A preview of some of the players I’ll be watching closely

"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections San Diego Chargers Daily LinksSan Diego Chargers NewsSan Diego Chargers OffseasonSan Diego Chargers HistorySan Diego Chargers HumorLatest NewsLos Angeles Chargers NewsBFTB EditorialsBFTB Goes to Mobile: Players to watch at the Senior BowlNew White Uchenna Nwosu Jerseys ,21commentsA preview of some of the players I’ll be watching closely in Mobile next week.PSTShareTweetShareShareBFTB Goes to Mobile: Players to watch at the Senior BowlMark Hoffman-USA TODAY SportsIt’s that time of the year again where the entire college and professional football scouting community starts their annual migration down to the low-country where the Reese’s Senior Bowl will be celebrating his 70th birthday in the quaint little town of Mobile, Alabama.For those of you who may not know what the Senior Bowl is, the yearly contest is essentially the premiere college football all-star game that consists of the top senior or junior-grad players in the country. Some of the biggest names in the NFL have passed through the city, including quarterbacks Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, and Carson Wentz, and most recently, Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen.Many players come down to Mobile in hopes of raising their draft stock by a round or two, while others come to solidify their place as a day one prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft.If last year’s draft class was any indication, it is also a place where the Chargers’ top-brass come to find their future stars as fourthe the team’s seven selections from last year played in the Senior Bowl. Those players were LB Uchenna Nwosu (2nd-round pick), DT Justin Jones (3rd), S/LB Kyzir White (4th), and C Scott Quessenberry (5th). Of these four, three of them saw extensive playing time with White being the lone starter of the group once training camp broke.This year, I think the crop of talent is as good as its’ ever been and there are a number of talented and versatile players that I believe would be phenomenal fits for the Chargers. Now that the Chargers’ season is over, I’ve had to cram in all of my film study before I head down this coming Monday. It is a bit overwhelming, but man is it fun.With most of the Bolts’ draft needs circling around the middle linebacker spot and interior of both the offensive and defensive lines, I’ve collected a handful of prospects that fit the mold of what I believe the Chargers want to do on both sides of the ball next year and for the foreseeable future.Let’s dive in.OG Michael Deiter - WisconsinAt the end of Deiter’s career in Madison, he had started a Wisconsin-record 54 games in his career. This ranks him second behind only Ohio State’s Billy Price, who started 55 during his tenure with the Buckeyes.The Chargers have valued versatility at all positions, especially in the last few years. Deiterboasts the most versatility in the class by far, even when compared to Kansas State’s Dalton Risner who joins Deiter as one of the consistently highest-graded offensive linemen over the past three to four years.Of his 54 starts, Deiter has 24 at left guard, 16 at center Uchenna Nwosu Jerseys 2019 , and 14 at left tackle. At 6-foot-6 and 321 pounds, Deiter has an enormous, compact frame that doesn’t bare many signs of bad weight. He moves extremely well for his size and exhibits the athleticism needed to make it as a guard for an Anthony Lynn-led team.He can hinge and pull withthe best of them and can really bring the hammer when asked to kick out defenders. His Wisconsin pedigree will do a lot for him this draft cycle, but Deiter has the experience and resume to stake his claim at the top with any other high-profile offensive line prospect in this years draft.LB Germaine Pratt - North Carolina StateAs a non-starter in 2017, Pratt was the fourth-leading tackler on the Wolfpack defense with 69 total tackles, 5.5 tackles-for-loss, and a pair of game-sealing interceptions. He stepped into a starting role this past season and found himself pacing the team in tackles with 104 total stops, 10 tackles-for-loss, and six sacks which were the only six of his career.At 6-foot-3 and 235-240 pounds, Pratt would step in as one of the biggest linebackers on the team which, if you’re anything like me, is great when you can’t help but view your linebacker group as a substitute for the workers over at the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory.In the above play, you can see that NCST liked to put Pratt on the line of srimmage from time to time. You’ve gotta like what you see from a mental processing standpoint on this play as he filters through quite a bit of trash to find the running back coming out of the other side of the play.Pratt is also a converted safety who made the switch to linebacker during the 2016 when he missed the entire year due to injury. And I know, I know, “linebacker that used to be a safety” are pretty much trigger words for Tom Telesco and his staff which makes me think they might be likely to dip back in the Wolfpack player pool after they selected former NCST DL Justin Jones last year.DL Renell Wren - Arizona StateMy good friend Gavino Borquez over at Draft Wire has been a big fan of Wren’s ever since the start of the 2018 college football season. He’s also had a good view of Wren all season as both Gavino and Wren have attended ASU for the last several years.Standing 6-foot-5 and hovering around 300 pounds, Wren is a long, fairly-lean defensive tackle prospect with a ton of POP behind his hands. His insane get-off after the snap is a testament to his elite athletic ability which also happened to land him on The Athletic’s “Freaks” list which highlights the biggest freak-athletes in college football.Wren checked in at #19 on the list as the explosive linemen has apparently been clocked at an impressive 4.86 forty-yard dash to go along with a 34-inch vertical and a 10-foot broad jump. Not surprising for a guy who can also squat well over 600 pounds and benches 430 pounds.While the Chargers will likely be looking for a run-stuffing nose tackle earlier in the draft, there is still plenty of room to upgrade at the 3-technique position with Corey Liuget possibly gone before next season. Wren is a perfect fit for the penetrating 3-tech that Gus Bradley likes to utilize in this defense while creating a devastatingly-synergistic front four along with Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa.There a number of other players worthy of the Bolts’ attention during next week’s showcase, but for convenience’s sake, I’ll stick with the rule of three.Check back in on here and on my twitter (@Zonetracks) to stay up to date with what I’ll be doing in Mobile and all my observations through each team’s practices Tuesday through Thursday. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Nick Bosa found himself in the news again last week when Zion Williamson sprained his right knee in the opening minute against North Carolina.The sight of his left shoe tearing apart and Williamson grabbing his right knee unleashed feverish debate over whether Duke’s freakish freshman forward should ever again play for Mike Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils.Many wondered if he should just turn his attention to the pros like Bosa did six months ago when he got hurt in Ohio State’s third game of the season. Instead of rehabbing for a return to the Buckeyes, Bosa began training for the combine, the draft and a career in the NFL.Bosa figures to get drafted higher than his father, John, who went 16th overall to Miami in 1987 White Derwin James Jerseys , and maybe even higher than big brother, Joey, the third overall pick by the Chargers in 2016.Williamson is the consensus top pick in the NBA draft this summer.So, Bosa was asked at the NFL scouting combine Saturday what advice he’d give Williamson, who missed his third straight game Saturday with a mild knee sprain.“I mean, just lean on the people that you love and go with your gut,” Bosa said. “I faced a pretty serious injury. I had surgery that took me out for the rest of the year, so kind of the choice was made for me.”Bosa dealt with something much more serious than Williamson did — a torn bilateral core muscle, an excruciating injury that occurs when the rectus abdominus or adductor muscles are torn off the pubic bone. Surgeons fix it by inserting a mesh cone into the tear to plug the hole formed in the muscle.“It’s literally the muscle used to breathe, to cough, to go to the bathroom,” Bosa said.Bosa got tangled up with Horned Frogs left tackle Austin Meyers on a third down pass rush on Sept. 14 in Arlington, Texas, and stayed on the turf.“I know what a serious injury is,” Bosa said. “I knew my season was in jeopardy and I had a doctor confirm that.”Bosa had gotten off to a terrific start, collecting a team-high 14 tackles, including six for loss, and four sacks when he got hurt.“It was the year that I been waiting for my whole career,” he said. “I kind of split reps my freshman and sophomore year. Coming in I was going to be the guy. … It just got torn away from me. It’s something that I’ll always think back to.”That first night was the toughest, he said.“When I got home from that TCU game I was lying in bed, I could barely get up,” Bosa said. “It was one of the darkest moments of my life so far.“So, for me to just talk to my family and let them bring me up and just know that my life is still good and I still have amazing blessings and a bright future, that’s what helped me get through it.”Five days later Derwin James Jerseys 2019 , he underwent surgery and in mid-October, Bosa had decided he wouldn’t return.He moved in with Joey in Los Angeles and after the Chargers’ season was over, the brothers returned to their hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.Bosa said he’s finally back to 100 percent and wouldn’t hold back during his testing at the combine nor skip any drills.Bosa said that while he was told the injury likely came about because of the enormous torque his body experiences playing football, he’s not worried that he’ll reinjure himself.“This is one of the injuries that once you get it fixed, it’s pretty guaranteed to be good,” Bosa said.NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah rates the 6-foot-4, 263-pounder the best player in the draft. Although he’s an inch shorter and 13 pounds lighter than his brother, “I expect similar dominance and production at the NFL level,” Jeremiah said.“That would just mean so much to be thought of as the best player in the draft,” Bosa said.The top pick belongs to the Arizona Cardinals, who recently hired Ohio State linebackers coach Billy Davis.Joey Bosa said his brother made the right decision not to return to Ohio State: “If anyone had the opportunity to hit the lottery tomorrow, would anyone risk that? He has that opportunity. There is a difference between high draft stock and No. 1 pick in the draft.”Forget sibling rivalry , too: Bosa said his big brother wants him to do better than he did three years ago when only quarterbacks Jared Goff and Carson Wentz were drafted ahead of him.“It’s crazy that both of us are in this position so soon after each other,” the younger Bosa said.Bosa finished his college career with 29 tackles in 30 games, 17 1/2 sacks and two fumble recoveries.“I don’t have as much tape as some people, but clearly my tape was enough to get me this far,” Bosa said.While Bosa will never forget the sudden end to his college career, he’d rather think about what lies ahead.“I’m going to show it this year as a rookie,” Bosa said. “I didn’t get to show as much as I wanted at Ohio State, it was very short, but I’ve got a lot of football to play in my career.”