MVN - Most Valuable Network

Bolts Fill Another Hole In 3rd Round With LSU’s Hester

The Chargers came into the draft with four needs and only two picks in the first four rounds. They have been able to address two of those needs as LSU fullback Jacob Hester was still on the board when the Bolt turn came up in the third round.

Hester was Pro Football Weekly’s top rated FB entering the draft,although he ranged anywhere from second to fourth on other lists. Having played in the SEC and for a national champion, Hester shares the polished skills that A.J. Smith looked for in his first round selection, Arizona CB Antoine Cason.

Hester is an accomplished receiver and is well known for his good hands. In 364 carries at LSU, he fumbled only once. He is also known for his physical play. He is an aggressive blocker and first made a name for himself on Tiger special teams units as a freshman, recording five tackles in 2004.

Versatility and an ability to run the ball inside combined with his hands to make him irresistable to the Chargers in the third round. He also has a reputation as a team leader and he fits the Charger profile of drafting good”character guys”.

Figure the Chargers to rotate Hester with Andrew Pinnock, both as lead blockers to combat other teams tendency to stack the box against LaDainian Tomlinson and to provide the power-running counter punch role that Michael Turner filled so well the last few years. Jacob Hester’s abilities as a receiver will also be a commanding asset in those situations. Watch for Hester to catch a few passes after appearing to be a lead blocker early in the season, forcing defenses to pay attention to him. Norv Turner employed that tactic in Dallas, especially around the end zone.

The one knock on Hester is his speed, but that will not be as important in San Diego, where his physical presence running in the middle and as a blocker will be exploited.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 27th, 2008 at 10:40 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.