With the 16th pick in the 2009 NFL draft the San Diego Chargers select...

Representing the San Diego Chargers in the BGN community mock draft USMCSLB selects...

Tyson Jackson, DE LSU

My number one choice Rey Maualuga went to the Broncos. That would have addressed their hole at LB. They have Merriman coming back next year, the Chargers have two other good linebackers in Stephen Cooper and Shuan Phillips. But they have Tim Dobbins starting at ILB? Yea, who? They have drafted Brandon Siler and Anthony Waters ILBs in recent drafts and they have aging Derek Smith that can plug in on spot duty. They did sign Kevin Burnett a backup LB from the Cowboys but he is more of a OLB in the 3-4 scheme. ILB will need to be addressed in the draft if they don’t trust Siler or Waters. At DE they lost Igor Olshansky to the Cowboys, Luis Castillo has the other DE position locked down. Other then that the Chargers are gonna have some glaring needs on their D line. Jamal Williams did not play at a consistent level, he is still a beast but not the player he once was. Enter Tyson Jackson. He is the best 3-4 DE prospect in the draft. He is a monster at 6'4 295lbs. Here's what the scouts have to say…

Redshirted in 2004. Played in 12 of 13 games in 2005 as a reserve. Took over as a fulltime starter in 2006 (Sophomore), finishing with 37 total tackles, 10 TFL and 8.5 sacks in 13 games. He started all 14 games as a junior in 2007, finishing with 36 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, 10 PBUs and 15 QBHs.

Excellent all-around size. Is tall and well-proportioned. Speed is adequate for such a massive DE prospect but below average for the position

Has played in 40 games during his three seasons (2005-'07), including 27 consecutive starts heading into his senior year, he had 36 tackles 10.5 tackles of a loss and 4.5 sacks.

Needs to show a more consistent motor on the field. However, he does not have any off-the-field incidents to our knowledge and he is considered by the coaches to be one of the core

Moves well for his size and plays very much under control. However, he's not a typical highly-regarded DE prospect with explosive burst. He lacks ideal quick-twitch athlete and loses too much in transition when changing directions

He flashes a mean streak but would like to see him play with more consistent effort. Otherwise, his game is built around size, strength and power. There are not many DE's coming out of college with his phone booth skills

Displays good overall awareness and recognition skills. Finds the ball quickly and also plays with discipline. Gets his arms up as a pass rusher and bats down more throws than most DE's

 Can win some battles with power moves. Shows the ability to drive OT's back into the QB. Has some strong upper-body moves to get an OT off-balance, but lacks closing burst to consistently take advantage. Will never be a threat to turn the corner with pure speed off the edge in the NFL. Will always be a better run-plugger than pass rusher

Is an outstanding run defender. Big-bodied DE with a wide base, long arms and big hands. Can stack and shed. Powerful hitter with adequate wrap-up skills in space, especially for such a big D-lineman

Overall compares to Marcus Spears from the Cowboys. Will be better then Olshansky, and plug in as an immediate  starter

Commish take - Certainly a need pick. Like the post says the Chargers could use an inside linebacker and they could also probably use a RB to groom as well.. but DE is a need. A 6-5, 290 pound DE like Jackson fits into their 3-4 scheme nicely and should fill the hole left by Olshansky(probably upgrade the position). This is certainly not the first mock draft to have Jackson heading to San Diego so I think it's a good pick. Knowshon Moreno is also a possibility. 

Picks so far

1    Detroit Lions - Whodie126 - Eugene Monroe

2    St. Louis Rams – Nick Pampani - Jason Smith

3    Kansas City Chiefs - D3keith - Aaron Curry

4    Seattle Seahawks - yophillybro - Mark Sanchez

5    Cleveland Browns – captain nodar - Brian Orakpo

6 - Cincinnati Bengals - Luxury Used Vehicles By Braman - BJ Raji

7 - Oakland Raiders - 2150akland - MIchael Crabtree

8 - Jacksonville Jaguars - NorthPhillyKidd - Matt Stafford

9 - Green Bay Packers - LeonSA - Malcolm Jenkins

10 - San Francisco 49ers - Ajay - Andre Smith

11 - Buffalo Bills - Bubqr - Everette Brown

12 - Denver Broncos - Andyb - Rey Maualuga

13 - Washington Redskins - Clyde Simmons - Aaron Maybin

14 - New Orleans Saints - JasonB - Chris Wells

15 - Houston Texans - LEKsensei - Brian Cushing

16 - San Diego Chargers - USMCSLB - Tyson Jackson