The Los Angeles Chargers could have declared this NFL draft to be a victory after they got Derwin James in a widely perceived steal in the first round.
They still spent the next two days adding a diverse collection of talent on both sides of the ball to make a solid roster even better.
Two days after the Florida State safety unexpectedly fell to the Chargers with the 17th overall pick Jason Verrett Jersey , Los Angeles grabbed West Virginia safety Kyzir White in the fourth round Saturday with plans to turn him into a linebacker.
The Chargers then drafted UCLA center Scott Quessenberry, a lifelong Chargers fan from the San Diego suburbs. With their final picks, they landed Texas Tech receiver Dylan Cantrell and prolific Northwestern running back Justin Jackson.
”I thought we got good individuals,” coach Anthony Lynn said. ”They all have great personalities, backgrounds, good intangibles, but they’re good football players as well.”
Los Angeles chose defensive players with its first four picks, bolstering a unit that allowed fewer points than all but two teams last season. The Chargers’ final three picks were used on offensive players, and all three appear to have a legitimate shot to make the roster of a unit that finished fourth in the NFL with 376.6 yards per game last season.
The Chargers’ second- and third-round picks arrived in Costa Mesa on Saturday – and one of them drove there. USC linebacker Uchenna Nwosu’s family lives in Carson, the suburban Los Angeles town where the Chargers play their home games at StubHub Center for the next two seasons.
”This being my city, any questions guys have, they can come to me,” Nwosu said. ”Where to go for good food, sightseeing or anything, I’ve already got those ideas in my head.”
Here are more things to know about the Chargers’ draft:
SWITCH IT UP
White is a big, versatile talent who had 94 tackles and three interceptions last year. The Chargers will move him to linebacker to fill an area of need, and White welcomed the switch.
”I’ve never played it before, but I can adjust to anything,” White said. ”I think it would be a good situation. I’m always up for a challenge.”
Chargers general manager Tom Telesco believes White has several qualities necessary to move from safety in college to weak-side linebacker in the NFL. That’s a switch that came up frequently when Telesco’s former team, Indianapolis, looked to draft players for its Tampa 2 defense.
”Part of it is a mentality Ryan Tannehill Jersey , and he has that mentality to come up and hit and do all the dirty work up at the line of scrimmage,” Telesco said.
White is the younger brother of receiver Kevin White, the seventh overall pick by the Chicago Bears in the 2015 draft. Kevin White has played in only five games in his three NFL seasons due to numerous injuries.
PRODUCTIVE PICK
Jackson is the 11th-leading rusher in NCAA FBS history after racking up 5,440 yards during his four seasons with the Wildcats. Telesco and Lynn cited Jackson’s steady production, including four 1,000-yard seasons, as a primary reason to acquire him.
”Sometimes the measurables – height, weight, speed – sometimes that doesn’t add up,” said Lynn, a former running backs coach. ”There’s one thing, to me, that’s hard to measure, and that’s a young man’s heart. And he has shown heart every year he’s been at Northwestern, and his production shows that.”
RED RAIDERS
Lynn, a Texas Tech product, was thrilled to grab Cantrell in the sixth round. And shortly after the draft ended, Texas Tech announced that the Chargers had signed quarterback Nic Shimonek as an undrafted free agent.
NO QB
After months of speculation, the Chargers did not draft a quarterback and potential heir to Philip Rivers. Los Angeles apparently will have newcomer Geno Smith, Cardale Jones and Shimonek behind center in the offseason program. The 36-year-old Rivers has started every game since 2006, and Telesco repeatedly said the Chargers are in no hurry to groom his successor. The Bolts haven’t drafted a quarterback since 2013.
SO FRESH Steve Largent Jersey , SO CLEAN
Jones, who flew cross-country from Atlanta on Saturday morning, related the humorous circumstances around his selection. He didn’t expect to be drafted until Saturday, so he went bowling with his girlfriend and other friends Friday.
”I was bowling mad hard, and my girl was like, `Yeah, you ain’t smelling the best,”’ Jones said. ”So I go take a shower, and I’ve got the suds going on.”
That’s when the Chargers called. He struggled to answer his iPhone with wet fingers while running up and down and up the stairs after forgetting to put on pants. When he finally got dressed and down into the living room, he was with his mother when his name was called.
STILL NEED
The Chargers are still looking for a kickoff returner who can do better than last season’s unimpressive group, although Jackson returned kicks early in his college career. Los Angeles didn’t draft an heir apparent at right tackle. The Bolts would still like more depth on the defensive line. But they clearly feel comfortable about the overall makeup of their roster.
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By now, LeBron James is usually getting some rest in the NBA playoffs.
The Pacers are making him work much harder than he has in years.
After splitting the first four games, Indiana and Cleveland will meet on Wednesday night in the critical Game 5 of a first-round series that has been unpredictable, uneven and for James, unusual.
This first round hasn’t been the norm for the three-time champion.
While he’s 12-0 in the opening round, before the Cavs dropped Game 1 to the Pacers at home, James had never lost a playoff opener. In fact, James came in with a 21-game winning streak in first-round games and this will be his first Game 5 in Round 1 since 2012 when he was with Miami.
The Cavs and Pacers aren’t the only ones in a tussle in the Eastern Conference as Washington and Toronto resume their series in Canada tied 2-2. Things aren’t quite as tight In the West as Utah holds a 3-1 lead over a fraying Oklahoma City team, and Houston, which dropped 50 points in one quarter on Monday night, can eliminate Minnesota.
Cleveland’s 104-100 win in Game 4 brought relief to Cavs fans and James Donovan Smith Jersey , who had been getting little offensive help from his teammates. A dependable No. 2 scoring option has been issue all season, primarily because Kyle Irving is no longer around to take pressure off James.
But in Game 4 , Kyle Korver stepped up in the second half and knocked down four 3-pointers and the Cavs buckled down defensively in the closing minutes to avoid a 3-1 hole.
”We all know the narrative around us, it is what it is,” Korver said after practice on Tuesday. ”It’s Bron and we’re all trying to make it work for him.”
James has been his usual self, averaging 32.5 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists in the series. But only Kevin Love (12.0), who has been slowed by a sprained left thumb, and J.R. Smith (10.0) are averaging double-digits for Cleveland.
Some things to know for Wednesday’s matchups:
WIZARDS AT RAPTORS
Series tied 2-2. Game 5, 7 p.m., NBATV
NEED TO KNOW: The home team has won each game so far. The Wizards absolutely need at least one road victory, and they’ve been here before: Washington was eliminated a year ago in the second round against Boston after going 3-0 in at home and 0-4 in away games.
KEEP AN EYE ON: Toronto’s 3-point shooting. The Raptors attempted a season-low 18 shots from beyond the arc, making seven, in its Game 4 loss . They never took fewer than 21 in any regular-season game, and averaged 13.7 made 3s and 31 attempts in Games 1-3.
PRESSURE IS ON: DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. While Washington’s All-Star backcourt duo of John Wall (26.8 points, 13 assists and 4.8 rebounds) and Bradley Beal (29.5 ppg the past two games) led the Wizards in Games 3 and 4, Toronto’s counterparts have not been very efficient lately. Lowry is shooting 41.7 percent, and DeRozan is at 44 after going 10 for 29 in Game 4.
INJURY UPDATE: Because of an injured right shoulder, Raptors PG Fred VanVleet has played a total of only three minutes in the series.
PACERS AT CAVALIERS
Series tied 2-2. Game 5, 7 p.m. TNT
NEED TO KNOW: After scoring 32 points in the opener, Pacers guard Victor Oladipo has scored 18 and 17 in the past two games and is just 10 of 35 from the field. Cleveland has been blitzing and trapping Oladipo Corey Linsley Jersey , forcing him to pass or rush his shot.
KEEP AN EYE ON: Lance Stephenson. Indiana’s always entertaining swingman baited James into a technical foul in Game 4, when he also wrapped up Cleveland’s Jeff Green late in the game and spun him to the floor.
PRESSURE IS ON: Cavs coach Tyronn Lue. While he’s had to sort through injuries and battled his own health issues all season, he’s been criticized for some decisions, including a reluctance to play forward Tristan Thompson in this series. If the Cavs go down 3-2 or are eliminated, look out.
INJURY UPDATE: Cavaliers starting G George Hill (back spasms ) is questionable. He received injections but couldn’t play in Game 4.
JAZZ AT THUNDER
Thunder lead 3-1. Game 5, 9:30 p.m. Central, NBA TV.
NEED TO KNOW: Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell is averaging 27.5 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting 45 percent from the field. He’s averaging 17.3 points in the second half and shooting 46 percent.
He topped Karl Malone’s rookie playoff record with 33 points in Game 4.
”I’m not trying to think about all that now,” he said. ”We have bigger things to worry about right now as a team.”
KEEP AN EYE ON: Thunder F Carmelo Anthony. He’s shooting 37 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from 3-point range. He was brought to the Thunder to take pressure off Thunder G Russell Westbrook, but his inability to make shots has only made things more difficult.
PRESSURE IS ON: Westbrook. While averaging 21.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists, he’s only shooting 37 percent, 21 on 3s. Westbrook normally attacks with reckless abandon, but 7-foot-1 Jazz center Rudy Gobert is making that tougher.
INTRIGUING MATCHUP: Thunder F Paul George vs. Jazz F Joe Ingles. George has been solid, averaging 27.3 points. But his focus has drifted and he has got caught up in some of Ingles’ agitating tactics. George was the aggressor in Game 4 , at one point shoving Ingles and getting a technical.
TIMBERWOLVES AT ROCKETS
Rockets lead 3-1. Game 5, 9:30 p.m., TNT.
NEED TO KNOW: Timberwolves might still be reeling from the 50-point third quarter the Rockets posted to turn a tight Game 4 into a rout . Minnesota actually outshot Houston for the third straight game, but only turned that into one victory. ”Ev Authentic Womens Connor Williams Jersey