Our annual 2011 NFL Mock Draft, with picks made by each of SB Nation's NFL team bloggers, is in full swing. The latest pick in to the podium: the San Diego Chargers, at No. 50 overall.
With the 50th overall pick in the 2011 SB Nation NFL Writers Mock Draft, the San Diego Chargers select Jabaal Sheard, defensive end, Pittsburgh.
John Gennaro of BoltsFromTheBlue.com explains the choice, and our own Dan Kadar reacts to it, after the jump. Make sure you're grading this pick for the Chargers, and checking out Bolts from the Blue for all of your Chargers needs.
John Gennaro explains: The draft just kind of fell right for Jabaal Sheard to be the pick here. First off, the Chargers chose a DE in the first round with Cameron Jordan, so that hole was patched and a player like Iowa's Christian Ballard no longer was an option. The pick previous saw OT Ben Ijalana go off the board, so trying to fill in for a possible Jeromey Clary departure was off the table. There still are some holes at WR to fill, but looking at the draft board and an additional second-round pick coming 11 spots later, it was worth taking a player that might not be around later, as opposed to a position that will certainly have someone worth taking later.
Sheard had an impressive year and scouts project that he can be a 3-4 OLB, which is exactly where the Bolts will play him. His senior season at Pittsburgh was supposed to be one where he played second fiddle to Greg Romeus in the Panther pass rush. Things didn't turn out that way, as Romeus battled injuries and Sheard became the star of the defense. It seem like almost every week he picked up a sack, and that kind of production can't be ignored.
The Chargers have had a need for a productive pass rusher ever since Shawne Merriman's knee started to go out. An attempt was made to address the situation by drafting Larry English in 2009, but he too has battled injuries and hasn't been productive when he has played. The team isn't ready to cut bait with English, but it is ready to add depth, create competition and hopefully foster an environment where the defense can develop a consistent pass rush. Hopefully, Sheard will finally get to play an excellent second fiddle to a top pass rusher (this time it's Shaun Phillips) or maybe he find his way to being the top dog again.
Dan Kadar reacts: [Insert Dan's reaction] [Jabaal Sheard Scouting Report]
With that, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - and our friends at Bucs Nation - are now on the clock.
Mocking the Draft's Top 5 Remaining Prospects
OVR | Name | Pos. | College | Report |
20 | Jon Baldwin | WR | Pittsburgh | scouting report |
27 | Kyle Rudolph | TE | Notre Dame | scouting report |
29 | Jurrell Casey | DT | USC | scouting report |
35 | Johnny Patrick | CB | Louisville | scouting report |
36 | Ryan Williams | RB | Virginia Tech | scouting report |
2011 SB Nation NFL Writers' Mock Draft - RESULTS
Rd. | No. | Team | Player | Pos. | College | Link |
1 | 1 | Carolina Panthers | Blaine Gabbert | QB | Missouri | story |
2 | Denver Broncos | Von Miller | OLB | Texas A&M | story | |
3 | Buffalo Bills | Patrick Peterson | CB | LSU | story | |
4 | Cincinnati Bengals | A.J. Green | WR | Georgia | story | |
5 | Arizona Cardinals | Cam Newton | QB | Auburn | story | |
6 | Cleveland Browns | Marcell Dareus | DT | Alabama | story | |
7 | San Francisco 49ers | Prince Amukamara | CB | Nebraska | story | |
8 | Tennessee Titans | Nick Fairley | DT | Auburn | story | |
9 | Dallas Cowboys | Tyron Smith | OT | USC | story | |
10 | Washington Redskins | Robert Quinn | DE | North Carolina | story | |
11 | Houston Texans | Julio Jones | WR | Alabama | story | |
12 | Minnesota Vikings | J.J. Watt | DE | Wisconsin | story | |
13 | Detroit Lions | Da'Quan Bowers | DE | Clemson | story | |
14 | St. Louis Rams | Corey Liuget | DT | Illinois | story | |
15 | Miami Dolphins | Mark Ingram | RB | Alabama | story | |
16 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Christian Ponder | QB | Florida State | story | |
17 | New England Patriots | Gabe Carimi | OT | Wisconsin | story | |
18 | San Diego Chargers | Cameron Jordan | DE | California | story | |
19 | New York Giants | Mike Pouncey | G/C | Florida | story | |
20 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Ryan Kerrigan | DE | Purdue | story | |
21 | Kansas City Chiefs | Phil Taylor | DT | Baylor | story | |
22 | Indianapolis Colts | Anthony Castonzo | OT | Boston College | story | |
23 | Philadelphia Eagles | Jimmy Smith | CB | Colorado | story | |
24 | New Orleans Saints | Muhammad Wilkerson | DT | Temple | story | |
25 | Seattle Seahawks | Ryan Mallett | QB | Arkansas | story | |
26 | Baltimore Ravens | Aldon Smith | DE | Missouri | story | |
27 | Atlanta Falcons | Justin Houston | DE | Georgia | story | |
28 | New England Patriots | Cameron Heyward | DE | Ohio State | story | |
29 | Chicago Bears | Stephen Paea | DT | Oregon State | story | |
30 | New York Jets | Akeem Ayers | OLB | UCLA | story | |
31 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Nate Solder | OT | Colorado | story | |
32 | Green Bay Packers | Derek Sherrod | OT | Mississippi State | story | |
2 | 33 | New England Patriots | Brooks Reed | DE | Arizona | story |
34 | Buffalo Bills | Jake Locker | QB | Washington | story | |
35 | Cincinnati Bengals | Andy Dalton | QB | TCU | story | |
36 | Denver Broncos | Marvin Austin | DT | North Carolina | story | |
37 | Cleveland Browns | Adrian Clayborn | DE | Iowa | story | |
38 | Arizona Cardinals | Martez Wilson | ILB | Illinois | story | |
39 | Tennessee Titans | Bruce Carter | OLB | North Carolina | story | |
40 | Dallas Cowboys | Aaron Williams | CB | Texas | story | |
41 | Washington Redskins | Danny Watkins | OG | Baylor | story | |
42 | Houston Texans | Rahim Moore | S | UCLA | story | |
43 | Minnesota Vikings | Ricky Stanzi | QB | Iowa | story | |
44 | Detroit Lions | Brandon Harris | CB | Miami (FL) | story | |
45 | San Francisco 49ers | Colin Kaepernick | QB | Nevada | story | |
46 | Denver Broncos | Brandon Burton | CB | Utah | story | |
47 | St. Louis Rams | Mikel Leshoure | RB | Illinois | story | |
48 | Oakland Raiders | Marcus Cannon | OT | TCU | story | |
49 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Ben Ijalana | OT | Villanova | story | |
50 | San Diego Chargers | Jabaal Sheard | DE | Pittsburgh | ||
51 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |||||
52 | New York Giants | |||||
53 | Indianapolis Colts | |||||
54 | Philadelphia Eagles | |||||
55 | Kansas City Chiefs | |||||
56 | New Orleans Saints | |||||
57 | Seattle Seahawks | |||||
58 | Baltimore Ravens | |||||
59 | Atlanta Falcons | |||||
60 | New England Patriots | |||||
61 | San Diego Chargers | |||||
62 | Chicago Bears | |||||
63 | Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||
64 | Green Bay Packers |