Dan Marino set the NFL’s single-season passing record with 5,084 yards in 1984, but before that, Fouts set the mark three straight years from 1979-81. He earned All-Pro and Offensive Player of the Year honors in 1982 after a league-leading 2,883 yards and 17 touchdowns in the strike-shortened season. The Chargers went to back-to-back AFC Championship Games in the early 1980s, but never reached the Super Bowl.
1. Junior Seau, LB (Round 1, Pick 5 in 1990) - The Hall of Famer was the heart and soul of the Chargers defense for 13 years, and he made the Pro Bowl in all but his rookie season. Seau was also a six-time All-Pro and the 1994 NFL Man of the Year Award winner. He had a sack in San Diego’s loss to San Francisco in Super Bowl XXIX. Seau tops the Chargers franchise with 1,480 tackles and 1,287 solo stops. He was traded in 2003 and spent seven more seasons with the Dolphins and Patriots before retiring in 2009. After his death by suicide in 2012, Seau became the prime case for the NFL to look into the effects of concussions on its players.
WORST
10. Rufus Guthrie, G (Round 2, Pick 10 in 1963) - The former player for Georgia Tech (then called the Georgia Institute of Technology) was the second guard taken by the Chargers in 1963 (Syracuse’s Walt Sweeney was drafted second overall). He suffered a broken ankle on the kickoff of his first preseason game and never played again. Guthrie had a successful career in real estate before he died from brain cancer in 2000.
9. Keith Kinderman, FB (Round 3, Pick 18 in 1965) - Another player whose career was shortened by injury, Kinderman was a dual-threat back from Florida State. As a rookie, he played on the 1963 AFL champion Chargers, totaling 14 yards rushing and 52 receiving in the title game against the Bills. He played just 15 games in three seasons before a torn ACL and a dislocated elbow led to his retirement. Kindleman went to law school and was an attorney in Florida before his death in 2018.
8. Nick Rassas, S (Round 2, Pick 16 in 1966) - Known for his hard-hitting style at Notre Dame, Rassas chose the NFL expansion Atlanta Falcons (who picked him 17th) rather than the Chargers. He had an interception and two fumbles recovered in 27 games with Atlanta, but lasted only three seasons in the league.
7. Leon Burns, RB (Round 1, Pick 13 in 1971) - Burns ran for 223 yards and a touchdown as a rookie, but after a year the St. Louis Cardinals, he was out of the NFL. The 1970 All-American at Long Beach State was shot to death on December 22, 1984, in a case that is still unsolved.
6. Bob Ferguson, FB (Round 1, Pick 8 in 1962) - Ferguson was the Maxwell Award winner as the best all-around player in college football in 1961, and he spent his entire Ohio State career never being tackled for a loss. He chose the Steelers (who took him fifth in the NFL Draft), but lasted just two seasons before retiring due to a head injury. For many years, Ferguson worked as a youth counselor in Columbus, Ohio. He died from complications of diabetes in 2004.
5. Don Davis, DT (Round 1, Pick 7 in 1966) - The former Los Angeles State defensive tackle was drafted in the second round (pick 25) in the NFL Draft and chose the Giants. After starting 13 of 14 games as a rookie, Davis suffered a knee injury and never played professionally again.
4. Johnny Rodgers, WR (Round 1, Pick 25 in 1973) - The 1972 Heisman Trophy winner and two-time All-American at Nebraska chose to sign a lucrative contract with the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes. He proved to be worth the money, earning the Most Outstanding Rookie Award in 1973, winning the Jeff Russell Memorial Trophy as Eastern Division MVP twice and being a CFL or Eastern Division All-Star in each of his four seasons. The “Ordinary Superstar” also won a Grey Cup championship with Montreal in 1974. Rodgers returned to San Diego for the 1977 season, but a hamstring injury cost him five games that year, and a knee injury sustained during practice in 1978 ended his career.
3. William “Bo” Matthews, RB (Round 1, Pick 2 in 1974) - Matthews came highly touted out of Colorado, but totaled just 1,566 yards in seven NFL seasons. He set career highs with 328 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie with the Chargers, but never consistently found playing time. He spent 1½ seasons with the Giants and three games with the Dolphins, but last played in 1981.
2. Tommories “Mossy” Cade, S (Round 1, Pick 6 in 1984) - The former All-American with Texas did not sign with the Chargers and instead spent 1985 with the Memphis Showboats of the USFL. After the league folded, Cade went to Green Bay where he posted five interceptions and a sack in two seasons with the Packers. He spent 15 months in jail after a jury in Wisconsin found him guilty of second-degree sexual assault against his aunt through marriage in 1987. After his release, the Vikings signed Cade, but public outcry led to his release.
1. Ryan Leaf, QB (Round 1, Pick 2 in 1998) - No one else could have occupied this spot, considering Leaf would make most lists as one of the Top 10 biggest draft busts in NFL history. After the Colts took Peyton Manning in 1998, the Chargers made the easy choice and selected Leaf, who said he was “looking forward to a 15-year career, a couple of trips to the Super Bowl and a parade through downtown San Diego.” Instead, the Chargers got a guy who yawned during his initial press conference, skipped the rookie symposium, played golf instead of watching game film, feuded with coaches and teammates and played poorly for two seasons (and missed a third with a shoulder injury). His totals with San Diego: 3,172 yards, 13 touchdowns, 33 interceptions, and a 4-14 record. Leaf’s problems with alcohol, drugs, and authority are also well-documented. He had at least four arrests for controlled substance charges, plus others for burglary, fraud, and theft. Thankfully, Leaf has gotten clean and is now an analyst for ESPN’s college football coverage, as well as an ambassador for the Transcend Recovery sober living community.
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-By: Kevin Rakas
Writer