SAN DIEGO (AP) -The San Diego Chargers used the final day of the NFL draft to take a player who could be the replacement for run-stuffing defensive tackle Jamal Williams and another player who might never take a snap.
The Chargers moved up in the fifth round Saturday to pick defensive tackle Cam Thomas of North Carolina, who had been projected by many to go higher.
Thomas will compete for the job at nose tackle. The Chargers used a rotation to fill in last year for Williams, who suffered a season-ending arm injury in the opener. A mainstay with the Chargers for more than a decade, Williams was released in March and signed by the division rival Denver Broncos.
“It’s not how you start your career, it’s how you finish it,” the 6-foot-4, 335-pound Thomas said during a conference call. “I’d rather have a good run in the NFL than one good day” in the draft.
ng from 28th to 15th to take Thomas, and sent the Eagles a fifth-round pick in 2011. It was the third time in the draft that the Chargers traded up in a round.
The Chargers had been expected to take a defensive tackle earlier in the draft but moved up in the first round to grab Fresno State running back Ryan Mathews, which cost them their second-round pick.
“We’re going to give him the opportunity to come in here and compete,” coach Norv Turner said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who played a lot of football for us last year and over the last two to three years. He’s a big, physical, talented guy. We’ll see how quickly he can mature and understand what this league is about.”
The Chargers also picked strong safety Darrell Stuckey of Kansas in the fourth round, quarterback Jonathan Crompton of Tennessee in the fifth round and tight end Dedrick Epps in the seventh.
Crompton will replace third-string quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, who was traded to Seattle in mid-March. Whitehurst played only briefly as a rookie in 2006 and has yet to throw a pass in the NFL.
The pick, No. 37 in the fifth round and 168th overall, was compensation for losing unrestricted free agents Mike Goff and Igor Olshansky after the 2008 season.
the season with 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Ahead of him on the depth chart are Pro Bowler Philip Rivers and backup Billy Volek.
Jimmy Raye, the director of player personnel, said Stuckey can play both safety positions and will add speed and athleticism to the position.
General manager A.J. Smith didn’t return a call seeking comment.
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