General manager Tom Telesco has found some late-round defensive gems over the years. 2013 fifth-rounder Kyle Emanuel and 2016 fifth-rounder Jatavis Brown both were starters last season, with the latter coming out of nowhere and adding some juice to the Chargers’ defense in only his rookie year.
The Chargers appear to be set at linebacker, as they have young talent like Denzel Perryman, Jatavis Brown, Kyle Emanuel, Korey Toomer and Joshua Perry on the roster. It’s not really a need, but the more linebackers, the better in new DC Gus Bradley’s 4-3 scheme, right? And two of the starters (Perryman/Brown) missed time last year, so the Chargers need to be prepared in case they get banged up again.