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Chargers - Hold 30th pick in 2007 NFL Draft |
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Written by Pedro Serrano
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Saturday, 21 April 2007 |
With eight choices in the upcoming NFL Draft, including the 30th selection in the first round, San Diego Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith expects to continue his history of adding talented players to the Bolts roster. The draft begins on Saturday, April 28 at 9:00 a.m. PDT and concludes on Sunday, April 29. Rounds 1-3 are scheduled for Saturday and Rounds 4-7 will take place on Sunday.
“The draft is an exciting time of the year for everyone in the organization,” said Smith. “It’s a chance for some young players to come in and compete for the opportunity to help us win a championship. There are a lot of good players out there that can help our team win. Now it’s up to us to make the right choices.”
Chargers flagship station KIOZ-FM (Rock 105.3) and Clear Channel partner KOGO AM 600 will offer live coverage throughout the draft. Hosts Mikey Esparza and Eddie Pappani of Rock 105.3’s Mikey Morning Show will be broadcasting live from the NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York on Saturday. Mike Costa and Brian Wilson will be live from the team’s draft headquarters at Chargers Park. Steve Quis and Lew Bush will also be live on Saturday from Rock's draft-day party at Dave & Busters in Mission Valley.
The Draft Party at Dave & Busters, featuring the 2007 Charger Girls, will be the official headquarters for Bolts fans to tune in to the NFL Draft. Rock 105.3 will give away free breakfast to the first 105 fans through the door and there will be opportunities for fans to win prizes throughout the day, including tickets to preseason games, new Chargers merchandise and much more. Both KIOZ and KOGO will have live guests and updates throughout the draft and KGB FM (101.5) will offer hourly draft updates on Saturday and Sunday from 9-2 p.m.
The NFL Network and ESPN/ESPN 2 will cover the draft in its entirety. The NFL Network’s Paul Burmeister will be at Chargers Park to cover the draft live for the NFLN.
The Chargers have one pick each in rounds one, two, four and seven, and two picks in rounds three and five. The Chargers received the additional third and fifth round picks from the league as compensation for losing free agents Drew Brees, Reche Caldwell, Ben Leber and Justin Peelle to other teams. The Chargers traded their sixth-round choice to Tennessee in September in exchange for quarterback Billy Volek.
Smith will oversee his fifth draft as general manager of the Chargers. Last year he used the Chargers’ top pick to secure the services of cornerback Antonio Cromartie from Florida State, who played in every game as the team’s nickel corner as well as being one of the team’s top special teams performers. In the second round, Smith selected left tackle Marcus McNeill from Auburn, who started every game and earned a nod to start the 2007 Pro Bowl. McNeill also garnered several All-Pro and All-Rookie Team selections. Smith made another big draft-day move when he traded last year’s fourth-round draft pick to St. Louis in exchange for tight end Brandon Manumaleuna, who also played in all 16 games and gave a big boost to San Diego’s running game while tying for second on the team with three touchdown catches.
Smith’s previous top draft-day moves include the notable selections of two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman and defensive end Luis Castillo, along with the blockbuster trade he engineered with the New York Giants in 2004 to secure the services of starting quarterback Philip Rivers. Twenty-one of the current 58 players on the Chargers roster were drafted by Smith.
Following are the Chargers’ eight picks in the 2007 draft:
Round 1 (30th overall)
Round 2 (62nd overall)
Round 3 (93rd overall)
Round 3 (96th overall) – Compensatory Selection
Round 4 (129th overall)
Round 5 (167th overall)
Round 5 (172nd overall) – Compensatory Selection
Round 7 (240th overall) |
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